Photo Courtesy of © thinglass / Dollar Photo Club
Remember that feeling?
The smile creases their face; their eyes light up; you hear those wonderful words, “oh my gosh!!…”
In that moment you realize you nailed it; you've given an awesome gift.
It just flat-out feels amazing to give, and its such a win-win. They feel good, you feel good right?
Despite the positive experiences we have during acts of altruism, for some strange reason many of us still associate the concept of giving with …loss! There's still seems to be a lingering misconception that being a giver is either too expensive, too time consuming or something to be relegated to special occasions such as birthdays or holidays.
This silly “rule” that giving isn't practical as a daily ritual simply isn't true. Generosity is an amazing and rewarding lifestyle!
Please, let me help.
The best way to squash any fear of “over-giving” is to become aware of the awesome things we GET from giving.
This may initially seem counter-intuitive, since the purpose of giving isn't to receive something in return. However, as a means to get the get the ball rolling, it's good to know that developing the habit of giving is not a burden, it's a means to better living.
#1. Giving Can Improve Your Health!
Say whaat? Seriously, many studies have found mental and physical health benefits associated with giving, and not just from handing out cash donations either.
Whether we're volunteering our time, providing emotional support for a friend, or donating to a charitable cause, giving has been found to result in:
- Decreased blood pressure
- Decreased likelihood for depression
- Living longer
- Lower stress
Think about it, most of us recognize that stress and high blood pressure can significantly effect our mortality, so it's not very surprising that reducing these can help us live longer. Consider the study conducted at the University of California, Berkley that revealed a group of elderly volunteers were 44% less likely to die over a 5 year period than non-volunteers! Give – and live? That's a pretty good deal.
#2. Giving Makes Us Feel So Good!
Seriously – who doesn't love the warm and fuzzy inside feeling we get from doing something good for someone else?
We're literally hard-wired to get a friendly smack on the butt and “good-game” from our brains when we give. Research shows that giving triggers our brains to release oxytocin, which in turn boosts our serotonin and dopamine levels. Just oxytocin on it's own offers the dual benefit of boosting our moods, and counteracting the “stress-hormone” – cortisol.
Research continuously shows the link between altruism and overall happiness, and we all enjoy being happy! Why not do more of something that we already know works? Get into the daily cycle of giving.
The more we give, the better we feel, and the better we feel, the more we want to give.
#3. Giving Offers a Sense of Purpose
I know – I know. Que the rainbows and butterflies right?
One of the biggest factors that contribute to a life of fulfillment is a having a sense of purpose. The sense that we have something to offer the world, or at least, our piece of the world.
Giving doesn't have to involve making cash donations or spending hours as a volunteer for your local charity. Of course, those are great ways to give, but money and spare time are not equally available to all of us.
What we all DO have is the ability to offer the best of ourselves. Offering a smile and kind word to the scowling cashier, complimenting someone's performance at work, randomly telling your kids how lucky you feel to have them in your life, thanking your boss for trusting you with a project, constantly projecting something good into your world. These things are all acts of giving! They can, and I humbly argue should, be accomplished every day.
Doing these things will change you, and will change your perspective. You'll literally be training your brain to see what's good around you. You'll see that what you do and say matters to people who you contact. It's a total game changer.
So, what do you think? Am I totally nuts, or do you think daily giving may actually help brighten your existence a bit?
Leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts!..
I have found that if we give of ourselves, be it through work or our personal lives, we never know who’s life we may have a positive impact on. I have been blessed to have people I interacted with through my career come up to me many years later and tell me of the positive impact I made on their life. I cannot think of a better feeling than that. I then wonder if the people who have had such a positive impact on my life realize what they have done for me. Probably not.