“Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving the mind of a giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.” – Buddha

Day 4 of the Mindful 21 challenge and today’s theme invites you to give. Give yourself 5 minutes of peace, serenity, calm and to sit in meditation before your day. Give yourself the gift of reflection at the end of your day, allow your body, mind and spirit this time to renew itself.

While you have given yourself this time, think how you can give onto others. Often we think of giving as a monetary exchange. I’ll grab my checkbook, credit card or ATM card and give to your cause. This of course is a necessary and generous gift! To be able to donate to a worthy cause we believe in, to support a local charity or fundraiser, to fund a loved ones goals, well it truly is a beautiful thing.

What I’d like to get better about, to be more mindful of, is giving my time, my skills, my passion to a greater good. Time is one gift we can not put a price tag on and being able to give it to someone else may just mean the world to them.

Give the gift of time to someone you love, going for a walk with them or having a cup of tea. Give the gift of presence to your family and friends, put down your phone and play a game or read a story. Give the gift of humanity to strangers, open the door for someone or perhaps return a grocery cart for an elderly person in the parking lot (I recently did this and the thanks they showed blew me away).

Gifts come in many shapes and sizes, often not being a tangible thing at all. When we give to others, we are filling up our selves.

What will you give today?

Happy Giving!