Pondering Pundit

The art of giving is a very special act to bestow on another person, or entity. We are coming into the season where most folks begin this giving tradition during the Christmas season.

However, giving can be done every single day of the year and it should be.

The most common way to give comes in the form of a gift, a present, but there are so many more ways to practice the art of giving.

Gifts aside, what are some other ways we as humans can give to another? We can give our talents – making a hand-crafted gift or helping someone with a project that we have knowledge with and so on.

We can give our blood - the gift of life.

We can give out recognition to another – everyone likes to hear words of encouragement so we should always look to recognize what others in our lives are doing or accomplishing and give them that praise.

We can always lend a helping hand to someone in need – helping the elder folks with yard work or helping them unload groceries from their basket into their car.

We can offer recommendations about a person to another – telling an employer about a young man or woman and the qualifications they might have to be a good hire for employment.

We can simply laugh with someone, we can give advice, we can encourage others, we can offer a smile or a kind word.

Giving has many positive forms and the effect of giving from the heart can last a lifetime. But to practice the art of giving we must have the right mindset. We must give with no expectation of getting anything in return.

We should always give from the heart. If we truly want to be generous, then we have to give just because we want to give, not because we have ulterior motives and want something in return.

Know that being generous will make us happier. Being generous helps us feel more compassionate towards others, gives a stronger sense of community, and establishes a higher selfimage.

Notice what would make someone’s life easier. When we talk to someone, start wondering about how we could help them instead of always thinking about how they can help us.

Be grateful for what you have. Being more grateful will put us in the mindset to be a more generous person. If we are able to appreciate all that we have, we’ll be more likely to share some of those great things with others, to help them appreciate life as well.

Don’t forget to be generous to yourself. Though volunteering, caring for others, and giving our time is a great way to be generous, we shouldn’t forget about ourself completely in the process.

Make your giving purposeful by giving to organizations and people that fulfill purposes that you believe in. Giving purposefully will give you the ability to know that your giving is doing something great.

Give proactively. Don’t be a reactive giver, you know when someone gives to you and then you feel obligated to return the gift.

The art of giving is a wonderful thing, it warms the heart of the giver and receiver.

Giving brings joy, comfort, happiness and satisfaction for both the giver and receiver.

I hope we all can practice the Art of Giving daily. Just imagine the effect it would have in our community if we all took the time every day to just give.

Happy reading Cibola.