In lieu of a bio box (which still isn’t up and working yet ) I’m delighted to bring you another thought provoking post from Ben at 6Aliens.com Thanks Ben Over to you.

Life can get you down, right? It can pretty much suck sometimes no matter how hard you seem to try.

A lot of people who make a difference in other lives are all about giving. They’re the sort of people who would rather give than receive and who aren’t worried about anything more than other people’s happiness. They are genuinely thrilled that you spent only a few pounds on that Christmas present last year even though they got you the most amazing gift you’ve ever received. These people are all about sending out love because they know that by giving, they actually get more from life than if they just received.

There are a lot of people, though, who we know in our lives, who think the world owes them a favour. That they’ve paid their dues and now they’re owed something back from everyone. It’s easy to get to this place yourself when life has beaten you down so that there’s not much left of your soul. Life is one of those game players that seems quite happy to keep those hits coming in when you’re already laid out on the canvas.

So what happens when you’ve given all you can give?

Sit back and start receiving?

By doing this you’re basically telling other people that you’ve stopping giving now (or at least in the short term) and that this is the right time for them to start giving back to you. You send your brain a signal that you are now top dog and that you should only be receiving from now on.

When you do that, what do you get? You get a bit of gratification for a while. You get those things you want but generally it leaves you feeling bitter about life and the world because all that stuff you want to receive will eventually disappear. So you just end up being a bit miserable with life and never get anything from your days on this planet.

Give, keep giving and then give some more.

Doesn’t it make you feel good when you give something to someone? Not because you think you’ll get something in return but because you know it’s going to make a difference to another human being? When was the last time you had that feeling? It’s pretty good isn’t it?

That’s what happens when you give. It makes you feel good, like you’re making a difference and that generally warms the cockles. So wouldn’t it make sense, when you feel like the world is against you and is trying to beat you to a pulp, to do something that feels good while at the same time helping someone else? You see, when you give, you get much more in return than just material objects and money, you get a feeling of self worth and gratitude from other people.

My tip for life: Give, give and give some more and when you don’t think you can give anymore guess what? Give. Change your focus from receiving to giving and your whole outlook on life will change.

photo credit: seanmcgrath

Tagged as: Giving