The Joy of Giving

For a lot of people amongst us, it is the season where we are used to giving and receiving gifts in one shape or form.?

I have always enjoyed giving presents, not expensive ones but the ones that I believe someone really needs. The simple act of giving can be so powerful and fulfilling. It is a pure act of care.?

This leads me to some further reflection around giving beyond Christmas time. What did I give this year and did this contribute to someone else's life? There are two gifts I am particularly proud of.

• Coaching: I truly enjoyed giving some free coaching sessions to a couple of wonderful individuals this year. Having received their feedback and having witnessed their progress, I am so happy that this greatly contributes to their life. This was the most fulfilling experience for me too!
• Learning: I am very passionate about learning experiences especially on topics that are truly meaningful to me. Therefore, I'd like to create these experiences for others too. In the past two weeks, I had the pleasure to host workshops on Nonviolent Communication and Integral Theory lenses to our wonderful Agile team and their engagement during the sessions and their feedback shows me that they have enjoyed them too!

Everytime I give, although without prior expectations, I receive so much back. I receive tons of gratitude, I feel energized and fulfilled, I have the feeling I contribute to something bigger, I belong.

There is another very important form of giving I would like to address today: giving to self and allowing yourself to receive it fully! Admittedly, I was pretty bad at this in my younger years but learnt how important and empowering this is through some self-discovery.

And let`s be realistic: who if not you will give yourself the best presents. After all, normally, you are the person who knows best what you want and need.

This Christmas, I gave myself the gift of Community and Connection.

In the past two months, I took the time to connect to groups I was not part of before (Evolution Community of Practice, Teal Around the World Monthly Gatherings) or reconnected to networks with whom I lost touch (The Obeya Association Open Obeya Café). This was one of the best presents ever. I connected with so many amazing people who share the same passions as I do and it was such an inspiring and fun experience!

How about you??

What sort of presents do you enjoy giving or already gave this year?

What great presents did you offer to yourself because you are worth it as well?

If you care to share examples, I salute you in advance. At the same time if your answer is none: no worries, giving to yourself and others is a behavior and not something you do only once a year!

Enjoy!