Ok, so I've been slacking off a bit on the blog posts. It's June 4th already!
My June is dedicated to practicing generosity and non-stealing. What this means should be pretty self-explanatory. But let's take it a few steps further than not shop-lifting and occasionally giving to a charitable organization.
How can I be generous with my time, talents, abilities, towards friends, family, neighbors, strangers?
Bill normally does the dishes, so I started by washing some dishes this morning, something I don't normally do (in fact, that's only the second time I've washed the dishes since Bill moved in).
I have a sponsored child through World Vision, and a couple days ago I got a letter from World Vision with an opportunity to give her a little something extra this month. I'm gonna do it.
A couple days ago I met one of my neighbors, a gentleman in his late 80s named Morris. He is very nice and lives alone, his wife of 60 years moved out a few years ago and moved closer to their children. I think I'm going to back him some cookies and take them over and visit on my next day off work.
The following is an excerpt from a blog that I found this morning, and in practicing non-stealing, which also applies to intellectual property, let's make sure we credit our sources. This is from http://zenhabits.net/how-to-create-the-abundance-mindset/
Here are 6 ways to give and create the abundance mindset:
- Are you short on time? If that’s the case, give away some of your time. Take time to give to others. You don’t have to dedicate 90% of your day to serving others – that’s not what I’m saying. Just find that balance between giving and receiving. Find an organization or a person that you really love and volunteer some of your time. Give your time away.
- Don’t feel loved? You’ve got to give some before you get some. Give away some hugs. Go out right now and give 5 people you know a big hug. I guarantee right after you do this, you’ll feel great. You’ll feel like a million bucks! Why? Because you feel loved. And you can only feel loved when you give that love to others. Go out right now and hug 5 people!
- Short on Cash? Give some away. Yes, you heard me right. I’m not saying you should sell the farm, far from it. But you may consider giving money to a charity, giving money to a friend who needs it, or even giving money to a panhandler in the street. Givers gain.
- Are you stuck? Do you want to get unstuck? Help others first. Think of someone you know that is having a similar problem. And think of a way that you could help them based on what you know. Write down what you plan to do to help this person and then go out and do it. I’m telling you this works! When you help others wholeheartedly, help will always come back to you.
- Lacking self-belief? Yup, you know it. You’ve got to give it away! If you lack self-belief, then give away that belief to others. What do I mean? Find someone you know who is lacking in self-confidence or in self-belief and give them a boost. Spend some time with this person and feed their mind. Tell them how much you believe in them. Tell them how successful you see them becoming; how you always knew they could make it. Tell them how proud you are of them. Fill their mind with positive ideas. Instill belief in others and belief will come flowing abundantly to you.
- Short on ideas? This is my favorite. If you’re short on creative ideas, give them away! Give others creative ways to increase business, find a new stimulating career or improve their health. Give ideas away and ideas will flood right back to you.
With all of these tips, you have to start with where you are. You can’t give what you don’t have. Be willing to give what you got from where you are and I promise you – abundance will flow into your life. You will be actively creating the abundance mindset.
