Meeting
your soul is not a onetime event but a moment-to-moment deepening, an
ongoing rite of passage from who you thought you were to who you really
are.
—Living
From The
Inside Out
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Christmas carols are being sung, mistletoe is being hung, and Salvation Army bells are being rung. Reports indicate that department stores, specialty shops, online sites, and catalog warehouses are gearing up for the busiest shopping time of the year.
Statistics show that more gifts are exchanged in December than in any other month. Do you want to give the perfect gift this holiday season? If so, turn within for guidance.
The intention behind your giving is the most important thing. Bring your awareness to it. Check to see if your intention is to receive someone's approval, attention, or recognition from your action. If so, you are setting yourself up for disappointment, frustration, and/or pain. If your gift is not presented unconditionally and from the heart, it is not truly given. On the other hand, if your intention is to bless and uplift another, you're on the right track. If your heart confirms it, then, by all means, give it.
This lesson is the message in the children's Christmas story, The Littlest Angel, by Charles Tazewell. In this classic tale, (my favorite as a child) a mischievous angel teaches us the true spirit of Christmas. By giving a gift imbued with his own happiness, he passes the quality of happiness on to the receiver.
Understanding his true nature, the little cherub demonstrates a natural law of the universe: that which is given through the generosity of spirit, multiplies. Therefore, whatever you want to experience more of, generously give it away to others. Like the littlest angel, maybe it is happiness, or perhaps love, compassion, beauty, freedom, acceptance, joy, laughter, or peace. As you wholeheartedly bestow your precious gift to others, you cannot help but receive of the same.
I had the opportunity to experience and track this phenomenon in a monthly mastermind group in which I participated. Not only did I realize that as we bless others, we too are blessed but that each of us has tremendous power to affect ourselves and others with our thoughts, words, and deeds. A simple prayer, an uplifting compliment, a heartfelt blessing, or an inspiring card when given from the generosity of your spirit, leaves every person, place, and thing better than you found them.
Go ahead and make someone's day! Whether it is the waitress at your neighborhood restaurant, the teller at your local bank, your child's favorite teacher, or your next-door neighbor, take a risk and demonstrate James Taylor's lyrics in his hit song. "Shower the people you love with love. Show them the way that you feel. Things are going to be much better if you only will." This is the true spirit of Christmas; this is our true nature. When we align with it, we align with our highest value. It showers us with a life-altering opportunity to enjoy an expansive, abundant, and fulfilling life from the inside out.
Give the holiday's hottest item. Give from the generosity of your spirit. Give until it feels good, not only during this season but throughout the year.
Feel free to share this inspirational message with friends, just keep the copyright and credits intact. If you enjoyed this article and would like more practical guidance to soulful living, read Dr. Jean-Marie Hamel’s book, Living from the Inside Out.
© 2004 Jean-Marie Hamel