Mii amo... In progress...

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There is hope for humanity still. :)

I was in a situation earlier today that seemed a bit hopeless despite my consistent and appropriate efforts. A stranger with a similar challenge offered to help me if he was able to succeed first and he asked if I would extend the same generosity. Indeed he was more lucky than I and kept his word to help me succeed as well. Afterwards I thanked him and he replied, “No problem, we gotta help each other”. I’m deeply touched and glad that there are people out there that still believe in giving.

This man was not someone that most people would talk to either, he was a bit of a thug, but he had a big heart that his physical appearance did not convey. More of us need to be this way. Giving freely is contagious and intrinsically rewarding. Ironically before I left the house this morning, I had read this email from Mastin Kipp on giving and forwarded it to a friend I had conversations with last night about the same topic. About a week ago we talked about how strangers are friends we simply haven’t met yet. I do not believe in random occurrences, everything happens for a reason. Thank you universe for this miracle. It is not going unnoticed. Glad that I’ve been giving and having discussions around giving. It all comes around. :) 


St. Francis once said that, “It is in giving that we receive”. The first time I heard that I was like “that’s b/s; if I give someone $100, I’m not going to get $100 back”. And I thought that way for a long time. Tony Robbins talks a lot about how important giving is; so does Russell Simmons. So does almost every saint, sage and mystic that’s ever lived. Giving is what life is all about, but we just can’t always see that.

Why?

Because many of us live in scarcity. We believe that if we give away what we have, we won’t be provided for. And I lived there for a long time, and in many ways I dabble there still. But what I’ve come to learn is that TRULY the secret to living is giving. Now I’m not suggesting you give away the farm to the closest person because you think The Uni-verse is going to give you two farms back! Oh heavens, no! But what I am suggesting is that the more that you give, the more that you add value to others people’s lives, the more that you serve, you will be given even more back. 

The key is not to give so that you get. But to give, so that you give. That is what it’s all about. Live in the giving and be detached from what comes back. This is how we step out of scarcity and into abundance. It might seem scary at first, but when we get to giving and see the joy and the change that we can bring, we start our own process of empowerment. 

I’m also not suggesting that you give to everyone but yourself - you can’t pour water out of an empty glass. But I am suggesting that if you’re TOO focused on you and what you can give and not focused on what you can GIVE - then life doesn’t open up.

I got my first big break in Hollywood by working for free as an intern at a huge music management company. I showed up and kicked so much ass that within a few short months they HAD to hire me cuz I was doing such an amazing job. Next thing I know, I’m hanging out with rockstars, flying around the world on tours and truly living my dream. It was the giving that also got me hired at the age of 22 as a SR.V.P. at a major record label. I added so much value that I rose. When it all came crashing down and I had my pre-quarter life crisis, I felt so betrayed by getting fired and no one coming to my help that for a long time I lost my giving spirit. I was in it for me and for me only. I had a story that said that when I give to people, I get taken advantage of. It wasn’t until The Daily Love came around and all I do is give, give, give every day and for free that my life turned around from that fall in 2004. 

It’s been a slow build, but today I am truly living the life of my dreams. A few years ago I had Oprah, Huffington Post and true love on my vision board. This year I am a regular blogger for Oprah.com, have a content deal with The Huffington Post that was announced by Arianna herself and am in a relationship with my soulmate. And the coolest thing was, all these things came to me. I didn’t have to seek them out. All I do every day is give, and that giving comes back to me in so many ways. I still work my butt off, but I don’t do it with an ulterior motive anymore. I do it out of the kindness of my heart and, as I write this, I truly understand what the heck St. Francis was talking about. 

I don’t say these things to brag; I say them to inspire. I made that vision board when I was couch surfing and didn’t have any money. Today, it’s a different story - and it came from the big give.

So - where are you holding back today? How can you give more? To yourself and others? How and where can you add more value?