" Continually give, continually gain." - Chinese proverb
"To whom much is given, much is expected in return" Book of Luke

These two sentences, with simple yet profound words, contain wisdom of the ages.
Similarly, it took me an age or two to understand some sweet and simple words by Lennon and McCartney from the album, Abbey Road:
"And in the end, love you take is equal to the love you make"
Whatever goal worth attaining is worth the amount of work and effort required.
What you take out is equal to what you put in.

Not surprisingly, the amount of satisfaction we gain in life is equal to the amount of our "selves" that we give away to others. Ultimately, we find that our time , talent and treasure are wasted when spent only on ourselves. When we realize that the world does not revolve around one person ( "me" ), we gain more, amazingly, than we could ever hope for on our own.

It's not enough to just take up space on this planet. To live fully, we must live with a sense of purpose. To live with a sense of purpose, we need to feel a connection with other human beings. That connection is in giving to others. The happiness we feel when making this connection with others is what motivates our giving.

"Giving" can be as large or as small as our means allow. Giving can mean mowing a elderly friend's lawn...or baking a batch of cookies to welcome a new neighbor. Giving can mean sharing our talents by teaching, coaching or mentoring. Giving can mean "philanthropy", donating or fundraising for charitable causes. Everyone has something to give.

We're conditioned to "share" almost from the day we're born. As we grow, we're reminded that giving and sharing is an irrefutable law of nature in that the more we give, the more we receive. The more we give, the more we experience nature's abundance. The proof of this is evident...just ask anyone who's put it in to practice. Seek out successful people, and you'll see they are dedicated to serving their fellow man.

Simply put, giving to others just plain makes us feel good! And isn't that what we're after?

Learn more about this author, Carol Pavelek.
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