Do not be afraid of giving

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others — Mahatma Gandhi

Some years ago, I joined a group of friends to climb Mt Kilimanjaro.

It was a demanding task and it took us three days to reach the peak at Point Uhuru.

The gruelling climb was intended to get us to the peak so we could stand on top of the world and look down.

On my way up, after a particularly difficult day of climbing, my tired bones wondered whether it was worth it.

But lo and behold when we arrived at the peak and looked around us, our glee was almost child-like to look at.

The view was magnificent, the world at our feet.

It was a breath-taking experience that made the strenuous climb all worth it.

However, I have wondered since: if it had been a cloudy, rainy day when we arrived at the peak whether the climb would have been worth it.

I could imagine how disappointed we would have been, standing in the mist, the only authentication that we were at the peak being our guide’s word.

Barely speaking

We would have walked down, sad, barely speaking to one another and with no photographs to show our families.

The pursuit of money and the pursuit of happiness can result in either a bright or a cloudy day.

It all depends on your relationship with your money.

I have come to learn that we live in a world where there are many exciting things if you get out of “yourself.”

If in your search for more money you are also expecting to achieve happiness, then learn to give.

It is imperative to realise that the act of giving and receiving have role to play in living abundantly, and yes, achieving financial freedom.

But how do you give?

If you give, do you do it in a big and trusting way, without expectations of some sort of trade?

I used to be skeptical about giving.

If I gave at all, it was in small amounts.

It took me a while to realise that my not giving, or not giving freely, was sending messages to my brain saying “there isn’t enough,” “I won’t get any more,” “I may need this for an emergency,” “I feel secure with this in my bank” and such.

These were all fear-based thoughts and subsequently self-fulfilling prophecies.

Guess what?

The more you cling to that old thinking, the harder it really is to attract money.

Your scarcity mindset simply will not allow it in.

A wise man said “the window you receive through is made bigger by the window you give through.”

Want to receive more? Then give more.

I used to experience the power of giving and why it is important to give.

I understood the concept but I made still excuses.

HUMAN NATURE

This kind of outlook never permits someone to give freely and happily.

This is because of human nature which drives us to seek more so as to get the feeling of being secure, no matter how much we already have.

If you believe you will find giving a proportion of what you make easier when you have so much, think again.

You must start with what ever you have.

I have heard people say, “I’d give if I knew where to give.”

When I first started giving money, I felt uncomfortable.

I was exiting my comfort zone and pushing all my boundaries, stretching my beliefs until they finally snapped.

At that point, I started to receive money in a bigger way.

When you give, you get the drive to create more, earn more, and with less effort.

And you will find happiness and still have more.

The only way to find out if this works is to actually go do it.

The author is a life coach and founder of Peak Performance International — a human potential development firm.