The art of giving!

Happy New year everyone!  

Hope you still remember the resolutions you have made for 2018? I'm asking because, by the end of January, most of them are usually sidelined as we nosedive into life's goings-on all over again. Well, I'm going to add to that list today.

Yes, yes!   I know what's going on in your head, "I can barely live up to the goals I have set for myself and now I have to deal with yet another one." But hey, this one is easy... let's put it this way, it's not a goal, its a mindset shift which I believe will only enrich our lives further.  

Let's befriend the 'art of giving!' And I'm not talking about donating to charitable organisations, we all do that in our own minuscule or generous way. I am talking about 'sharing' with those who may not necessarily be a part of our inner circle.  

The more I look around, I feel that despite growing incomes, the act of being able to spend on others as easily or as happily as one does on oneself is diminishing. It's easy to indulge ourselves with gifts and extravagant meals, but when it comes to spending on others, we often clamp up.

When I turned 40, my mother reminded me that when I started working and earning around the age of 18, I often remarked that "I will only feel rich when I can spend as much if not more on others as I like to spend on myself."

My mom confessed that on hearing this she was mighty worried about the future of my financial security but was proud to be proven wrong eventually. She said, "With your selfless attitude, you have only got richer in every possible way! After all, you have been compounding interest not only on your earned money but also on the blessings you have accumulated over the years."

Yes, I feel safe today and secure in my knowledge that I came into this world with nothing and will clearly leave with nothing. While we work hard primarily to engender personal growth, we also work towards leaving behind enough wealth to provide the necessary opportunities for our children.

However, money will be a disabler and not an enabler if we bequeath so much that our children are not driven to work hard enough. Hence, more than money, what we should strive to leave behind are memories that are always reminisced with fondness and a smile.

So whilst spoiling our immediate family members, let's simultaneously and graciously also  indulge our 'out of town guests', siblings, aunts/uncles, cousins, friend's children (if even they can't reciprocate our generous act), our staff's family (maybe pay for their education), neighbours (send them a portion of some new dish you tried cooking at home), helpers who carry our shopping bags from point A to point B or our watchmen who help us park our car every day (who won't mind a little extra cash), the workers who do repair work for our homes (a simple snack with some tea is enough to bring a smile to their face). Well yes, the list does go on, but trust me, when God sees that giving hand, he makes sure it is never empty!  

Think about this. And let  2018 be the year when you consciously work at increasing the size of your heart and not just your bank balance.

A slight positive change of attitude is all that it will take to know that money will only buy you things that will make you feel safe for the moment, but 'giving' will buy you that blanket of security that will not only last you for this lifetime but perhaps the next one as well.

(Television personality and chef)