I first read in A Course in Miracles that giving and receiving are the same, or in the Twelve Step programs that we must give it away to keep it, I felt completely baffled. It all seemed counterintuitive that I could receive anything by giving. However, over the years, I’ve learned that when I want just about anything—love, prosperity, purpose—I attain it through sharing it with others.
First, we all have love inside us. The problem is looking for it rather than being love. When we treat others with love and care by doing loving things, we then feel the emotion we seek. In twelve-step programs, people often come in broken and empty. They think they have nothing to give. However, they are encouraged to get involved, help out, make coffee, greet attendees, and help set up. They feel useful. Soon, they’re instructed to help a new person. By helping someone else, they find a connection and a bond. They learn that love is an action word and that by acting like a loving person, they tap into the fact that love is always within and ready to extend.
Second, life is always abundant. You can observe in nature that it simply multiplies naturally. It releases its seeds, and the plant or tree multiplies endlessly. Prosperity follows the same principles. The more we give, the more we receive.
Third, people feel lonely because they lack a sense of purpose. They can become stuck in a cycle of depression, feeling useless and isolated. Everyone has something to offer others. The more we dedicate our time and efforts to helping, the more our sense of purpose grows. It’s impossible to feel useless or depressed when you’re genuinely focused on assisting someone in need.
Regardless of your desires, if you want something, give it away.
To feel good, make someone else feel good about themselves.
To have more energy, expend more energy by being physically active.
To feel happy, make someone else laugh.
If you’re skeptical about these suggestions, I challenge you to try one each day for 30 days. It won’t take long to observe the laws of spiritual abundance in action, and you’ll feel blessed instead of deprived.
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Donna Marks is an educator, licensed psychotherapist, and addictions counselor in Palm Beach, Florida. She has worked with over 6,000 clients. Donna’s struggle with addiction brought her to a worldwide search for healing. She became licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in 1987. In 1989, she earned a Doctorate Degree in Adult Education, then became Certified in Addictions, Gestalt Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Hypnosis, and Sex Therapy. Donna developed an award-winning addiction training program at Palm Beach Community College. She co-owns an outpatient treatment program and serves as a consultant to treatment centers. For 36 years, she has taught A Course in Miracles.
Donna is the author of three books: the multi-award-winning title Exit the Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure, and Learn, Grow, Forgive: A Path to Spiritual Success, The Healing Moment: Seven Paths to Turn Messes into Miracles of Love, and her latest fiction, Fortis & Sapiente – A Tale of Two Lovers Who Successfully Navigate the Murky Waters of Love. Donna is a public speaker and has shared her methods with millions of listeners on podcasts and radio shows.
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