Excerpt of The Art of Giving by Chris Widener |
In the pursuit of the life we dream of, this journey we are on for successful living, the focus is usually on figuring out what it is exactly that we want and then setting ourselves on course for going and getting it. This is very important: Know what you want to get for your life and then pursue it.
But there is another aspect of achieving the life you dream of that seems on the surface to actually be counterproductive to getting the life you want, yet is imperative to the successful life. It is giving.
Giving—of yourself, your time, your money, your energy—is something that takes us from simply being successful people, in the traditional sense of the term, to being people who lead successful lives.
Giving is what makes us fully human. It is the essence of what we are, people who are here on earth together, not simply people who hope to clamor to the top of the pile in the survival of the fittest. Yes, pursue your life and your success with wild abandon; be responsible for yourself and take ownership of your life, realizing that you cannot be responsible for others, but also allow yourself to become a giving person.
Giving is also what allows us to accomplish things far beyond ourselves; and that is part of what living the life of our dreams is all about, right? Accomplishing great things through ourselves—and others!
