If you’re anything like me, the holidays excite you more for being able to buy for others than to be bought for.
Gah…. there just isn’t much that’s better than seeing someone’s face light up when they open up a gift that is well thought out and from the heart.
But, is that what the holidays are really about? Giving gifts?
Some of you may be reading this and thinking to yourself, “Damnit, Justin! Don’t you poopoo your personal development mumbo jumbo all over my gift giving joy!” I promise, I’m not going to do that, because I’d be standing just as convicted as anyone else.
The reason for the season
I definitely believe that there is a place for gift giving during the holiday season. But, I also believe that the holidays present a perfect opportunity to give YOURSELF a gift – serving others.
Last week, I talked about giving yourself the gift of gratitude, and how being grateful for the little things in life would allow you to find more joy in the holiday season. Well, another way to find joy is to serve others.
Once you’ve taken the time to realize just how much you have to be grateful for, one of the things that should come out of that, is the realization of how blessed you are compared to some who are less fortunate.
I don’t care who you are or what your circumstances are, if you’re reading this, that means you have some sort of electronic device with WiFi access. That is something you should definitely be grateful for, because, did you know that almost half the world still does not have internet access?
Oh, and I don’t want to forget the fact that you’re not part of the 1.6 billion people in the world who are homeless, or lack adequate housing.
That’s what I mean about understanding the level of gratitude you can possibly have in your life – you can be grateful for anything and everything, and when you approach life that way, it changes you.
So, back to serving others….
Now that you have a greater understanding and appreciation for all that you have to be thankful for this holiday season, one of the best gifts you can give yourself is to serve others.
And yea, buying gifts for others can definitely be a form or service (especially if you invest part time job hours in researching gifts like I do). But, I want you to dig deeper this year.
The Best way to serve
When you think about what you have to give, there’s really three common answers – time, energy, and money. Of those three, energy and money are great, but neither compares to time.
Time is your greatest, most precious commodity, because you can never get more of it. Depending on your circumstances, you could possibly be generating energy or income while you’re out serving. But not time.
No matter what you’re giving your time to, that means everything else is NOT getting your time. It’s that valuable. Understanding the value of time is why I put “live now, and don’t wait til tomorrow” in the UNCOMMONER Manifesto.
When something carries that much value, we tend to have deep emotions about it. So, while giving money and energy can be very superficial, giving your time tends to affect people more deeply.
My challenge to you this holiday season, is to find opportunities to give away your precious time to serve others. I don’t care what it is, but go serve. Find a soup kitchen to feed the homeless. Go to the children’s hospital and play with the little kids battling life threatening illnesses. It doesn’t matter what it is, JUST GO!
And go into it consciously aware of what you’re doing. Out of all your options, you are freely giving your time to something that is bigger than you.
That awareness will help you understand the power of what you’re doing, and your power to not only better your life, but other’s lives also.
So, this holiday season, give your gifts until your merry little heart is full. But, find some time (precious, valuable time) to give YOURSELF the gift of giving back and serving others.
Be UNCOMMON!
