About Giving

I told you before that I used to ask the wrong questions to the universe, questions such as: why am I so broke, why do these bills keep on coming, and so on. So, you guess it right, at the time I was really broke and had all the bills piling up. Because that sense of lack, I was holding on so tight to my money, not wanting to lose even a dime. 

I remember one time when I attended my friend's funeral, I asked my other friend that was coming with me, "Should we give money?" 
(Here in Indonesia we have a custom to give  money to the deceased's family to show our condolences. I don't know whether you guys have the same thing or not in your country, but here we're provided with a box, so we can put our condolences money inside the box). 
My friend looked at me and said sharply, "Well yeah we should." And I still continued, "I mean he was our good dear friend, if he were still alive I doubt he would take money from us."  I looked up and my friend kinda gave me this shocked look on her face, so I managed to pull out my purse and donated some money anyways :D  What a cheapskate I was hahaha.... shame on me, I know.

Well, I'm glad (and proud) to tell you that my cheapskate time has ended, because I just learned how to GIVE. I almost can hear you ask me right now, you just learned to give? Where have you been all this time? And my answer would be: just don't ask :) 

To tell you the truth I didn't change from this person who held on to her money so tightly to this person who's able to give in just a second. It just happened that every teachings, every books, every teachers, every guru.... they were suggesting the same thing, that is to give. So I thought, maybe I should really try this (yea people, I have a head made of stone.. or was it of steel? :P )
 
Here are some of those teachings that somehow found their way to stick in my stone head:

• You don't have to bargain so much for something, for the universe is abundant, nobody is taking anything from you, and you're not taking anything from anybody (from Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich). 
• You are the gift you give to the world (Christie Marie Sheldon). 
• This whole life's journey is not always about you, it's about you finding your way to serve others; and, 
• Giving and receiving are two sides of a coin. It's like yin and yang, hot and cold, left or right. Without left, there won't be any right (T. Harv Eker). 

Robert Kiyosaki said that every time a paycheck arrives, you should pay yourself first, which means that you must put aside 10% for tithing (charity or community donation), 10% for investing, and 10% for saving. Only after that you may pay your bills, pay for rent, food, clothes, etc. (You can find Mr. Kiyosaki's great books here).

So I've been doing this for some time now, but it's more like around 5-7% for me. I think what Robert taught was more than just about the money, it's actually to appreciate yourself and be thankful for all this wonderful stuff that comes to your life, including your income. Before I read one of Mr. Kiyosaki's books I was putting myself at the very last in the list, so I would pay everything first, then had the leftovers (which was not so much) for myself. What if after I pay myself, there won't be any left to pay the bills? Robert said then it will push you to look for more income :)  What a great idea!

Well you know what, after doing some giving to the community, I felt really good and fulfilled! And not that I'm telling you to expect any return when you give, but it does return to you exponentially. It's just the law of our nature that the more we give, the more we will receive. When we give so much, there shouldn't be any worries about from where we would receive, because it can come literally from anywhere! So just take it from me, from one cheapskate to a reluctant giver... now I'm trying to get used to give as often as I could :) 

Many blessings, peace and love,
-angel apprentice-