Joyful Giving

December has always been my favorite month. I enjoy seeing all the decorations, Christmas tree lightings, and most people seem to be in a jolly spirit. One of the traditions I started a few years ago is that I buy each staff member a little gift to show my gratitude. I heard in the past that some staff members felt they were not appreciated. So I took it upon myself to get them a little something. I also remind myself to say thanks all the time.

The holiday season is about giving. Christmas is about God giving us His only Son (He then died for us). I was brought up to focus on giving rather than receiving. That does not mean that we should not receive. I think it is equally important to receive help when we need to. It is important to ask for help when we need to, rather than relying on our own. There is no shame in asking for help. It is better to have the help you need than you pretend you have everything you need and not do a good job. I think it is also a generous gesture to let others practice gratitude toward you by offering their help.

To give because you want to give comes from gratitude. You first have to acknowledge what you have. It comes from feeling abundant. People who feel they are lacking all the time will not think about giving. They will concentrate on receiving. Abundance is not measured by what we physically have or quantified by our monetary gains. It is measure by how we think of what we have. We can be content with having just twenty dollars in our wallet. We can be content with the relationships we have. Someone else may be dissatisfied with having 100 million dollars in their bank account.

Content does not mean we are complacent. Content is focusing on what we have, and feeling happy with what we have. This does not mean that we are staying stagnant. I believe as human beings, we always have the capacity to grow. We learn and grow every day.

Living on earth is about connecting with other people, about contributing to this world. I put helping others first, before satisfying beyond my own basic needs. I believe we all can give and receive. Give what we are good at. Contribute what we learn and how we grow from it. We may be giving different things in different phases of our lives – that makes it even more exciting and colorful.

The joy in giving is in making a difference, either in a situation or in other people’s lives. The ultimate joy is to help others grow and tap into their potential to be even more amazing. The joy in giving is also without obligation – I do not expect anything in return.

I enjoy having unofficial life coaching sessions infused into the patients’ office visits. I get to help them look at their diseases or other life stressors in a different way. I get to care for them in a whole new level. The joy I experience because I have the privilege to improve their lives physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually is priceless.