One of my favorite websites recently is http://www.herbigidea.com/. The author has lots of business startup ideas and was inspired by Donny Deutsch, as I was, so I find a kindred spirit in her. I intentionally don’t list any of her business ideas on my site usually. However, she listed an idea the other day which I am drawn to write about because it has to do with my personal journey for the next month or so – the website is called http://www.29gifts.org/, and the idea of the site is to give away a gift a day for the next twenty nine days, be it a kind thought, old clothing, money, food, a smile, or nice note. At the end of the 29 days you are to share the story of how and what you gave and how it impacted your life. Seems so Oprah-like.
The person who started this site, Cami Walker, started the challenge as an experiment. She’s dealt with chronic Multiple Sclerosis her whole life, and her spiritual teacher suggested she give away 29 things over 29 days to get outside of her own struggle for a few minutes each day.
Cami wrote down the suggestion then forgot about it. She writes on her website, “I couldn’t fathom giving to others at that point. I was very attached to my struggle and really believed that I had nothing to give anyone. I believed I needed all of my energy for my own healing. I was forgetting that healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens through our interactions with other people."
Cami was experiencing insomnia one night and dug through her journals and found her note about giving as her spiritual director had suggested two months before. The next day she woke up excited about what to give away, and she began to notice she was experiencing more abundance herself.
Cami claims, “By Day 29, I was astounded by the magical and miraculous shifts in my energy for life.
- I was feeling happier, healthier, and more in awe with life.
- I found myself smiling and laughing more.
- My body got stronger and I was able to stop walking with my cane by week two.
- My business exploded with new, unexpected opportunities amounting to more than $8,000 in unanticipated income for that one month.
- I began connecting with a community of new friends in Los Angeles after feeling isolated in my new home for several months.
- My creativity opened up and I began writing stories regularly again for the first time in over two years since my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.
- I began experiencing a deeper intimacy in my relationship with my husband. "
Cami goes on to say, “My goal with the 29-Day Giving Challenge is to start a Giving Movement in the world. I want to collect and publish stories and art from people who commit to the challenge as a way to promote more generosity on the planet.”
I will try this Challenge. Does anyone else care to join me?
2 comments:
What a great idea!! Truly inspiring and makes sense! That is also why i think so many people volunteer - not only that it helps people, but it makes you feel good. So, its a win-win!
It's almost as if miraculous. I would like to try this challenge, can I make up my mind about the kind of gifts first.
Louis Lautman created a film about successful young entrepreneurs of today. Watch and be inspired, www.TheYESmovie.com
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