Life and Career Skills

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give." --Winston Churchill

Giving not only gives you a feeling of personal achievement but also makes a legend out of you. People will not remember how much you earned in your life but will certainly not forget what you gave back to the community. If you have ever done something for some one else without asking for anything in return, you would know how satisfying it is then anything else. By helping others we bring happiness in our as well as others lives. It brings around social change which removes the barrier of differences and leads towards a more tolerant society.

Children need to learn about giving to induce spiritual happiness in their lives. It will build their confidence and character. It has also been found that philanthropy improves mental and physical health. They must learn that receiving all the time is not healthy as it will reduce their general tolerance towards people and make them socially inept. They need to understand that when you give some one some thing with open heart, you will get some thing back with the same feelings.

To learn and understand the values of giving, you can take your children with you when you are offering community service. Take them with you to a soup kitchen, and show them how people are suffering and that just providing them with a little help brings smiles on faces of the needy. It also shows the children how lucky they are to be blessed with what they possess. They will learn to respect what their parents must have gone through to give them the luxurious life the children and their parents live.

Children also need to learn that money is not the only thing that they can give to others. Supporting some one morally can bring new vigor to their life and give them hope that they will succeed. As giving is always reciprocating, at some point in their lives your children too will need moral support to carry on. It is undeniable that a pat on the back is more comforting and satisfying that getting help with money.

One the other hand children should also be taught that giving is not a publicity stunt. Many parents want their children to be in the limelight for having done the good deed. They also show the kids that doing charity can give them tax break. This is not the essence of giving, it is just another gimmick to satisfy self-righteousness and is absolutely selfish. You want to give because you want to brighten the lives of less fortunate, bring happiness in their lives and in return your soul gets redeemed with spiritual happiness which is the most satisfying and gratifying thing in this universe. Some charitable organizations hold contest for who gives the biggest and the best charity, it starts with a good intention but later it just ends up with commercial importance. This is not giving.

Kids need to learn that there must be sincerity in real giving, it is not to have just fun but also to understand the importance of appreciation, gratitude and respect for life. If we do not give we do not deserve to be given.