While growing up, one phrase that was always stuck to my mind is the phrase Living is giving. Almost every spiritual leader, success guru and people in positions of influence agrees that giving is an essential part of life. But why is that? Many people have heard of the phrase living is giving, but I wonder how many of them actually have a complete understanding of the significance of giving in the lives of human beings.

The general understanding of the concept of giving is a very shallow and basic one. People who give and contribute on a regular basis will understand what it truly means to give. For those who dont, their perspective on giving will be a very shallow and generalized one.

The way the world and society generally views giving causes misunderstandings on many levels. It is the general belief that giving only means to try to be being helpful, sympathize with others and being the good guy.

People view giving as a way to ‘get into’ heaven, to collect good karma, to be rewarded something in return in the future etc. Not to say that any of this isnt true at all, but these are just very small parts of giving.

Not only is it a very narrow perspective of giving, it also encourages the false assumption that by giving, the giver actually loses something without getting anything in return. The focus is solely on the transfer of ownership of the item, or the loss of the time and/or effort of the giver.

That is not true at all. All of us get something back in return immediately upon giving. The act of giving genuinely makes human beings feel naturally happy, proud of themselves and significant. It gives a feel good boost that you cannot get anywhere else. It has positive effects and healing properties for every part of your being.

In addition, giving also puts you in a frame of mind that you are already abundant. How does it work? Think about it, when can a person give? Only when he or she has got something to give. If you have nothing to give, you cant give. Thats the only logic. When you give, it can only mean that you already have something.

Every time you indulge in the act of giving, what you are doing unconsciously is telling yourself that you already ‘have’ it. If you give time it means you have time, if you give money it means you have money. Because there is evidence of this (the fact that you gave it), your brain will infer that you are indeed abundant. Gradually you will develop the belief that your life is filled with abundance. Through that belief you will naturally attract more and more abundance into your life.

How to set goals? Setting goals is not just writing down what you want on a piece of paper. There are various factors that make good goal setting practices. If you are going to spend time setting goals, you might as well do the best job that you can.

The next time you set goals, try to follow the guidelines below ;

1. Reason ” Have a strong reason for wanting to achieve the goal. Know and write out why you want it and what impact will the goal bring to your life. A strong reason will keep you motivated during times of difficulty, exhaustion or disappointment.

2. Be specific ” Be as specific as possible when setting goals. Being specific helps increase motivation (because there is clarity) and makes the whole process of achieving the goal easier. Things such as where/how to start, what to do etc are easier to figure out when you have a goal that is specific and in detail.

3. Short and long term goals ” Remember to set both short term and long term goals. The long term goal is your ultimate outcome or goal, whereas short term goals are to achieve the various stages or steps of getting the ultimate goal.

4. Schedule it – Have a timeline for achieving your goals. Make it practical but not too long. Set timelines for short term goal milestones, ultimate long term goal as well as schedule your action items. In addition to that, also schedule when to perform the required action steps.

5. Review and track your progress ” Consistently and review the goals that you have set. Track how far youve come and analyze the map of your progress. In addition to helping you identify obstacles or wrong turns, tracking your progress can be very motivating as you see the results of your hard work.

6. Be decisive – Be decisive in your goal setting and stick to it. Dont get into the habit of constantly changing your goals.

7. Reward & celebrate – Remember to reward yourself and celebrate when you have achieved a goal. Always reward yourself whenever you achieved a short term goal, and have a full on celebration when you achieve your long term goals.

8. Take action immediately ” Always perform an action towards the attainment of a goal after you have completed the goal setting process. Never leave the site of your goal setting without taking some immediate action. This takes advantage of the momentum built during the goal setting and amplifies your motivation.