good deeds ~ 29-day giving challenge
several years ago i was not in a very happy place. while i loved everything that was happening in my personal life, majority of my days were spent working at a job that was not at all right for me. it was a 9-5 office job, full of gossiping co-workers and a high-stress boss. i had just come from being a kindergarten teacher, mind you, so i was used to singing, dancing, coloring, & creating entire universes out of blocks. being in that soul-sucking desk job made me feel completely lost!
i can't remember exactly how it happened, but somehow i found the 29-day giving challenge, and i was quite intrigued. could i really give something away every day for an entire month? would i really have the energy to think outside of myself a little each day? after all, i was spending a very large amount of time throwing myself a pity party. ultimately, i decided that i needed something a little extreme to bring more purpose and growth to my life. i had no idea what the outcome would be, but i figured things couldn't get any worse.
i started out giving away material possessions i no longer needed - clothes, shoes, & a couple kitchen gadgets. after a week of giving away the obvious, my focus started shifting from things to people. one morning i made an extra sandwich and gave it to the homeless girl near my office. another morning i picked beautiful flowers and gave them to the bus driver who faithfully drove me to work each day. by the end of the month i was constantly thinking about the people around me, whether they were my dear friends or complete strangers. all i could think was "hmm... what can i give right now?" i sent care packages to friends going through hard times, snagged a seat on the bus just so i could give it away, i gave smiles and hugs, i gave my time and friendliness, i even began giving a much more cheerful attitude to my boss. it was such a beautiful experience to shift my thoughts from "woe is me" to "woah, i have a lot to give!" i took all of that frustrated energy and turned it into selfless energy, energy which i hope made a difference in at least one person's life.
i'm not the only one who has experienced the benefits of giving. there are thousands of people who have joined the challenge and you can too! head over to the website to sign up and be a part of the community of givers. and if you'd like to learn more, you can watch the video below by the founder of the 29-day challenge {who's just a regular person, like you and me, making the world a much better place}.
i'm really excited about this good deed, since i had such an amazing personal experience to go with it. if you have experienced a good deed that has impacted your life for the better, i would love to hear about it! you can share it in the comments or email me at fillyourwell{at}gmail{dot}com.
