"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill
Giving without receiving can be such a hard thing right? I did a pro bono project for a friend recently and I did not receive a genuine thank you or acknowledgement for my hard work. Inevitably, I started feeling resentful, hurt and even a little angry towards this particular friend. But as I thought this over, I noted that I completely chose to do this act of kindness on my own. No one tied me up and forced me to do what I did. I decided all by myself to GIVE my time to this person. So why did I need a reward for my good deed?
That's when my noodles started to boil. Maybe that's why it is so hard to truly give. So many of us, like myself, want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Whether we realize it or not, we give with the expectation that our pots will be filled with gratitude and praise for our good deeds. But as we all know, to truly GIVE is to give without expecting something in return.
And when it comes to throwing our noodles, how many of us throw them with the same expectations for ourselves and others? How many of us throw the noodle because we seek the reward, the pay off, the acknowledgement? If it's exercising, we expect to lose weight. If it's writing a story, we expect that it gets published. If it's starting a business, we expect that it brings us great success. Bottom line.....we want rewards if we're going to put the time and effort in, right? We expect results and then we get resentful, hurt and even angry when we don't receive them.
But what if we adhered to the truest form of giving when throwing our own noodles?Throwing them because we really want to and because it's in our hearts. Not just because we want something in return. After all, throwing your noodles without expectations can sometimes offer the greatest reward. Maybe there's an unexpected surprise at the end of your rainbow. And who knows, your pot of life may be filled with more than just thank you's and praise.
That's when my noodles started to boil. Maybe that's why it is so hard to truly give. So many of us, like myself, want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Whether we realize it or not, we give with the expectation that our pots will be filled with gratitude and praise for our good deeds. But as we all know, to truly GIVE is to give without expecting something in return.
And when it comes to throwing our noodles, how many of us throw them with the same expectations for ourselves and others? How many of us throw the noodle because we seek the reward, the pay off, the acknowledgement? If it's exercising, we expect to lose weight. If it's writing a story, we expect that it gets published. If it's starting a business, we expect that it brings us great success. Bottom line.....we want rewards if we're going to put the time and effort in, right? We expect results and then we get resentful, hurt and even angry when we don't receive them.
But what if we adhered to the truest form of giving when throwing our own noodles?Throwing them because we really want to and because it's in our hearts. Not just because we want something in return. After all, throwing your noodles without expectations can sometimes offer the greatest reward. Maybe there's an unexpected surprise at the end of your rainbow. And who knows, your pot of life may be filled with more than just thank you's and praise.
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