:The Flash Advancer

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 counter-productive 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!

How do we do that? Here are some ideas:

Make your giving purposeful. Give to people and organizations that fulfill
purposes that you believe in. This way, they feel good, you feel good, and
the work you believe in gets done. Giving purposefully will give you the
ability to know that your giving is doing something great.

Make your giving proactive. Take control of your giving. When we control our
giving it becomes proactive rather than reactive. We know that we are doing
what we want to do rather than what others may manipulate us to do. We can
avoid a lot of the wondering about validity that comes when we give out of
reaction. Giving proactively will give you a lot of peace of mind.

Make your giving methodical. Every month my wife and I write out our charity
checks before any other checks. We do that on purpose to keep our hearts in
the right place. Every month, month in and month out, year after year, we go
about our giving. Our goal is to give away $1,000,000 by the end of our
lives (and we may have to even readjust that goal as time goes by since we
set it when we were only 24 years old and we are well on our way to that
goal.) This isn’t done by giving big chunks from time to time. It is
accomplished by checks each and every month, methodically. Giving
methodically allows you to build up larger gifts over time.

Make your giving generous. Don’t be a tightwad! Loosen up the purse strings
a bit. Think of your giving in regard to how you can be generous, not how
you can cover your charitable bases. I have found that it isn’t the extra
money given to charity that breaks people. It is usually mismanagement. And
at the end of your life you will most likely not know the difference
financially, though you will in your heart. Making your giving generous
allows you to give even greater amounts over time.

Make your giving increasing. Don’t just give the same amount from year to
year - increase your giving. I think there are two good times to readjust
your giving: The first of the year and any time your income goes up. Bump
your giving up then, if you can. This will keep you on pace with your giving
goals and you will notice the increase less from your bottom line. Make your
giving increasing and your giving will keep pace with your income.

Make your giving from the heart. Don’t just let your giving be a mind issue.
Let it be a heart issue. This is what gives us our humanity. What causes
make your eyes tear up? What causes really mean something to your heart when
you are honest with yourself? Start giving to these causes! Let your
checkbook be a reflection of your heart! Make your giving from the heart and
you will allow your heart to grow.

(Sometimes) Make your giving spontaneous. Sometimes… Allow yourself to be
spontaneous with your giving. Do allow yourself to react sometimes. Will you
get taken advantage of? Yes, sometimes. But you will also be doing something
within yourself that will keep you from becoming cynical. Sometimes, as life
has been good to you and you find yourself blessed, let yourself be the
blessing to someone else. Make your giving spontaneous (sometimes) and you
will battle the disease of cynicism about charity that can creep in.

These are just a few ideas that you can implement right now to begin the art
of giving in your life. The key is to decide that you will become a giver,
and not merely a taker. You will choose to leave something behind in this
world and not merely try to get something out of it.

And as we all commit to that, our world will be a better place and we can
all live the lives that we dream of.

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.

To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to
http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

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There is a bottle of perfume sitting on my dresser that I was given when I was ten years old! As you can tell I have pack rat tendencies! For me that pattern started as a young child. I could never bear to throw things away. There was more to it than not wanting to throw things away. I loved the feeling I had when I would receive something new, and would not want to spoil it by using it unless it was for something special. I would want to save it for a special occasion. A new dress would sit in the closet, until a special event to wear it. Perfume would sit on my dresser, not to be used for everyday, but for a special ’something’. This was a pattern in my life for many years.

Perhaps, however, this is not the best perspective to view life. It is reminiscent of the woman on the Titanic, who when was being lowered into the lifeboat said…”If I’d known this was going to happen I would have had that Chocolate Mousse dessert.” It is a view of life that speaks a lie. The belief is that if I enjoy something now, I won’t be able to look forward to anything good like that in the future. This belief steals the joy from living in the present, and also lies about what the future might hold. Often it takes sad or traumatic situation to cause a person to stop and take stock their life’s perspective and lifestyle. For example, let me tell you how it happened for Ruth.

One day, out of the blue, Ruth got one of those devastating ‘phone calls’ that we all dread receiving. Her sister Jane had passed away unexpectedly. Ruth went over to the home to help her brother in law with the sad task of preparation for the funeral. They were in the bedroom deciding on clothes Jane would wear as she was laid to rest. He pulled out of the drawer some beautiful lingerie wrapped in tissue. Ruth gasped as she saw the astronomical cost on the price tag. “Jane bought this in Paris 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. I guess this is it.” he said. It was exquisitely, handmade in silk, with a delicate cobweb of lace .As he slammed the drawer shut he said something that changed Ruth’s life for ever. “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion!

After the funeral, Ruth began to evaluate her life from a different perspective. She began to see life as something to be enjoyed not endured. Ruth started to make changes, although small at first, for Ruth they had great significance. She sat in the garden more and didn’t worry about the weeds. She wore expensive perfume on ordinary days, after all co workers and cashiers have noses that function just as well as party goers! She lit that candle that had been sitting as a centre piece on the dining room table collecting dust. She got that cracked window fixed, that she’d been meaning to do for years. She invited those friends round for dinner that she’d seen at the last sixteen weddings, and said we must get together.

Ruth determined that she would live each day as if it was her last. Now every morning when Ruth opens her eyes, she tells herself that this day is special. Every day, every breath, every minute of her life is truly a gift from God.

Your life perspective changes when you start living each day as if it was your last. You start to look at all the things that you want to accomplish in life and actually get started!! You stop watching everyone else doing it. Have the courage to start thinking “It’s my turn now” and do what is in your heart.

Grandma Moses began a painting career at age seventy six. Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969 at age seventy one.Lucy is in her eighties and has in the last two years, been white-water rafting, and hiking in the Himalayas. She is excitedly planning her next trip!

Don’t wait years, or until something traumatic happens to get your attention. Start now to reflect on your life’s perspective and begin living without regrets.

Peter Sage, speaker and entrepreneur said:

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow - What a Ride!”

Barbara White is President of Beyond Better Development, which is dedicated to empower people towards excellence in their personal and professional development. The Living Beyond Better website has more
self improvement resources

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