Living is Giving

It is the will and not the gift that makes the giver. G. E. Lessing

It is more blessed to give than to receive is the German proverb, for Living is Giving.

You've probably heard this phrase before, and I know some of you have thought: "What nonsense!"

Really?

Living is giving says it all. Yes, living is giving. Goethe already knew that, as he aptly put it:

Only he who likes to give is happy.

He added,

Don't say that you want to give, but give!

Mother Theresa also knew this, but beautifully:

The more you give, the more you receive.

And:

Those who give with joy give the most.

After all, Heinrich Heine summed up human behavior perfectly, which proves that people have not evolved too much in the last 200 years:

Many people have their hearts in the right place, but they don't understand how to give, and it takes a long time for the heart's will to reach the pocket.

The above German proverb comes from Acts 20:35 in the New Testament, where Paul quotes Jesus. So, this insight is anything but new, but many people don't dare believe this simple fact and integrate it into their lives.

I want to encourage you to simply dare to do so because giving and giving away gives you much more in return than you will or can ever give. I promise you that. Mother Theresa is right. I have been experiencing this repeatedly and constantly in my life for over 50 years now.

When I was a little boy, my grandfather sometimes gave me money on December 23rd or 24th and told me that I probably didn't have any pocket money left because I had bought presents. What did I do? I went into town again on December 24th and bought even more presents. Of course, they weren't big, but I did what I could.

To this day, I never like to unwrap my presents in front of the other recipients at Christmas. I'm far too happy to watch others unwrap them; their joy makes me much happier than anything I get myself.

I now know that the universe sends and gives me back much, much more than I can ever give. With this in mind, you could now accuse me of saying: "Yes, if that's the case, then you're doing it out of calculation!". No, absolutely not. I do it because I enjoy it! I know what I've learned in over 50 years: I always get back much more than I give.

Why are there hundreds of quotes that impressively underpin this fact?

Because there have been people in all generations who have understood this universal principle of life.

A few examples:

Giving requires understanding.

Ovid

The way one gives means more than one gives.

Pierre Corneille

Giving is fishing.

Italian proverb

What you give is not lost.

Anaïs Nin

Those who like to give don't ask for long.

German proverb

Man with buttoned pockets, no one will do you any favors; hands are only washed by hands; if you want to take, give.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe

The giver is adorned by what makes the receiver happy.

al-Hariri of Basra

It is the will and not the gift that makes the giver.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Always learn to receive more gratefully and give more cheerfully.

Johann Caspar Lavater

I wasn’t surprised to find so many quotes on this topic when I wrote this post because I have always enjoyed giving, which does me good because it satisfies me.

I love to give, and I love to help. For many years, my company has regularly paid for snacks for poor children so that they can have a good breakfast at school. Here in America, I donate a fixed monthly amount. I give money to help with many natural disasters. In the past, my wife and I gave a classroom to an African school.

I'm sure you can think of other good ideas where you can do something good. Much more important than what you do is that you do something and that you do it wholeheartedly and without any expectations. You will experience that you are giving yourself the greatest gift and that the universe (God) will also give you a rich gift. Give also and especially to your family and loved ones because the old wisdom applies here:

A gift of love given in health: Gold; in sickness: Silver; after death: Lead.

If you have children or want to support them, you will help them most if you invest in their education. I deliberately wrote education rather than training!

Studying is particularly cheap in German-speaking countries—in global comparison—although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone nowadays because I know that my life would have been no worse without it.

But what all young people lack and is not taught in today's education system is education that equips them for normal life. What is a loan? How do I open a bank account? How do I make provisions for the future? What do I need to know for a speech? How do I eat healthily? What health insurance do I need? What kind of insurance do I need? Finally, what are my near and distant goals? How do I find my goal in life? I can think of dozens more questions that young people today (and in the past) are unprepared for.

With this in mind, I know that the quote above is not only wise but also very true. The German equivalent is 'to give with a warm hand is better than with a cold hand'. Giving is always more blessed than receiving, especially towards children.

I am convinced that young people have little to gain from inheriting a run-down detached house at the age of 50 after their parents have passed away. Doesn't it make more sense to support their personal development at a young age through seminars and further training and then pass on less or nothing?

Many people's behavior towards their children today is just as short-sighted as the way Africa has been treated over the last hundred years. In both cases, food, and in our case, money, was and is often passed on. Isn't it much more sensible to pass on education and knowledge to help people help themselves? I mean, yes!

You may now ask, "What does all this have to do with LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS?"

"Very, very much!" is my answer.

Positive experiences and adventures in giving bring you much closer to yourself. You consciously give up something so that others are better off, and this almost always makes you aware of your own situation with all its opportunities and limitations. Giving teaches you much more about yourself than others, and the experiences you can and do have with others are a wonderful mirror for your situation. And you understand that "giving is more blessed than receiving". For your opportunities, for your limits, for your goals.

Giving wonderfully frees your spirit and helps you see your life much more clearly by allowing you to experience and attain new levels of consciousness.

Giving is THE starting signal for you to LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS and have countless wonderful experiences!

You will be truly grateful! But I'll write more about gratitude another time.

Every gift, every joy you give shows you something new every day:

The best is yet to come!

Happiness is a sibling of giving …

What is Happiness?