LIVE LIFE UP HIGH

photo credit: Crystl

The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists.
H. Allen Smith

I love lists. I think lists have great power. We have heard a lot about to-do lists and places to-go lists. I would like to suggest another great list. This is a to-give list.  This list would outline all the great things you would like to give to others and to yourself.

Why a List

Most of us know the power of giving but so many times we get busy doing other things during the day that we forget to give.  Would you agree that most of us want to be consummate givers but many times our days go by so quickly it just seems like there are no opportunities to give? I believe a to-give list can help us alleviate that problem. If you have a master to-give list to work from you can use this to add  giving opportunities to your daily to-do list.

How to Create

Creating a to-give list is very simple.  You can start by sitting down and thinking of the people closest to you. What are some of the things you would like to give to them or do for them? What things would bring joy to their lives? Go ahead and write those things down. Please don’t limit the list to things that you are able to do right now either. Include big and small things. Things you can do right now and things that may have to wait until the future. Write both.

Next expand the list to the community in which you live. What are some of the things you would like to give to the community? It doesn’t have to be just money. It could be time helping someone learn something.

Next let’s make this bigger; what kinds of things would you like to give to your country?

How about the world? Is there something you can do to make the world better?

Don’t forget about yourself. What are some of the things you want to give to yourself?

Example of a Master To-Give list

1. Write an encouraging note to my friend.
2. Teach a group of young people about success.
3. Do a walk for the Breast Cancer Society.
4. Sponsor a needy child.
5. Teach someone to read.
6. Speak a kind word to someone in my family.
7. Forgive someone who has done me wrong.

These are just a few examples. Be creative. Simply creating this list will empower you. Make up your mind to do the things you have put on your list and you will not only feel great but you will begin to see great things come back to you. Your business will do better because you are not just focused on yourself, but you are concerned about others.

Additional Resource

Check out this blog for more information: www.everydaygivingblog.com.

I want to hear from you. Let me know what you think about this post. Thank you.

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I was laying in bed the other day thinking about things I had achieved in last year and those things I had not yet achieved. What happened to those goals that I said I wanted but had not yet achieved them? I started doing some soul-searching…Why hadn’t I achieved these goals yet? After thinking about this for a while I asked myself three important questions. I would like to share these three questions with you. Go through the process of answering these questions and you will move closer to the fulfillment of your goals.

Question 1: Do you really want to achieve this goal?

Is this your goal? Are you sure? I mean, does this goal come from inside your heart or is it something someone told you that you should do? Many times we are pursuing a goal that is not ours. It is not in line with who we are and who we were created to be. If you birthed this goal from your heart, you are more likely to achieve it. If you deeply desire it you are more likely to manifest it. As a first step, I would encourage you review your major life goals and determine the origin and authenticity of each goal. Is this really my goal? If it is not truly your goal, you may want to get rid of it so you can focus on the goals that are truly your goals.

Question 2: Why do you want to achieve this goal?

Once you determine that a goal is truly your goal then next question is answer is why. Why do you want to achieve this goal? What is your motivation?  This is important because when you reach a point of homeostasis, knowing the main reasons why you want this goal will help you keep going (I actually recently read a great blog post on The Positivity Blog that describes homeostasis.). I would suggest that you write down 2 or 3 key reasons why you want to achieve each goal. Determine the benefit of this goal to you and others.

Question 3: Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal?

This is an important question. Many times we don’t achieve our goals because we are not willing to commit to doing whatever it takes to achieve our goal. Now I want you to understand that being willing to do whatever it takes doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have to do whatever it takes. Most times just being willing to do whatever it takes knocks down barriers.

Further, the one thing that you are not willing to do to meet your goal will probably be the thing that comes up to test your commitment. Once you make up in your mind that you are willing to do whatever it takes it won’t matter if that thing comes up or not. You have already conquered it.

Please keep in mind that being willing to do whatever it takes doesn’t mean you should be willing to do immoral things or things that hurt others. Remember you goals should be uplifting to you and to others.

Put your goals through the test

I encourage you to put your goals through the test.  Sit down for 30 minutes with a pen and paper (or your computer) and write your answers to the three questions listed above. These answers will give you greater clarity and you will begin achieving more of your goals.

If you want to know more about setting and achieving your goals, a great book that I recommend is The Power of Focus: What the Worlds Greatest Achievers Know about The Secret of Financial Freedom and Success . This book will take the serious goal-setter through a process that will help you move forward to achieve your most important goals.