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Seek first to understand and then to be understood.
-- Stephen Covey
 

 

Monday, December 25, 2000

The gift of giving

What a blessing it is on this Christmas Day, and every day, to be able to give. The special, memorable times are those when you give the most of yourself to life. The opportunity to give is the opportunity to live with meaning and fulfillment. The spirit of giving is a sustaining force, enriching whatever endeavor or circumstance it touches.

Giving truly brings a richness to life that cannot be duplicated. Productive activity becomes vastly more productive when buttressed with the spirit of giving.

To express yourself through giving, to make a true and lasting difference in the lives of others, cuts straight to the heart of life. Giving with enthusiastic sincerity brings out the best in you. Giving brings virtues such as understanding, respect, compassion, gratitude, and humility together into a powerfully positive and enduring act.

The value of the gift is in the giving, and that value confers on all involved. The opportunity to make a real and positive difference is the great promise of life itself. Give of yourself, and all the world is better for it. Truly it is among the greatest of gifts to be able to give.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©2000 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.