08 Jul The Spirit of Giving Back

Let’s discuss the act of giving.

Some call it generosity. Some call it volunteering. Some call it tithing.

Why discuss giving you may ask? For health purposes of course!

Here’s a simple way to give.

Stephen Post, PhD, and Jill Neimark wrote in O, The Oprah Magazine about the direct health benefits to giving massages.

“There’s an off switch for the adrenal gland’s production of the stress hormone cortisol: massage. A study that recruited retirees to give massages showed that their cortisol—as well as their anxiety and depression—levels dropped significantly.”

Volunteering, ideally for a good cause, can also stimulate health benefits. Post and Neimark elaborate by saying,

“In a study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University, people who were socially connected reported catching fewer colds. Volunteering is, of course, one of the simplest ways to connect.”

We always have opportunities to give back to others or the community, whether it be family, friends, colleagues or people we encounter.

Giving may include donating to a good cause, doing a favour for your customer or even helping out parents at old age as a kind gesture for raising their children.

Many folks will give to others simply because it makes them feel good. I can certainly attest to that over the last 20 years.

Volunteering for human rights, joining a marching band or picking up the box of cereal that the elderly lady dropped at the grocers, are some of the things that I have become naturally drawn to do.

The main reason I have done this is simple.

It always brings me more benefits to help others than helping myself.

Some might say it is a calling. Anthony Robbins, the international coaching juggernaut once explained how much joy he gets from helping others breakthrough their barriers, which provides a long-lasting energy to run huge events such as I Am Not Your Guru.

Dan Lok, a master business consultant and entrepreneur in high ticket sales, mentioned the importance of enjoying the act of giving to customers when conducting business.

He said in one of his free training videos, How To Get Out Of Your Own Way And Create Massive Wealth, that his breakthrough in financial and personal success was mainly attributed to focusing on his clients needs rather than his own. He claims,

“You get to a place where you are not focusing on yourself. You are focusing on others.”

He continued to explain that when you are not attached to the outcome in business, you will naturally have more fun and attract more business.

Taking what Dan said one step further, what if we thought about others before ourselves all the time? What would the world look like?
Perhaps many of the challenges we face in the community would disappear.

Consider adding the act of giving to your to-do-list this week. If you decided to give something to others, what would it be?

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Sources

• Stephen Post, PhD, and Jill Neimark (December 2009), 6 Ways Giving Makes You Healthy, O, The Oprah Magazine. [Online] Available: http://www.oprah.com/health/scientific-proof-that-charitable-giving-improves-your-health_1 [Accessed July 12 2017]
• Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016), IMDB [Online] Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5151716/ [Accessed July 12 2017]
• Dan Lok Interview with Shane Carling – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way And Create Massive Wealth (July 20, 2016), YouTube [Online] Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h8CBafiuuE, 28min 30sec [Accessed July 12 2017]