SECRET OF LIVING IS GIVING
Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me,
going to bed at night saying we have done something wonderful,
That's what matters to me.
STEVE JOBS
Most people think - giving is a post retirement phenomenon. But on the contrary it needs to be a part of daily routine. Giving can be as meagre as bringing a smile on someone’s face, helping the aged crossing the road, giving seat to lady on public transport or some day managing the traffic. "Giving in any form builds wealth faster than getting ever will".
“EVERYONE CAN BE GREAT, BECAUSE EVERYONE CAN SERVE”
DR. MARTIN LUTHAR KING JR.
Giving means more than giving money. It's also giving your time, it’s giving your emotion, it’s giving your presence to your kids and family, to your friends, to your associates. In Fact after love, one of the most sacred gifts we can give is our labour.
“Volunteering at least once a week yields improvements to well being tantamount to your salary increasing from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 75,000!” . Britain’s University of Exeter Medical School study reveals that volunteering is associated with lower rates of depression, higher reports of well being , and a 22% reduction in death rates!
“We make living by what we get,
We make life by what we give”.
While more money can provide comfort, tastier food, all kinds of wonderful things, but the real power comes not from the amount but how we spend it. People get more satisfaction on spending on others than they do spending on themselves. In other words giving makes you happier and healthier.
A group of participants were divided into two. Each group member was given $20 each. One group was told to spend it on themselves and other was to spend it on others. “That evening, people who have been assigned to spend the money on someone else reported a happier mood over the course of the day than those who were assigned to spend the money on themselves”.
In another study by psychologist Lara Akin, of Simon Fraser University, in which she handed over a $10 starbucks gift card to her subjects.
Some were instructed to go to Starbucks and spend the money on themselves.
Some were told to use the gift card to take another person out for coffee.
Some were told to give away gift card to someone else.
Some were told to take another person with them to Starbucks and use the card only for themselves, not the person with them.
At the end of the day the happiest were those who took some along with them to Starbucks and treated them with a cup of coffee. The happiness we feel from helping others is not only more intense, but it lasts longer too.
Another amazing experiment was conducted with the employees of a company. They were given bonuses in the $3000 range. Some people were instructed to spend this on themselves and some were to spend it on someone else. Six months down the line, the people who gave it away were more happier than those who spent it on themselves. When you give away money, especially if you do it for a stranger versus if you do something for someone you love, happiness is geometric. It's equivalent to doubling or tripling your salary.
Life hasn't been easy to anyone but has been blessed to those who have an attitude of giving.
I have found that among its other benefits,
Giving liberates the soul of the giver.
-MAYA ANGELOU