The Art of Giving

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
—Epictetus

As I was driving to work yesterday and stopped at a stop sign, I witnessed a homeless person dig through her cart of things and take out a crumpled fast-food bag.  From that bag she began feeding the birds and ducks in the park.  I could not help but think, wow…someone who has very little has the ability to save a few crumbs of her sparse food to give away.  Two thoughts crossed my mind as I watched this amazing life video pass through my lens…giving can happen at any level and being unconditionally giving is a fundamental characteristic of leadership.  This was so clearly obvious as I watched the wild birds and ducks flock around and follow this person long after the few morsels of food were gone. 

As I was engrossed in this beautiful scene, I suddenly was brought back to another reality. The person behind, clearly in a rush, started pounding on his horn for me to move.  Juxtapose to the calm beauty of the feeding of the birds, I was suddenly thrown back to a paradoxical reality—our lives are always on the go.  In that continuum of just doing, how often do we stop to live our life?  Really live our life….   Do we take the time to pause, reflect and give the time that is needed to be a leader of our own lives when we are always in the rat race of doing ?

I just finished reading The Pause Principle: Step Back to Lead Forward by Kevin Cashman. In his book he says that for each of us to be effective in both our personal and our professional lives we have to take the time to pause, step back and just “be”.  Without this, we are no different than those hamsters than run on their wheel ….running, running, running and passing life by without seeing life’s beauty. In the mode of doing, life is nothing more than a blur, rather than creating a beautiful masterpiece, and allowing the art of living. When we are so busy doing, are we giving?

Do you take the time to pause and introspectively review, reset and renew so that you can show up refreshed, form memories that have meaning and give what it takes to live a life with purpose? Are you an effective leader of your own life first before you show up in the world expecting to lead others. 

What does giving to your life look like?  We are so busy being doers that we innately want to answer such a question by listing things that we do. I ask you to take the time to give to your life.  How are you giving your life the opportunity to be all that you want it to be…think from the inside out.