Give and Feel Good Challenge

Giving. It’s something that is so easy to do but is often bypassed in the hectic lives we live today. In a culture where it’s encouraged to look out for one’s self, pursue your own dreams, and do what’s best for you, it can often go overboard and selfishness can unconsciously run rampant. We are all guilty of it, myself included. Having gone through two rounds of unemployment in the past year and a half, both lasting months on end, it became very easy for me to think only of myself. I needed a job, I am a good person, I deserve that opportunity. This also led to a bit of depression, where I was so consumed with all that I did not have that there were days that I refused to even go out of the house.

Through all of this, particularly in my second round of unemployment, I have learned that I need to actively pursue positivity. If I want a good mood, good luck, good fortune, etc., I need to stop being so me-centric. The easiest way we can do this is to stop focusing on ourselves and our needs and wants, and to instead focus on others.

Everyone deserves to be blessed. Why don’t I try to help in the blessing?

Giving doesn’t have to be huge and expensive. Sometimes the smallest gifts can be the most powerful. Some ideas:

• When you go through the drive through at Starbucks, leave some money to pay for the person behind you.
• Offer to weed your parents’ garden over the weekend.
• Make a healthy meal for that friend who just had a baby.
• Bring some cookies or a bowl of fruit over to a new neighbor.
• Go through your closet and donate those clothes you don’t wear to goodwill.
• Volunteer with an organization you’ve always admired.
• Do you have a friend who is starting to run and is thinking of trying to complete a race? Show them a vote of confidence in them and offer to pay for part of/ all of their race fee.
• Donate old books.
• Make some breakfast goodies to bring to work or to give to your significant other to bring to their office.
• Do the laundry for your significant other.
• Have a friend who’s going through a rough spot? Bring over some chick flicks, ice cream and a bottle of wine and spend the night with her.
• Know someone who is unemployed? Ask them for their resume so you can share it with people in the community that you know.
• Is there a woman at the store struggling with her children and getting her groceries into her car? Offer to help her out! (not in a creepy way, of course).
• Send a card snail-mail to a friend.

There are so many ways that you can creatively give! The idea is just to open your eyes to the people around you and see how you can bless their day.

The challenge is to give once a day, every day now through Thanksgiving.

Leave a comment or send an email (lindsey@soundeats.com) and let me know if you’re in with me! I would love to encourage each other in our giving missions. If you have any stories of volunteering and getting out of your shell, or how a small simple act of kindness changed someone’s day, let me know and I would love to share them with everyone!

Instead of just focusing on how we are thankful this Thanksgiving season, let’s give others a reason to be thankful, too.