Giving Is the Key to Fulfilment
If there’s one act that is key to fulfilment, creates a feeling of wellbeing, conveys gratitude and generosity, it’s doing something useful for someone else.
Too many people seem to be concerned with how they can improve their own situation, what they can get out of it, how they can increase profits or clientele, how to improve their standing in their community, how it’ll make their life easier, all with this inherent thought – what’s in it for me?
How many people commit to an idea, or make a decision, based on the thought – what’s in it for someone else, unfortunately too few?
Is selfishness becoming part of our evolution?
We seem to be getting more selfish as a population, we buy into the dog eat dog philosophy disseminated by politicians, advertising agencies, bankers and the mainstream media who will have you believe there is a current or impending LACK of resources. That you must hoard to guarantee you don’t go without.
This sends a message, both consciously and subconsciously, that to be sure of survival we must only look out for number one. This is an easy concept to adopt because obviously, you have to look out for yourself in life in order to survive, but on the flip side, to gain fulfilment in life you also have to give.
Be guided by your own emotional compass
Think about it for a second, it’s fairly easy to distinguish what’s natural in life by way of your emotional compass. If it feels good, or right, then you can easily assume Mother Nature wants you to do more of it.
For example, sex feels good and natural, and obviously Mother Nature wants you to do as much of this as possible so as to pro-create and continue the species into the far and distant future. Exercise feels good and again this is due to the fact nature wants you to be healthy and live a long life.
The same can be said for a multitude of things in life, and GIVING is one of them. If you walk past a person collecting money for a good cause for example, and you choose to give to that cause you walk away feeling GOOD about yourself, correct?
People, who choose to walk past and give nothing, either feel bad about the fact they walked past and gave nothing, or feel nothing at all about the interaction.
It’s not just about giving financially either, if you choose to give your time by helping someone in need, or some cause you believe in, you walk away with the same reward, a feeling of wellbeing. You feel you’ve made a difference in the world, and that feeling is PRICELESS!
This feeling is one which makes existing worthwhile, and the reason you feel GOOD about it is because Mother Nature wants you to do more of it, just like exercise, or any other act that provides feelings of fulfilment.
I don’t think you can go far wrong in life by listening to your inner compass and doing MORE of what feels good. If it feels good it’s usually right and we’re expected to do more of it!
Giving is the key to fulfilment because…fill in the blank
Giving helps build relationships and solidify trust within those relationships, and life is all about the relationships we have with other people, and the living world around us.
Giving your time to someone who is need of direction can have a long lasting positive impact on that person for life.
Giving your love creates an endless flow of positive affection which is passed on, passed back and more freely given by the recipient.
Giving your sympathy can support a person when they need it most.
Giving your money can help causes who lack only finance to move forward and make their world a better one.
Giving of the experience you hold in life teaches others by way of your example, and shares knowledge which educates and promotes ideas.
There is a multitude of ways to GIVE and giving in any form makes a person feel good, whether it’s tossing a coin into a homeless guy’s cup or volunteering for a cause close to your heart. However you choose to give in life is fine; the important thing is to ensure you do.
I’d love to hear how you choose to give, and what methods and practices you employ. I’d also like to hear what you feel others gain from your giving, and also how this affects you.