How Do You Spell Love?

How do you spell love? G-I-V-E All true love begins with giving - time, talent, money, affection - with a focus firmly rooted in the well-being of the recipient. The real secret is that when we give with no strings attached, the giver becomes the receiver becomes the giver becomes the receiver...

In this crazy economy, it's gotten all too common to hear people lament that they can't afford to give. The truth is, now more than ever we can't afford not to! It's simple science really. Take money, for example. If you hoard your money in fear that there won’t be enough, that’s like stuffing it into the proverbial mattress. That may sound like a nice safe hidey hole, but will more likely just suffocate and die, leaving you with even less. And you killed it! Or talent. What if the world is just aching for someone who can play the kazoo like you! Who knew? And what about you pack rats? You know who you are! You can’t ever throw anything away because you might need it “someday.” But someday never seems to come and your house is filled to the rafters with things you never use, but might need...someday.

Now take a look at each of these admittedly goofy examples. Go ahead, look deep. What do they all really have in common? They cut YOU off from receiving. And you did it to yourself. Ouch! By hoarding your money instead of putting it out there doing good and working as hard as you do, you cut yourself off from receiving more money. It can’t leverage by itself! By hiding your talent, you cut yourself off from receiving the satisfaction of doing what you do so well and the gratitude of your adoring admirers. (Here’s a little hint: Talent always comes in pairs – the person who can do it and the person who wants it done. So whatever it is you can do, even if it really is playing the kazoo, remember that someone is needing exactly that and YOU are depriving them. And by depriving them, you cut yourself off.) By saving stuff for “someday,” you cut yourself off from receiving the joy of living today – and your house is probably too jumbled to invite friends over for coffee or wine, depriving you of the warmth and coziness of a personal “nest.”

So are you getting the picture? All receiving starts with giving. All love starts with giving. All life starts with giving. Seems we have a theme going. Are you open to receive or are you cutting yourself off?

So go ahead and give a little. Give a little space. Give a little hug. Give a little atta-girl. Give a cup of coffee to the person in line behind you. Give a little smile to a stranger. Give those skinny jeans to Good Will. Give the dust bunnies to the trash bin. Give the dog a toss of his toy. And repeat after me. Love is spelled G-I-V-E.