Power of Giving
If you are one of the many who already know the true rewards of philanthropy or sharing a charitable donation with others read on... there are many resources here for you. Stick around and share your story.
If you are new to the concept, you've come to the right place and will hopefully leave this website more enlightened and informed than when you arrived.
Giving, Philanthropy,
The first time I was introduced to a concept like the power of giving I was more than a little intrigued. I was taking a class by a well known financial guru. One of the things he taught was tithing 10% of everything you make back to charity. By doing so, he told us, our financial situations would improve greatly.
Hmmmm, I thought... if I had money to give away, I wouldn't be taking a class on improving my finances. At that time, I had a very hard time wrapping my mind around the power of giving concept. After all, I had bills to pay, responsibilities to tend to. Wouldn't it be completely negligent of me to give money away when I so desperately needed it?
At the same time though, my thoughts kept dwelling back to the teacher. He always drilled the "giving back" theory home. He had money. He had success. He appeared to be happy. His students looked up to him. He was well respected. Maybe, I thought, there was something to this power of giving idea.
After I decided to open my mind a bit and allow some of this to sink in I had many questions. There are so many ideas out there on who to donate to and how much it can become confusing.
Some say, you MUST offer to the church. I like my church, I like the people at my church. Did I like the idea of giving the money I really didn't have to the church? Maybe. I wasn't sure.
Some say, donate to anyone in need. That sounded nice. Who were these people in need? Where were these people in need? How do you give to them?
Then there were all the conflicting ideas of how much to donate. Some say it has to be 10% to count. Whose counting? Some say it needs to be much more while still others say just give what you can. Just give what you can. Now that sounded like a nice idea.
Since, at that time, I was being taught to contribute 10%, I followed those guidelines my first time giving money away.
I received a phone call from a friend who was running in a marathon for cancer awareness. She was a survivor. She was looking for donations but said she understood if I was unable to.
Immediately after I hung up with her, I was handed my pay check for the week at work. Without hesitation I wrote a check for 10% of my pay check and dropped it in the mail to my friend before I could change my mind.
Did I have second thoughts after I dropped the money in the mail? You betcha! I thought, Oh my gosh, what have I done? How will I pay my entire mortgage, or will I be able to buy groceries this week? I had anxiety.
It didn't last long. Amazingly I was able to cover all my bills. I don't even remember feeling a pinch.
The best part was though, I received a phone call from my friend. She had received my check. She was crying. She was overwhelmed with my generosity (she knew my financial situation). She was so choked up with emotion, she got me all choked up. Her happiness caused a lump in my throat. I'll never forget it. Then, she proceeded to tell EVERYONE we knew how generous I was. How's that for the power of giving?
Even if I had felt a pinch that week I would have gladly accepted it just to reap the rewards of my friends happiness. I felt good. Very good. I knew I did the right thing.
Later that month I received an unexpected $1000 bonus at work. I just sat staring at the check. Coincidence? Maybe. Would I have received the bonus anyway? I don't know. All I know is two things happened; I did something good for someone and my life was enriched, happier if you will, in doing so and my financial situation was better NOT worse by donating money. Neat trick, huh?
There are numerous stories on the power of giving just like mine out there. You'll find other examples here on this website. You'll also find information to help you sort through the confusing conflicts of who to give to and how much. Information on how to offer from your heart and the many benefits you'll receive in return. It's all about who you are, who you want to be and what makes you most enlightened, empowered and joyous, and allows you to feel the true power of giving.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar