Select a Thought

The greatest gift you can give to anyone, is a gift of love. A gift of love can take many forms, but one of the most powerful forms of love is the thought process.

Have you noticed, how the most happy and contented people in life are also the most loving and giving? It’s a two way process, what you give out in life returns to you ten fold.

To give love, and be loved in return, is one of greatest rewards in life. The importance of love and compassion is taught in all major religions, whereas pride, which in turn leads to jealousy and anger is to be shunned.

When you next feel the pangs of jealousy or anger rising, take a hold of yourself. Try to put yourself in the other persons shoes. That person is as human as you are, and you both have weaknesses. None of us are perfect, but each one of us is worthy of love. If you stand back and reflect, you will be able to find something to empathize with in every living soul.

Try now to find something, no matter how small, to like or even feel pity for, in anyone you normally associate with a feeling of dislike. Try to reverse those thoughts, and send new thoughts of love and compassion to that person.

You can send love out into the world through meditation, visualization, and by silent prayer. The love will return to you in many unexpected ways.

Do you find it difficult to give thanks? Does the generosity of others embarrass you? Ask yourself why is this so? Do you feel perhaps that you are undeserving of the gift, the offer of help? Or the compliment? It may even be that you feel unable to, or forced to reciprocate.

There really should be no need to feel this way. To give thanks, to accept a compliment with grace, or to show gratitude for an offer of help, is in fact a gift in itself.

When someone makes you a gift, no matter how large or small, it makes them feel good. Studies into brain activities have shown that the act of giving, increases the level of feel- good hormones in the giver.

You know how good you feel when you are thanked for your offer of help to someone, when you warmly congratulate and give praise, when you pay a compliment, or give a gift?

It follows then, that when the recipient acknowledges and gives thanks, the feel-good factor is raised even higher.

This surely means in effect, that by thanking, you are actually giving a gift in return, and as a result, your own feel-good hormones will rise.

Could this be why the altruistic people among us are also the among the happiest? It’s a bit like laughter and smiling, it’s infectious.