How often have you felt that enormous feeling of joy when you shared or gifted something yours? As hard as it might initially sound, giving is about the giver, not the taker. Keep reading to see why.
The need to share
We all need to love and seek connection; some more than others. But, everyone wants to feel love and connected during at least one point in their lives. And there are many ways one can fulfill this need.
Some get love by making a family. Others by meeting with friends. Some by helping those in need. No matter the way, they essentially give a part of them to the world. It could be time, money, belongings, or all of them at the same time.
This process of giving makes them loving and joyful. It is not any response that fulfills this need. After all, the moment you expect something in return, you downgrade your love to a transaction. If you are like that, you cannot hope this activity makes you joyful. You do not give to give; you give to take.
When you give just because you want to, without expecting anything in return, then the process of sharing is liberating. In other words, once you don’t care as much about yourself, and you put others above you, you act intelligently. That is why giving is about the giver, not the taker. At least when we refer to giving, not transacting.
The need to receive
You may wonder, “What about the receiver?”. Do the receivers need what you give? Of course, they do. They do what they do because they need your help, whether they are honest or not. Especially if they fake it, they are in pathetic condition, so they again need to receive things from you.
It is a privilege that there is somebody to receive when you want to give. Your business is not about determining whether the beggar truly needs your money or he is just faking everything. When you try to give only to those you think to deserve it, you effectively put a condition to your help.
The moment you put strings into giving, it is again a transaction. You give because you want the other person to benefit from you. Only if they have a benefit, you give. That is not the essence of giving.
Giving happens without any condition or expectation of receiving something back. Anything else is a transaction. If this makes you happy, you can continue transacting; but if you want to go to the next level, try giving and see how freeing it can be.
But do not force it. Only if you have a feeling of giving, you give. If you don’t want to, that is okay. It is not that you must be sharing all the time. If you have something to offer and feel like it, you give joyfully.
Takeaway:
- It is a privilege that when you want to give, there is somebody to receive.
- Giving happens without any condition or expectation of receiving something back. Anything else is a transaction.
- When you give just because you want to, without expecting anything in return, then the process of giving is liberating.
