The Secret of Giving

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, ‘Give and you shall receive.’ But, have you ever stopped to really examine this phrase and implement it into your life? I know I’ve heard this concept over and over again, but hadn’t understood the immense depth of its simple, yet powerful promise... until this month.

You see, two weeks ago, I got to spend the day with Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God. One of my girlfriends and I joined an intimate group of people for Neale’s 1-day discussion about his new book, Happier Than God. I’m not sure if it was the power of Neale’s words, the combined energy of the people who were there, or the beauty of the live music that was shared throughout the day... but the stage was set for me (and everyone) to “get” what we came for.

So, it was nearly three-quarters through the day when Neale talked about giving as the key to receiving. And, for some reason... a light bulb went off in my mind (and my heart) when I heard him speak about this topic. It was unlike any other time I had heard this “secret.” Let me explain.

Now, I’m not sure how much you know about me, but if you’re familiar with my story then you’re aware of the fact that I had some significant financial challenges in a few of my past business endeavors. I was driven to the point of near-bankruptcy and faced some extraordinarily lean years. In those years, I wasn’t as aware as I am today, and I let feelings of fear, doubt, worry and lack direct some of my behavior. What ended up happening to me over those years, as a result of my fear of financial ruin, is that I focused mostly on what I needed to get (to survive) rather than what I could give.

This mindset of focusing on what I could get, rather than what I could give became my default mode of operation. All the while, I knew that it was in giving that I would receive. Thankfully, the more I learned, grew and understood... the more I would remind myself to focus on what I could give, rather than what I could get. And, what do you know? When I started shifting my focus to be more about how I could help and give to others, the more I received (more happiness, more fulfillment, more referrals, more creativity, more opportunities and more money)!

So, I went to Neale’s discussion with a pretty good understanding of this concept, but what I walked away with was how much more there was to this simple statement of, ‘Give and you shall receive.’ What I learned about this statement that “hit” me BIG time is that it is literally in the MOMENT of giving that you receive. It doesn’t happen after the fact, it happens instantly! And, Neale encourages us to identify what we wanted more of. Some of the examples people gave were: wanting more love, more acceptance, more money and more connection. And, we were guided to embrace the truth that if we wanted more love we needed to GIVE love, if we wanted more acceptance we needed to GIVE acceptance to others, if we wanted more money we needed to GIVE more money and if we wanted more connection we needed to GIVE connection to others.

I know this sounds like a simple concept, but I tell you, the depth at which I “got it” was profound. And, in the past two weeks I have GIVEN more than I ever have before, and I’ve also received more of everything (connections, opportunity, money, creativity and support) than I ever have before.

The real secret of giving is that you cannot give anything that you don’t already have. So, if you give love it means you have love in the moment you give it... for it would be impossible to give it if you didn’t already have it within you. And, that goes for anything and everything you want more of. Give to others and you’ll instantly have the experience of receiving. It’s impossible not to.

I invite you now, to identify something in your life you want more of. Get clear on what that is. Then, make a conscious effort to give that which you want to receive. And, notice how it feels to realize that the moment you give it IS the moment you have it for yourself. Have fun with this... it is pure magic!

©2008 Christine Kloser

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