March Monthly Feature - Liberating your soul through giving

Giving is a source of growth and an expression of love. Most of all, giving is a reflection of ourselves to others.

Dear gentle doves,

Here we come, third month into year, where are you with what you set out to do? Are you happy with the shape that your life is taking? And while you’re busy with your pursuits; have you stopped to take time and give?  What kind of a giver are you; in other words, how liberated are you in your giving.

This month, I’d like us to explore the gift of giving, and how it impacts each of us. I call it a gift, because it doesn’t necessarily come natural to all of us, and we each react differently to it. Some find giving, an effortless gesture, others place limits on the extent to which they may give, while many, only give if there’s something to get back.

Ever felt guilty for giving away something? Or somewhat wished you hadn’t given that much, or to the person you gave to?

Often, if not most times, giving is a reflection of the person you are, hence we’d refer to someone as a ‘giving’ person. And really, what is the difference between giving and being generous?

Taking lead, from the R.O.S calendar, we take inspiration from the literature icon and human activist, Ms. Maya Angelou. And the one quote, out of many, I decided to feature on this year’s calendar is on giving. I believe, there is more to the gift of giving, not just giving because you are obliged to, nor giving because you can afford to or you’re expressing an emotion. But giving as a way of knowing oneself, and the relationship with oneself.

It is said, blessed that gives than the one that receives, but honestly, it is not always easy to give. It can be painful at times, and may feel like a drag. So how exactly do we tackle this? By looking at it as an extension of yourself, an extension of love to yourself; to be able to give. Not as making a difference in another’s life, nor helping out someone in need. Because truth be told, if you’re not around to help out, someone else is. Not always, but someone is there to help out. In other words; if someone helped out before you lend a helping hand, someone might beat you to it. Does it then mean you’ve missed out an opportunity to give? No, it means you’ve lost out on an opportunity to grow and love yourself.

Please don’t get me wrong, gentle doves. I’m not saying that giving with the intention of helping out is wrong, I’m merely saying, giving when you’re detached to it is detrimental to you and your being.

Think of giving birth to a baby. It’s something outside of you, outside of your control and opinion, but how fulfilling, and liberating it is, to hold and look into the life you’ve just brought into the world. You look at yourself differently thereafter, you love yourself more, you love the fact that you are a live-giver. 

So, why not give birth to the gift of giving within.

Here’s to unleashing the gift of giving within ourselves……

 

With love,

Lady B!