Last November 24, I had the opportunity to conduct my very first Instagram giveaway — a free Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga class. People close to me, and my followers know how passionate I am about yoga, and I am sure it is no surprise to them that this is something I would share as one of my giveaways.
With a friend behind me helping in carrying out this event, we were very lucky to get four sponsors, all of whom were very generous in sharing their resources to make the event more fun for the participants.
YogaPlus with the help of Chi provided us with an excellent studio for practice. The Superfood Grocer gave vegan snacks. Certified Calm shared gift certificates to jump start students with things they might want to have in their practice, and Arteegram gave tumblers perfect for workout.
And I realized, having gone through the necessities with this first giveaway, generosity is a practice that is beneficial not just for the one receiving, but more so for the one giving.
- Internal joy is felt
Sharing something or anything, logically means losing it for yourself. Whether it’s tangible or not, you take away a piece of yourself so someone else can gain. But have you ever observed or felt — that when you do the giving selflessly and without any expectation of return or reward, it is replaced by a true sense of joy? I believe it stems from the magic of our humanity that we are doing what we are naturally meant to, that is, to do good.
- Spiritual connection is strengthened
Trusting that what you’re letting go will never be lost is an act of faith. When you put yourself in the position of true giving, it is not about a mindset of “I will receive something out of this”, but rather, simply believing that we can always give because we are always taken care of. Therefore, true generosity is a natural response to the love that we feel from above, and living an unselfish life can only strengthen our spirituality.
- Human relationships flourish
As we live on this earth with so much of ourselves to give, we allow our human connection to flourish. We give ourselves that chance to understand others and ourselves better when we express and demonstrate our human nature of kindness.
- Confidence is achieved
When we define our world by what we can genuinely give, our self worth becomes immeasurable as it enables us to overcome our natural inclinations toward greed and insecurity. If in our minds we always know that there is something we can offer, we begin to practice actions which build a mindset that leads to one of courage, poise, and peace.
- Success in unlocked
When you live with the standards you’ve set yourself, mindful of the importance of generosity, you begin to live a life that is free of desire to acquire so much. You become more focused on having what is just right to live happily, with contentment and peace that before feels pretty elusive. You begin to feel a certain lightness and ease of living which comes when you have the right attitude that leads you to the right environment, people, and way of thinking. Living in faith, you will find yourself already positioned to receive endless grace that showers you with more than what you can imagine.
With these realizations, I can’t wait to share more with you!
Have similar insights on giving? Please feel generous by commenting below!