Quote of the day:
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back and in so doing we become more.” – Anthony Robbins Think about it: I read this story by Amy Carroll on line the other day and wanted to share it with you as so often I find it hard to give and I need renewed inspiration to do so. I hope this story will inspire you as it did me. My friend Rita told me a story that was just what I needed. Her mother, an immigrant who grew up in desperate poverty, was very committed to a relief project for her home country. She would collect gently used shoes and ship them to an organization in her homeland that needed help. Rita’s mother did this for years, during which her own eight children observed their mother’s work and generosity. Surprisingly, Rita was frustrated with her mother instead of admiring her work. One day, in exasperation, she said to her mother, “Why do you continue to work on this project? You know how corrupt the system is over there. Those shoes are probably stolen, resold and used to line the pockets of some corrupt official. You are just wasting your time.” Her mother looked at Rita compassionately and responded, “Rita, my responsibility is not in the receiving. My responsibility is in the giving.” Wow! How true. It’s easy to find reasons not to give. Like being too busy, disgusted by one too many scams, believing nobody cares about giving to you in your time of need, thinking that somehow, somebody else will take care of it and the list goes on. But the wisdom Rita’s mom shared softened my heart. If you’re full of excuses like I was, the best way to renew your commitment to helping others is to start giving. Join me in the refreshing act of giving.
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Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on sharing.
Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on paying it forward.
Quote of the day:
“To be able to give away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will be truly rich.”—Muhammad Ali Reflection: A traveling salesman veered off his route one day and was lost on a side road. After driving awhile on a narrow, winding road, he came upon a farmer sitting on the front porch of his old, dilapidated house. The farmer was a rough looking fellow, with ragged clothes and bare feet. After the man asked for directions back to the main road, he decided to engage the farmer in some small talk. So the salesman asked, "How's your cotton doing this year?" "Ain't got none," replied the farmer. "Afraid of boll weevils." "How about your corn crop?" the salesman asked. "How's it doing?" Again the farmer said, "Didn't plant any. Feared it'd be too dry." "Well," the salesman continued, "how about your potatoes? Are you having a good year for potatoes?" "Nope," said the farmer, "didn't plant any 'taters either. Scared of 'tater bugs." "What did you plant?" the salesman questioned. "Nothin'," the farmer replied. "I jest played it safe." Some people are like that when it comes to giving, they just want to play it safe. They've heard of a huge economic crisis coming and they want to be ready for it. Or they want to make sure they have enough money invested for retirement. Who knows how much is enough? Are you playing it safe or are you investing in humankind? Quote of the day:
"The best thing about giving of ourselves is that what we get is always better than what we give. The reaction is greater than the action.” — Orison Swett Marden Reflection: There is one healing tool that particularly stands out to me, and repeatedly comes up in my extensive research regarding that all-too-common human condition of extreme discouragement. I think this method is exceptional, because it is something that not only benefits the one implementing it, but also others. It’s the simple act of giving to others in whatever way one can. The act of giving is known to improve mental, emotional, and physical health in measurable and sometimes profound ways. Studies have been done by numerous institutes, such as the National Institute of Health, Harvard Business School, and the University of California, Berkeley, and published in such journals as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. One such study found that the areas in the brain that are activated by giving are the same as those that are activated by other positive stimuli—such as in response to sexual pleasure, monetary rewards, enjoying a meal, exercising and a number of other activities. Contributing in some way to help others, actually triggers the release of chemicals in the brain called endorphins, which are sometimes called “feel good” chemicals because they promote social bonding and a sense of belonging. In another study a researcher found that this principle of reaching out to others had definite, positive benefits for the one reaching out. This applied to people suffering from a wide-range of conditions, including depression, chronic pain, and AIDS. As she expressed it, "When humans help others regardless of a shared condition, they appear to live longer and happier lives." In another study, Paul Arnstein of Boston College and his colleagues evaluated the effects of volunteering on chronic pain patients. Their findings show that pain, depression, and disability consistently decreased after volunteering. One researcher discovered some unexpected results in her study of a group of long-term sufferers of multiple sclerosis that made phone calls to encourage others suffering from the same affliction. While their calls had some benefits for the recipients, the greatest beneficiaries were those initiating the calls, and who were lending a supportive ear to others. In fact, those who offered support experienced dramatic improvements in their quality of life, several times greater than those they were helping. If you suffer from discouragement or depression why not try giving to others. Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on giving back.
Quote of the day:
"The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.” —Albert Einstein Reflection: A well-known German preacher of the 17th century, named August Francke, founded an orphanage and took in homeless children right off the streets in Halle, Germany. One day when he was desperately in need of funds to carry on his work, a destitute Christian widow came to his door begging for money. All she wanted was one gold duckte. Because of his own financial situation, he politely but regretfully had to refuse. He just didn't have it to give to her. Disheartened, this woman sat down and began to weep. Francke was so moved by her tears he said, "Wait a minute. Let me go in and talk to the Lord about this." He went into the orphanage, closed the door to his office and began to pray, seeking God's guidance. As he prayed, he felt that the Spirit of God wanted him to give that woman his last gold coin. Trusting the Lord to meet his own needs, he gave her the money. He had no anticipation of anything in response; he just did what was right. Two mornings later he received a very warm letter of thanks from this widow. She wrote that because of his generosity she had asked the Lord to shower the orphanage with gifts. That same day he received 12 gold coins from a rich woman, and 2 from a friend in Sweden. He thought that he had been amply rewarded for his good deed to this woman, but shortly after that he was informed that Prince Ludwig von Vertenberg had died, and in his will he had directed that 500 gold pieces be given to the orphanage. This is the attitude that God looks for among His people. He wants us to cast our bread upon the waters, to give without regard to rewards. This pearl of wisdom teaches us simply to do what is right, and let God take care of the rest. Quote of the day: "Sometimes it’s not the pain that makes you suffer it’s your own negative thoughts that make things seem worse.” – Author Unknown Reflection Once upon a time there was a little girl who spent her days sitting beside a pond, watching a frog on a lily pad. The little girl knew that the frog was probably a prince, and the frog—who was indeed a prince—knew that the little girl could kiss his nose and break the magic spell that a wicked witch had cast on him. But the little girl on the bank of the pond was too shy to begin a conversation with the frog, and the frog simply could not bring himself to tell her how badly he wanted her to kiss him. So the little girl went on sitting there, watching the frog. And that is the end of the story. Sadly, this sort of thing happens all the time in real life. Think of all the beautiful relationships that could have blossomed but never did, the Romeos that never embraced their Juliets because both of them were too afraid to make the first move. No one wants to be met by a cold stare of rejection, but if you spend your life listening to your own negative self chatter and trying to avoid rejection, you will never accomplish much or get very far in life. Some people are naturally open and can talk a blue streak, while others are more introverted, withdrawn, and reticent and suffer from negative self-chatter. They don’t want to be that way. They would like to be able to interact with others more freely, but it is very hard for them to break away from their negative thoughts about themselves or what might happen. Don’t be like the couple in the story. Combat your negative thoughts and step out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Quote of the day:
“A man’s bank account doesn’t indicate whether he is rich or poor. It is the heart that makes a man rich. A man is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.” — Henry Ward Beecher Reflection: Here is a thought provoking article by Peter van Gorder, which was published in Activated Magazine some years back. Knowing that I am actively involved in several charitable projects here in India, an acquaintance introduced me to some of his friends from the business community at a party we all attended. They happened to be discussing The Giving Pledge, an initiative headed by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Those three had challenged 400 American billionaires to commit to donating at least 50% of their net worth to charity and social causes in their lifetimes. “This is really taking on in India as well,” one of the men at the party said with the excitement of a child announcing that the circus was coming to town. As it happened, there was an article in that day’s newspaper that quoted social commentator Santosh Desai. “Indians have always been generous people. Corporations can take a lead from Tata [India’s largest business group] who have institutionalized philanthropy, making it an act of corporate social responsibility and not charity.” An insert calculated that if India’s 100 richest individuals took up The Giving Pledge, a total of over 250 billion dollars—a quarter of the Indian GDP—would be raised. It’s hard to grasp those kinds of figures, or to imagine ourselves in the position to be so generous. The wealthy can afford to give, while we sometimes struggle to make ends meet. But where there is a will, there is a way. For example: A 24-year-old London man named Jack Diamond biked through India for two weeks to raise funds for a Goa-based charity that helps street and slum children like those he had gotten to know on a previous visit. “It never crossed my mind to do something like this before,” he explained, “but I wanted to make a difference.” I’m not suggesting you bike across your country to raise money. This is, however, an example of where there is a will there is a way. There are many creative ways to give, even when we don’t have much cash ourselves. See what you can come up with and share your ideas in the comments. Quote of the day:
“Money is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it’s greedy or loving.” — Dan Millman Reflection: We often recognize the need to make the world a better place. Fulfilling this obligation is seldom easy or painless, and one thing that often holds us back is our own financial situation. We have only so much money, and it only goes so far. Altruistic intentions come up against day-to-day constraints. Our hearts go out to others, but must we sacrifice on their behalf to our own hurt? If we do, how far will it go? How long will we be able to keep it up? I think you’ll find an interesting, inspiring, and innovative answer in the story below. You don’t need to be Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or one of the world’s other 1,208 billionaires to make a difference. You just need the motivation and a plan. You might not be able to change the whole world, but you may be in a position to change a small part of the world or even just one family’s world. When Toby Ord, a 31-year-old academic at Oxford University, read that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had pledged to give away most of his wealth in his lifetime, Ord, who was a student at the time, devised a plan of his own: give 1 million to charity in his lifetime. He figured he could do this by giving away everything he earns annually over the average income in the UK. He started his giving while on a student’s low income. Applying the methods the World Health Organization uses to determine how far aid money goes, Ord has given to date 10,000 years of health for people in some of the poorest countries in the world. Ord also challenges others to give 10% of their life earnings the same way. The first year, 64 people joined his Giving What We Can initiative, pledging 14 million between them. This is just one idea of many ways to give. I’m sure you will come up with your own unique way of giving. Please share your ideas in the comments. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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