Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa November 2015 | Page 66

LESSONS One gift every Day Benefits and Insights From Over 200 Days of Giving BY VANGILE MAKWAKWA At the beginning of 2014, I wrote a blog post explaining that I was going to spend the year giving a gift a day to friends, family and complete strangers. A year later, I’ve continued with this practice and thought it’d be useful to share the benefits and insights I have learnt from this project. 1) I became debt free for the first time in my adult life Yep! That happened in 2014. The more I gave, the more my thinking about money changed. I approached my business differently and started creating new opportunities. I used this money to settle any remaining debts I had. 2) I received substantial discounts from everyone and everywhere I bought an apartment I’d been visualizing for months at 80% off its market price. I even received a large discount on my student loans when I paid off everything in one lump sum! These are two examples, but trust me when I say people constantly offer me products and services at discounts without me even asking. 3) Released envy on a deep level The more I gave, the more I started to see just how much I have in my life and the more I appreciated the way my journey is unfolding and stopped comparing myself to others. 4) Attracted the things I want with ease I first learned about the law of giving and receiving when a friend sent me an article by Deepak Chropra after reading my blog post in January. The law of giving says, if you want to attract something into your life, start giving that thing away. 5) I connected with my own fears and prejudice For the first time, I started conversing with beggars and random people on the streets because it felt awkward to just give and walk away. During these conversations, I started to realize 64 NOVEMBER 2015 SA Real Estate Investor how much fear and prejudice I had of other people and have had to work on these unconscious judgments. 6) I challenged deep limiting beliefs There were days when I believed I didn’t have enough to give and I’d feel upset and angry that I’d committed to this project. On those days, I learned to sit with my thoughts and question my beliefs that I had nothing to give. What I found was that I always had something to give - advice, time, love, compassion etc. 7) I started to value intangible things I started off the project to get more material benefits (of course). Lately I find myself asking questions like – what good is material success if I don’t live my purpose, have time to enjoy my life and celebrate with family and friends? 8) Giving can bring joy I know I wrote a book on this, but I don’t think I quite believed it. I wrote it because the research said it was true. When I started challenging myself to give not just material things, but intangible things as well, something shifted in my life. Although these are incredible gifts; the most beautiful gift I’ve received from my 200 days of giving is valuing my time. I’ve come to understand my mortality and to question what I dedicate my life to, which has lead me to really understand what it means to live my truth. This has been the most beautiful gift of all for me. www.reimag.co.za