Pathwalking 133
Giving is important to having balance in life.
Some people don’t even consider what they do to be giving.
Some people go through this life and make accommodations for others, they take time to help people in a myriad of ways, and they just do things for other people without a second thought. They are people who give time, energy and more so that others may benefit.
Giving is a powerful tool. We have an amazing capacity to give on an incredible number of levels. We can give both material and immaterial things that will change the lives of the people around us.
Often this is small. You give someone a smile, a nod, a wave, and unknowingly brighten their day. Sometimes it is larger, like giving a hug or a cup of coffee or holding open a door. Once in a while this is tremendous, giving hours of your time for another’s benefit, giving blood, raising funds to help someone in need.
No matter the size or amount of effort involved, giving is a powerful action. We can give a piece of ourselves to help improve the lives of others in many ways, shapes and forms, and we can do so frequently.
Those who choose to walk their own path, despite many elements of the process being solitary, often give of their energy as they walk their path. I, for example, share this blog as I work out my own journey.
There are, of course, some vital matters to make note of on this subject.
It is hugely important that before you give, you are not running on empty. It is impossible to give when you are empty, and not feeling good about yourself, without it being hollow. You are better off making certain that you are full, complete, and giving from a place of abundance in order to give in the most full and meaningful way.
This raises another important issue. Giving versus sacrificing. Giving feels good. It is a means to express yourself, to share your own fortune and to help others have a better life experience. Sacrificing not only does not feel good, it is telling the Universe that you believe there is not enough, that there is a lack of whatever it is you are going without, and that is ok. Sacrificing yourself in order to be generous and giving will not make you feel more positive or happier in life, it will actually make you feel negative, more sad and lost.
Society is always telling us we have to sacrifice in order to have what we want. In a universe of abundance and plenty that is simply untrue. Yes, this seems very hard to believe, in especial when you are faced with difficult odds. This does not make it any less true. Giving and sacrificing are diametrically opposed concepts.
It is also very important to know the difference between those who receive, and those who take. When what you give is received with gratitude positivity and goodwill are created. When what you give is taken, and no gratitude has been expressed you may become depleted and find not only that you are not feeling joy in sharing, but you may even begin to not feel good about the practice of giving. When you are giving to someone who is a taker, often the giving turns into sacrificing because no amount of giving on your part is ever sufficient.
These are fine lines and blurred lines and complicated notions to compartmentalize in this manner. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between giving and sacrificing, receivers and takers. Sometimes we get so caught up in the practice that while it may start in one manner it evolves or devolves into another. Like pretty much everything I bring up in Pathwalking, you need to consider all sides of a situation, and do the most thorough analysis that you can.
I believe that if more people pay attention to giving versus sacrificing, and work with the power of gratitude that giving can create, we could go a long ways towards building a better world. Despite what society wants us to believe, and despite all the bad news we are constantly inundated with, I still think that people are inherently capable of good and positive things.
Giving can happen on every level anybody could need. You can give of the mind, of the body and of the spirit, sometimes in equal parts. Giving as you walk your own path in life can create new pathways and open new doors and provide all kinds of interesting waypoints on any journey.
Finally, giving is not always an external act. I can give myself a break, I can give myself praise, I can give myself joy, I can give myself opportunities. When I give to myself, and this is an important distinction as opposed to taking for myself, I can open the same channels of positivity that giving to others does. Further, when you give to yourself, you build the abundance you need to have in order to better give to others.
Giving can have a rather profound effect on your actions. Giving can be a powerful mean to find and travel the paths you walk in life.
Do you give to yourself what you give to others?
This is the one-hundred thirty third entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share. Thank you for joining me.
The first fifty-two weeks (Year One) of installments of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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