No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. – Calvin Coolidge
"Thank you, anonymous donor."
What does that mean?
We don’t honor people for what they got, like lottery winners. What they have already received is sufficient reward. While receiving is not dishonorable, neither is it specifically deserving of honors.
Honors are given to people who have given to others, through charity, through personal effort or through self sacrifice. Whether it’s a local organisation honoring volunteers or the President giving the Medal of Honor, they are honored in recognition of what they have given.
Why is giving important?
Giving is a part of human nature. Typically, it starts with parents and their children. From that starting point, charitable gifts of money, time, effort and service often flow. For most people, giving just feels good.
Giving tends to be easier with people you are closest to or care the most about. As your compassion and love for your fellows increases, your level of comfort of giving will likely also increase. Then it’s just a matter of what kind of money, time, effort or service you can shake loose and bring to others.
Some people focus on the money aspect of giving. For those who have it to spare, that’s fine. But for those who have more time than money, giving of their time may be their path.
For others, their special skills may be what they give, their service. This might include skills in accounting, carpentry, software, or other types of special skills (such as police, fire, military, etc) or connections with special people.
Where ever you fall along the continuum of giving, and whatever your gifts and talents are, giving from the heart is one of the best feelings you can have. And all you have to do is give. Sounds simple, right?
Where can I apply this in my life?
I can’t guarantee this will get you honored by others for what you will do, but I am fairly confident you will feel better for having done it. Hopefully that will be enough to get you going.
The first thing to do is assess your feelings toward giving. What have you given in the past? Have you given gifts to others besides your immediate family or friends? If you have, that’s a start. Did you do any service projects in school or though an organization (church, Scouts, or some other group)? How about in the holiday season, have you dropped some change in the bucket? Have you taken old clothes, toys or other items to a charity center?
If you haven’t done some of each, you now have a list of some things to try, right? Hopefully with all these ideas, you can find a way to give a little more, right? While money has been tight for me lately, I have been giving of my time as a volunteer at my kids’ school. It hasn’t been much, but I’ve been doing computer work, website work, library research, and whatever else was needed. It cost me nothing but some time, and I felt really good about it. At other times in the past, when I had more money than time, I have given to quite a wide range of charities. I also give blood as frequently as I can. Anyone out there ready to face their fear of needles? 8)
As with anything new or different, try it a little at a time. There are tons of ideas, and if you need more, just ask your friends, family and co-workers. Start with a category where you have the most to spare, be it time, money or skills. As you become more comfortable in your giving, you can begin to give more. You can do more with what you have, or try giving in one of the other categories.
Giving builds families, communities and humanity. Do what you can when you can, and give something to help. If it lessens the sting, think more of how much the help will mean to the other person(s). You’ll get something out of it, and so will others. And that’s a good thing.
From: Twitter, @Sports_Greats
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/calvincool121592.html
Photo by makelessnoise
