The Spirit of The Gift, Determines Its Value

Gifts are a very personal way of showing appreciation and/or Love of another person in our lives. We give them often, but The Spirit of The Gift, Determines Its Value. A gift is not a gift if we expect a reward or a thank you, it’s a bribe.

Merriam-Webster defines a gift as:

Gift: noun

Something given to someone without expectation of a return[1]

During the holidays especially, we seek the perfect gift for the recipient (s). We put together our lists and try to match the perfect gift for each person. Sometimes it’s romantic, sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s just platonic. It’s a long-standing tradition that we have all grown accustomed to, but sometimes we lose sight of the true meaning of the gift and the purpose behind it.

Giving a gift is, and should always be, a selfless act. It’s an expression of caring from you to another, be it family, friends, associates, or Loved ones. It is an expression from you to another person they mean enough to you you would take time out of your busy day and devote it to an act of kindness on their behalf.

Do a good deed and throw it into the sea.

— Egyptian proverb

Sometimes we get caught up in the season of gift giving and we forget why we are giving it. We place a value to the gift for each person, as if each person is worth so much more or less than another. Sometimes it’s not the thought of the gift, it’s the gift itself that matters to us.

It’s in these moments that we need to stop and test our reasons behind the thought of the gift. What’s behind the act of the giving, the why behind it all. Far too often we can get caught up in the act and lose sight of the meaning.

“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.”

― Brian Tracy[2]

So what is a gift? A gift is an expression to another person or thing that they are important to you. That they mean something to you. That they have value in your life. Enough so you would spend your own time, effort, and money on them in this expression.

Why do we give them? Sometimes we give them out of tradition, sometimes we give them out of obligation, and sometimes we give them out of the Love we have for others. Giving should always be selfless. We should give freely with no strings attached. It sets an example to those around us that there is more value in giving than receiving.

We desire to bequeath two things to our children; the first one is roots, the other one is wings.

— Sudanese proverb

The free unabashed act of freely giving to another gives us a sense of gratefulness of our sense of humanity. It reminds us we were born here in this moment, place, and time to share a small piece of ourselves with another.

Gifts can come in many forms and mean different things to different people. We can purchase some, we can make some, and we can share some. It’s in the gift’s spirit that determines its value. It’s in the why we gave it in the first place that we need to focus.

Often, we need to access the gift itself and ask ourselves if it’s meaning we wish to convey translates to the person we wish to give it to. We should ask ourselves if we are giving this gift to impress them, or to show thanks to them for being in our lives.

No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back.

—Turkish Proverb

We need to ask ourselves if we are being honest with ourselves and others if the gift we give is an honest gift. Do we have hidden motives behind the gift? Are we secretly expecting special favor from the person receiving the gift? Are we expecting a reward for the gift?

Giving should be done freely, selflessly, and from the heart. Expecting a reward or a thank you diminish the gift itself. It turns the gift into a bribe and takes away its luster and warmth. It becomes self-serving instead of a selfless act.

In this season of giving, give for the right reason. Give appropriately and give freely. Your heart will thank you for it.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson[3]

I’ve written another article that you might enjoy along the subject of changing the things in your life you don’t like. You can read it here:

PERSONAL GROWTH ✵ HOW TO CHANGE THE THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE IN YOUR LIFE

If you have enjoyed this article, please visit me at www.JosephBinning.com for more helpful tips and articles.

You can also get more helpful information in my book You Matter, even if you don’t think so which you can purchase on Amazon here Amazon You Matter, even if you don’t think so

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Remember: Happiness is a choice, so choose to be happy.

[1] Gift definition/Merriam-Webster.com/accessed 11/18/2020/ https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gift

[2] Brian Tracy quotes/ Goodreads.com/accessed 11/18/2020/https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/186770-always-give-without-remembering-and-always-receive-without-forgetting

[3] Robert Louis Stevenson quotes/Goodreads.com/ accessed 11/18/2020/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/854076.Robert_Louis_Stevenson#:~:text=Start%20by%20following%20Robert%20Louis%20Stevenson.%20%E2%80%9CDon%27t%20judge,cards%2C%20but%20of%20playing%20a%20poor%20hand%20well.%E2%80%9D