He went on to mention how none of us has gotten to where we are today without a lot of help from others - even those who are very self-reliant. There comes a time when we should start giving back to others things that will help them on their way through life. There is nothing that we can take with us when we leave this life but we can choose what we leave behind, the most important of them being our legacy. What have I done to leave a legacy behind today? I can serve others around me. I can do something each day to make someone else happier.
Learning to give back is kind of like learning to make the bed every morning. Giving to others is made up of small habits which, after a time, become a part of us that makes us happy rather than just being something we do. The only question required when making a decision of how to give back is whether this course of action will provide value to someone else. And amazingly enough, this works for every part of life. It works in business. It works in finance. It works in relationships. If you want to make your business grow, serve your clients with everything that you've got. If you want to be more successful in your job, do the things that will make your boss successful. If you want to be loved more, love others more. It is not money that sustains us but our relationships. The best way to get ahead in life, in every area of life, is to constantly provide value to others - as Christ said, to be come the master you must be the servant of all.
Give much and much will be returned to you. You know the old saying, "What goes around, comes around." The thought is that if you do bad things, bad things will eventually come back to get you. But it is not just bad things that come back to "get you". Good things have a way of coming back to you as well. The more that you pass on good, the more that good will come back to you in many ways.
Will some people take advantage of you with such an attitude? Yes. I still remember being approached by a young man who told me that he had an interview for a job scheduled but needed a place where he could shower and clean up. I gave him $20, thinking that if that was all he needed to get a job it was worth the twenty bucks. Then a few weeks later I saw him again, giving the same line to another person and realized that it was a scam. At first I was angry that he had taken advantage of me. But then I realized that he may have gotten $20 from me but I was not having to live that kind of life. I was much happier. And I have also come to realize that the happiness that I receive from giving does not have to be tied to how someone uses my gift. I still feel sad for these people and the path that they have chosen in life but I am still happier giving, even when the approach is not totally honest. I have still tried to help.
Also, like investing your dollars, diversify your giving. Give something to all within your sphere of influence. I tend to have my favorite places to donate some dollars or time. I need to branch out, to work at a soup kitchen, donate to a homeless shelter, help to build a humanitarian home, and many other things that I have not tried yet. Some acts of kindness will pay better dividends than others but as you begin giving, it always seems to come back to you in many ways that you may not have expected.
Remember that your giving doesn't always have to be money. We also have time, skills and social resources that we can share with others along our path through life. Take time to watch a friend's child so that they can have some alone time, help to build or repair something for someone, give a listening ear to someone who is struggling, or visit someone in the hospital - maybe someone you don't even know.
As I was reading the above blog, it reminded me of my nephew, Jase Tinsley. He passed away on his 19th birthday in 2004. He was a young man who was old beyond his years in building a great legacy and giving to others of his time and abilities. He would often take time to visit his grand parents. He would talk, listen and do small chores for them. He fixed things, reached things they could not and got up to places that only young people seem to be able to get to in order to trim, clean and retrieve. He was always pleasant and helpful.He enjoyed a good time as much as anyone. There was the time when he, with two of my boys, found a can of gold spray paint and it wasn't long before we had three little "Oscars" running naked and gold-colored around the backyard. But he did not even make a peep when a rough brush and granular Tide were used to scrub the paint from his tender skin.
I remember him also as a cub scout. For a time he was the only boy in the Webelos den I was working with. He and I both had fun doing the science activities and trying to swing a bucket of water over our heads with the goal of not getting wet. I guess it didn't quite work the first time. Fortunately, boys dry fast.And there were the Cub Scout "Pig Parties" where a rain gutter would be placed on the back patio and filled with ice cream and the boys favorite toppings added along with whipped cream and a cherry. And then they would all dig in - without spoons. Jase's face was covered with ice cream, whipped cream and some sort of topping, but two big round eyes and a big grin were still shining through all of that messy stuff dripping off of his chin.
What a pleasure it is to have known Jase and to remember him with fondness on this day of Thanksgiving.
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