The Sunday Mail
Changing Perspectives
Rutendo Gwatidzo
HAPPINESS is like a kiss. In order to get any good out of it, you have to give it to someone else (Zig Ziglar).
One of the greatest feelings in life is giving, and the best gift one can share is the ability to give what you have. Giving makes life meaningful and the positive energy it gives can make you soar on wings like an eagle.
Who should give?
Giving is an interesting topic. Let us look deeper into the subject matter. I believe that in one way or the other we have all come across people who say that they do not give because they do not have anything to give.
I also, believe that this statement comes from a poverty mentality that we need to fight off in our everyday life. Everyone has something to give at every stage of life. The challenge is that, many rush to think of money and other material things only when it comes to giving.
The fact is, impactful giving is beyond material things.
How to give
Let us look at corporates before we look at individuals. Corporate social responsibility is all about giving back to the community. For every business to exist or to thrive, it takes the community around it to make it happen. Clients to every business belong to the community, but in most cases the community is forgotten. Some businesses have operated for years without intentionally giving anything back to the community.
Some ways of giving to the community, can be clean-up campaigns, educational campaigns on different topics, assisting the needy in various ways and many more. On another note, many organisations fail to balance this equation.
Employees need to be mature enough to shift their focus from rights to responsibilities and in the process their needs will be met.
Sadly, in most cases, many have the mentality of wanting to grab as much as they can without giving back anything of value. For instance, for others, it is all about having a salary at the end of the month, but without giving back anything of value in that month.
On a different note, let us look at the relationship between landlords and their tenants. The owner may focus on getting rentals only without putting effort to make the property more comfortable or, the tenant may be very destructive, yet wanting the owner to renovate the property.
Another example is that of an intimate relationship. Many relationships suffered just because one party was probably more interested in receiving without giving back. We also experience the same in family set-ups. There may be those who expect to receive from certain individuals just because they perceive them as richer than others.
The question I would like to pose right now is this: What is it that you can give back to that individual or organisation that you have frequently received from?
Personally I once stayed with someone who was less privileged than I was. As such, I would give material things to the individual and in return the individual would just surprise me by cleaning my car, doing my laundry, giving me a foot massage when tired.
This motivated me to do more and the more I did for the individual, the more I received back. Life became sweet and beautiful as we lived to appreciate each other every day and it became so fulfilling to both of us. On the other hand, I also stayed with an individual who became a thorn in my shoe and eventually we parted ways disgruntled.
The individual had nicely and comfortably positioned himself as underprivileged and he perceived me as the lucky and privileged one. As such, again and again he expected me to do things for him just because we were related. His hunger to receive could not be quenched and it became an entitlement where he expected me to just do things for him without him giving anything back, simply because he thought he didn’t have anything to give.
Even on weekends I would wake up to clean up my car while he watched TV or he would just join me outside to watch me clean the car while talking of his aspirations and dreams.
The same scenario applies to many aspects of life.
Think about it!
You want a salary at the end of the month but, have you contributed towards bringing profit to the organisation? You want a faithful and sweet partner, are you giving the same yourself?
You want a good landlord, are you taking good care of the property? You want a well behaved child, are you being a good example as the parent? You want a happy and peaceful environment in your community, are you sowing the same?
You are probably a known thief, yet you expect people to receive you with open hands and a smile. The list is endless.
Responsibility and commitment are key elements in giving and receiving back. It starts with you and me and it doesn’t require much. It is a simple decision to want to live a happy life.
The happiest people in most cases are not those that get more, but it is those that give more.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. You may not have served a lot of money in your life, but if you save a lot of souls, live a life of giving that which you have, transform other people’s lives, you are richer than many rich man.
How to live a fulfilled life
I believe that it is many, if not all of us who desire to live a purpose driven life. Fulfilment is not a result of material things only, yes material things contribute to a certain extend, but it is a result of living a life that impacts others positively and everyone has the capacity to do so.
For others, it may be easy to make money, but it is a lot tougher to make a difference.
Others give in the wrong context when they use material things to do wrong things and this is not the giving back that I am talking about. Yes, you cannot do everything but you can do something and do it best. Nelson Mandela once said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
For some, the difference they might be making to the lives of others is that which hurts or destroy others. If you are that kind of person, you need to realise that the world you create is the world you live in. Whatever you do will come back to you one day, it is therefore better to sow seeds that you will enjoy to reap from.
GIVE . . . not only that, Give . . . what is good. The more you desire to receive is the more you should be giving back. Be challenged, be encouraged and be inspired to make the difference.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is an entrepreneur into corporate wear and interior designs. She is also an Author, Speaker, HR Consultant and Team builder. She’s very vocal and relentless in inspiring hope to the underprivileged to rise from setbacks and to continue moving forward. Her strategic strengths come from the ability to see things differently to make a difference. Contact detail — 0714575805/ [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo official FB public page.
