7-Day Challenge
Each day, for 7 days, I offer you to take on a specific challenge that I introduce to you and you commit to complete that challenge on that day. It's a fun way for finishing the year strong no matter where you are and preparing for a stronger and more successful year ahead.
Day 3: Are You Ready to Give?
Today is the Christmas day. Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas, Happy 2020 in advance!
Today’s challenge is part of the reason I am sharing with you this 7-day challenge email series. I have no expectation. Whether you take on the challenge or not, it’s up to you. I am all about giving and serving in this series because what I share with you fulfills me.
And that brings me to the today’s challenge: Giving!
A couple of days ago, I read an inspiring story on the news feed of my iPhone. It was about a young man giving his first-class seat on Virgin Airlines flight to an 80-year old lady who had a dream of flying first class. The young man got to know the lady at the airport before they fly. He learned about the woman’s wish. During boarding, he requested the flight attendants to change his seat with the 80-year old lady. Her seat was in the economy section beside the toilets.
The young man expected nothing in return. He just wanted to give his first-class seat to the lady who had wished for such a seat. You could see the spark of happiness and appreciation in the 80-year old lady’s eyes when she was in her first-class seat. The young man did not talk about it. He was happy and fulfilled with his decision. The news was shared by the flight attendant who served the first-class section. It went viral on social media.
The cycle of giving and receiving starts by giving. The more you give, the more you receive in return. That is a universal law.
However, most people expect to receive something first before they give.
We expect to receive money before giving out money. We expect to receive love before giving love. We expect to receive kindness, before giving kindness. We expect to receive knowledge, before sharing knowledge. We expect our dreams and wishes fulfilled, before giving a hand to others for fulfilling their dreams and wishes.
Even when we give first, most of the time we expect something in return. This is called conditional giving. We have an agenda for giving what we have.
Today, I want to challenge you to give something “unconditionally”. Whether it is love, kindness, money, knowledge, gift, your first-class seat, or simply a smile, give it without expecting something in return.
Challenge yourself to give something that you are not comfortable to give, something that takes you out of your comfort zone. If you normally give $5 unconditionally, give $20 without questioning why. If you show your love to your spouse by simply saying “I love you!”, take it to another level and give her or him the best boost of love unconditionally. If you share your knowledge with the expectation to get them as a client, give them more knowledge and tips without asking them to become your client.
Unconditional giving guarantees multi-fold returns in one way or another. You may or may not see the return right away. You may see the return on your investment of unconditional giving years later in a totally different way. That is why it is called “unconditional”.
The only condition for today’s challenge is to be creative in giving without expecting something in return.
So put your creative hat on and give something that you have to someone who might need it. Something that you don’t normally give or if you give, you expect something else in return.
Are you ready to give?
If yes, I'd love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts, questions, and comments about today's challenge in the comment box below.
