As a child growing up in the Southeast I was taught that it is better to give than to receive. It did not take me long to realize that giving more than I was receiving was not a balanced equation. In fact, whenever I gave more than I received it usually caused my Inner Peace to be off balanced. The following two case scenarios will illustrate how giving more than you are receiving can cause your Inner Peace to be off balanced.
Case Scenario #1
I want you to picture a person who goes to work every day and they give 110% of their time. This same person brings new and prosperous ideas to the company. It is obvious that this person is a giver and goes beyond the call of the expected duties of their job yet the person does not receive any recognition nor do they receive a monetary reward for their efforts. In a case such as this, that person's state of peace may be impacted negatively by the actions of the company.
- If you were in this person's shoes would you feel unappreciated and or undervalued?
The truth of the matter is, if you continually feel undervalued and unappreciated for long periods of time then you are not at a mental state of peace. When you are in a state of Inner Peace you feel good about who you are and what it is that you do.
Case Scenario #2
In this case a parent gives their all to their spouse and to their family. This particular parent cooks, cleans, works and attends all of the extra curricula activities of their children yet they never receive a "thank you" from their family members nor do they receive any genuine signs of appreciation for their efforts.
- It is easy to understand how this parent's state of Inner Peace could be impacted negatively by the actions of their family members. This parent probably believes that they are not appreciated and they may also believe that their family takes them for granted.
If this parent continues to feel unappreciated and to feel like they are being taken for granted then they will not be at a state of Inner Peace. The reason why is because when a person is at a state of Inner Peace they have a positive self image about who they are and they believe that they do make a difference in the world.
Do You Know How To Receive?
Before I started practicing how to maintain my Inner Peace and live my life full of Joy, I use to have a problem with excepting gifts from other people. Whenever someone offered me a gift, my response was usually "No thanks." I would get a guilty feeling whenever I accepted gifts from others. This guilty feeling stemmed from my belief that is was better to give than to receive.
My outlook has long since changed and I now look forward to receiving. In fact, I expect to receive gifts. These gifts are in the forms of smiles, kindness and love. I also learned that my Inner Peace is impacted positively by my willingness to accept gifts from others. It feels good to receive love, kindness and smiles from other people.
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