I’m Going to Give 29 Gifts
Over the summer I came across a book titled 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life. Though my first reaction was to wonder who could afford to give that many gifts in this economy, after reading more, I discovered that the “gifts” don’t always have to be material things. To quote a passage from the book, “by giving, you are focusing on what you have to offer others, inviting more abundance into your life. Giving of any kind is taking a positive action that begins the process of change.”
And that leads me to this blog. My challenge as part of our Borders Resolution Solution is to try giving 29 gifts over the next 30 days in an attempt to experience how the simple act of giving can potentially transform one’s life. I invite you to join me in this challenge and together let’s discover how the gift of giving itself can unexpectedly invite abundance into our everyday routine.
Related posts:
- “29 Gifts” guest author bloghello fellow givers. sorry I have been so quiet, I have been on vacation for the last week (hmmm…a gift to myself??? LOL) and I need to catch up on my notes. I did want...
- Keep on Giving…Hello All, An update on my giving and a new post from Cami. Day 9: I came across this on-line and loved the idea. I hope you’ll click the link below and join in. There...
Opportunity to give strikes! Tonight I was messing with my living room garden (planting carrots, actually) and two sweet teens came by collecting food and such for a family who lost their home to fire this weekend. So I cleaned out my pantry and gave them what I had in my purse. (I live where it’s safe to do that - but I give regularly to my food pantry too.)
Days 1 and 2 of the challenge had me sick at home… so my gifts were a call each day to people I haven’t spoken to in , well, in way too long.
We talked for over an hour, and renewed our friendships. I’m so glad I called, and know that I would have found yet another reason to put off doing so if it wasn’t for this challenge.
I love this, I really like all the blogs for ideas.
I am passing it on…
Just reading what others are doing, makes me want to do more. I get so tired of sad bad news.
It makes the world just a little nicer.
A good blog for the goodness in all of us,
Happy New Year to all
This is a great idea. Random acts of kindness can be free or the cost can be minimal. It is also a great concept to teach children. I taught my children the importance of giving over the holidays because they had a bad case of the “I wants” After my discussion with them about the importance of giving, as well as giving and expecting nothing in return, their entire outlook on giving versus than recieving has changed.
Day 4 was discouraging… I offered to help carry some of the bulky boxes a woman was struggling with at the post office, only to be told to “mind my own business”. Ouch!
By the time 11:00 came around, I reluctantly realized the closest I came to giving a gift was either holding my temper when I was cut off from a parking space or giving a cow to Farmville friends on Facebook.
I think the most honest thing to do is to start over.
I love the idea of becoming more conscious of opportunities to give. My first thing today was to respond to a woman who wants fabric for her kids to make blankets for a charity. I will scoop up fabric from my own unfinished projects and get it to her where it can be of use. We probably all have things that could be put to good use.
Hi Judey,
Don’t be discouraged. I think the fact that you attempted to help somebody else out is a gift itself. We can’t fault ourselves if others are not open to receive. Keep your chin up.
I haven’t read the book yet, so this question might be covered in there. But to Judey who thinks it necessary to start over, can’t a person ‘catch up’ to the 29 gifts by giving maybe 2 in one day or 3 in another?
Just curious…
Got a Borders Reward opportunity on my email, because i signed up during the holidays, and it got me to this blog. I am intrigued with the concept of 29 gifts, AND I think that it is wonderful. To Judey, who has probably moved on from her disappointment, I would say that for one, it’s the consciousness behind the acts that creates the change, and part of the process is understanding that some gifts will be rejected or maligned, but that does in no way diminish the importance of the consciousact. and, it is good training to “fail” a little bit, because it creates more self examination, and promotes the awareness of spontaneously giving of oneself as a habit that will last beyond 29 days. I don’t think there is really any rehearsal for this, and it is SO good for you/me to just keep on. The Zen monks have a saying I love: “First there is a mountain; then there is no mountain; then there is.” Loving gifting to us all!
I like to give compliments. I like to say spontaneous things to random people..
good things, of course. I think it started with older people who are sometimes alone.
I would say something like, “Oh, I love your hat; it really looks great on you!”.I had worked in nursing homes for years and realized these elders are sometimes lonely and seem to perk up with a compliment or two. Everyone likes to feel good about themselves. After a couple of years, I now feel comfortable giving compliments to people of all ages. It is a simple way to “make someone’s day”…..and it makes me feel better as well.
Christmas time for me is bitter sweet. Giving has been a saving grace in light of personal losses. Grief is shunned when I focus upon the act of giving. What surprises me the most is how people respond, with regret that they don’t have something for me. Then they are surprised when I tell them its really for me who is given the gift of doing for others. Another thing that comes to me so naturally is when I see a new Mom with a young child who is fusing. I find the words or a gesture that distracts from the moment and they are always left with a smile and the knowledge that having a child is truly a blessing.
I love the idea of giving 29 gifts in 30 days and watching how it changes a person. The only problem I have is that when you give a gift to someone, whether it is monetary, an act of kindness or the like, it feels so much better for me if I do it and don’t tell a single person, especially the person the gift is given to. I do enjoy this concept of getting people to think and show acts of kindness and generosity to others so it is a great idea. I will enjoy reading what other’s are doing.
What a wonderful idea–I’m not much into blogs, but “had to” start participating. I’d recently heard about the book, then saw David’s resolution, started reading, and I’m hooked. From previous experiences of “giving” from the heart, I know the wonderful feeling it creates within ones self. To actually PLAN to do at least one “gift” per day–brilliant training! The world is a nicer place when we do nice things. And so it continues…
I can’t fault the idea. I have been trying to do this everyday for a few years. To me, acts of kindness are never “random”. Everyone can see that there is a challange to finding a way to do kind things! With 2 kids in school and being an only parent, I see parents, children, teachers and then the regular folks when I am out taking care of business so I have a chance every day to give! Keep up the good works, and may you all be blessed with one yourselves!
I think I posted this one in the wrong place but is so apropos to this discussion I wanted to let the discussion group know the enrichment part (which I wasn’t really after) has started to come in the form of noticing some things - two tentative job offers, three individual approaches about writing (the same) book concept, lodging in Hawaii for free - and a few more things - friends who offered to help me protect my aging parents in a town 400 mi away from a scam. (Future gift - probably going there just to be sure they are okay.)
Yesterday I got stingy-feeling, caught it, and did what’s called a clean up process on it (basically, I ws feeling controlled by others and acknowledged that, acknowledged that I wanted to control ‘em back! and let go of wanting that just for a bit. (Book is Sedona Method, Hale Dwoskin, has been around for a bit). I share that in case anyone is getting a case of the scarcities like I did yesterday. Stay open to the giving - as you see, the same openness helps you see the rewards that are around you - maybe even attracts some. I was talking about this very blog the day I got the two tentative job offers!
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