Three ways to give

Giving is the opposite of receiving.  Giving defines you.  It sends a certain message about who you are and what you really think is important.  When people think of giving they think of reaching into their pockets and handing over some money.  Today I want to look at some different ways you can give and impact others.

I was having a conversation with another coach yesterday and he was telling me about his son in-law and how he spent so much of his time working on a PowerPoint slide show for a family event.  The coach continued to tell me how long his son in-law worked on the project.  Then he said something that stuck with me, "He was willing to give what most people won't, time."

Seasons of Love - Rent (Music Video)

This got me thinking about different ways we can give and the impact that each of these forms of giving has on people.  Let's look at three different ways to give and talk about how each has a different effect on the person receiving it.

1.  Money

This is nice to receive and it takes some sacrifice to be able to give away.  You can't give it, if you don't have it.  When you commit to give a financial gift, you commit to not using that money in some other way.  When you give this money, you allow someone else to make a decision about how this money can be spent. Sometimes that can be helpful, others times it gets you out of getting your hands dirty.

There have been times when it has been just easier to write a check instead of jumping in and getting involved and giving my time.  Not to say that giving money isn't important or even that it is less important; in most cases someone needs to do that, projects won't happen if there isn't any money.

2.  Material Gift

My wife and I (mostly my wife) every now and then will go through all our stuff and start packing a bag of stuff to give away.  For birthdays and Christmas we shop (again, mostly Rachel) and buy gifts for people. There are organizations out there that will take your donation of an old car, I'm sure they would take a new one too.

When we give a material gift it is either to clean out our own junk or it is thoughtful and shows how much we have thought of the other person.  Last week we packed up a bunch of clothes that are daughters no longer can fit into and we gave it away.  That was easy, I'm sure that those clothes will be helpful to other kids, but it didn't take much sacrifice on our part it didn't take much thought.  Again, I think this kind of giving is important there are awesome organizations that use these donations.

The gifts we buy and give are best when they are well thought out.  My measure is did I make you cry, if I don't see tears, it wasn't a great gift. (I give lots of gifts that make people cry, maybe not with joy though)
Once I made a shutterfly picture book for my wife, but I did it before they were a thing.  I made a PowerPoint and went and had it printed and bound, that was one of my better material gifts, it took thought, but maybe more importantly it took time.

3.  Time

This one is precious, there is only so much of it, 525, 600 minutes(thanks Rent).  We can never get more of it, we can't get it back.  This is the one that shows you care.  Shows your all in.  I get more out of my students when I show up.  Not for class, they would prefer I wasn't there, but for their outside of school events.  When I give of my time and am at a game, or at a play, or at a community event.  That has more impact and sends a bigger message than anything else I could do.

I make it a point to be present at my daughters events outside of school.  Simply by my giving of time, they feel special, they know how important they are to me.  I'm pretty sure my daughters will forget the money I give, even the gift I bought them, but they won't forget the time I spent with them.

If you want to have a greater impact on the people in your life, give them your time.  You want to really help an organization that you believe in, give them your time.  If you want to be a help to your spouse, give them your time.

This year I will focus on giving more of my time to help people who want their lives to have a bigger impact. To find out how I will be giving my time, sign up for my mailing list on this page.