As we are approaching Christmas, a season of giving and sharing I got inspired to write this article about giving and receiving in general. Most of us these days are searching for Christmas gifts to share with our friends and family. Some of us also helping and giving to those less fortunate than ourselves this time of year. And this is the true meaning of Christmas, it is time of generosity and sharing, loving and forgiving. For me Christmas means reviving the old traditions that I have formed over the years, and remembering the past. Nostalgic childhood memories are more intense this time of year.
Regarding giving it is important to mark that when you give, it may not come back to you from where or whom you think it should, but it always does. When you give, you expand. More you give more you will receive, it is a chain reaction. Don’t get into the trap to over-calculating what are you going to receive back and what’s in there for you. Just give for the sake of giving and sharing. This time of year we can easily fall into the trap of trying to please everyone and end up miserable. My advice to you is give and share according to your abilities, you don’t have to overdo it just to please others. It is the gesture that matters, not the monetary value.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or something else, you can still apply this lesson to your festivities, and habits, whatever they may be. Any small act that can uplift others’ spirits is more meaningful than any expensive gift.
The old story says that life is an Echo. The author of the story is unknown to me but it is a nice and inspirational story and I will like to share it with you in this article.
The story goes like this:
A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Curious, he yells: “Who are you?” He receives the answer: “Who are you?” Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward!”
He receives the answer: “Coward!”
He looks to his father and asks: “What’s going on?” The father smiles and says: “My son, pay attention.” And then he screams to the mountain: “I admire you!” The voice answers: “I admire you!” Again the man screams: “You are a champion!” The voice answers: “You are a champion!”
The boy was surprised, he did not understand. Then the father explains: “People call this echo, but really this is life. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.”
Be aware of echo of your thoughts and words, especially when they concern yourself. I hope this story ministers to your heart to be positive no matter what the circumstances are and no matter how hard the life is trying to discourage you. Never say about yourself that you are stupid, or not talented, or not worthy, hopeless or not good enough. Try to replace all the negative thoughts about yourself with positive. Trust me your life will change for good, but you have to be patient. An English playwright who lived hundreds of years ago and today is known for his poems, proverbs, and plays John Heywood once said ”Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, But They Were Laying Bricks Every Hour.” He did so many remarkable things in his career but this phrase made him famous, even it originally comes from medieval French proverb. This expression teaches us to be patient in whatever we do. Regarding this proverb there is one more which I even like better and it said ”Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burned in one.” Today, people use this saying to imply that it is harder to build something up than to destroy it. Often, it can take years to build a good friendship, marriage, career, but one word or careless action can destroy it in much less time.
Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life, and life will give you back everything you have given to it.
What you give out, it comes back to you. Negative thoughts and painful memories can gradually destroy our spirit and our body, it is also possible to reverse the process. Positive and good thoughts, pleasant and beautiful memories can have positive, beneficial and healing impact, on every cell of our body.
Embrace yourself, embrace the world 