This is part 12 of a 12 part series that I call the 12 X’s of Leadership.
It has been said that there are two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. I actually think that they both live inside each of us all the time, and depending on the situation or circumstance, one of them takes over.
But it doesn’t have to be that way…falling prey to the stronger of the two, I mean. We can decide which one wins. And if you will allow me to make a suggestion – choose to be a giver not a taker.
I have learned a valuable truth in my time here on this planet…a secret, you might say, that I want to share with you:
GIVERS ARE GETTERS
I know…it’s kind of short. But there it is, and I believe it with all my heart.
As a general rule, those who are givers, almost always seem to be the ones who seemed “filled up”, happy, content.
As a boy, I can remember hearing the saying, “It is better to give than to receive.” Do you remember the first time you heard it? Boy, I do. If you are like me, your next thought was probably, “Who is the loser who came up with that lame idea…give me some loot!”
Ok. So I was 6 and not quite mature enough to understand that saying, but the older I have gotten the truer it has become.
Here’s a practical idea for you to put my secret to the test: the next time you get down about the circumstances in your life, GIVE. Give of your time or your talent, or your treasure, but give. Find someone who is worse off than you and extend a helping hand.
An amazing transformation will take pace in your heart and mind: your problems suddenly shrink when you give to others. You do not want to “trade” your pile of issues for theirs. In giving, you get…a better perspective, a better attitude, a better outlook.