“Monday Motivation – What Comes First: The Give or The Get?”

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. -Winston Churhill (1874-1965), British Prime Minister.

Teleological. Goal seeking organism. According to Aristotle, that’s what we all are. Some call it go-getters, others refer to it as survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. Only the strong survive. All that don’t fight are fit for extinction!

Really? Is this the human condition? Wouldn’t an unbridled attack attitude lead to chaos? Look at how much ill will there is toward the wealthy. Certainly we celebrate the inventors like Steve Jobs who brought us pleasing and life changing products, but what about all those bankers who raked in massive fees while their industry tanked…where was the value added cried the abused!

So it appears that the masses tend to lean towards fair play…no problem that there’s a game to play and win, but when you cheat you get reeled in quickly and chastised. So what’s at play here? To some extent we all like to “get” and advance our own cause, but is there a right or better way to do it? And if there is, who says what’s better? Who makes the rules anyhow?

Some would argue that there’s a moral authority that we should look to, but what if you don’t believe that God or any higher power exists? What about a referee? Do we need one? Can we even find an unbiased one that’s incorruptible?

Rather than get exasperated about trying to police unbridled “getting”, why not look to giving? Consider the historical perspective…who do we remember the most? The extreme “getters” such as Napoleon, Hitler, Hussein amongst other enterprising conquerors and the extreme “givers” such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King.

The latter are the most celebrated, but why? What is it about the givers that appeals to the masses? After all, both extreme getters and givers are filled with passions and belief systems that breed an unbridled commitment and focus that’s compelling.

So the two camps start to form. “Forget about that ultimate giving stuff…it just doesn’t pay well enough”, shout the getters while the givers say “why accumulate all that stuff, it’s just a Pyrrhic victory!” Well maybe the real answer sits somewhere in a blended solution of getting and giving or perhaps it’s a question of which comes first?

Let’s go back to the passion. The most remarkable people in life are those who truly believe in something with such enthusiasm that they create a magnetic pull towards there cause. It’s once the attraction happens that the truth of the source is revealed. If it’s based on giving it breeds more giving.

True giving is based in humility and when somebody receives a gift with no strings attached it’s invigorating. Happiness ensues and the vortex of positive energy increases. The reluctant stand by and admire until they throw caution to the wind and join this great force of nature!

You see there never should be any doubt that ultimately giving prevails…yet the greatest irony of all is that those who give, especially in an unconditional way, get more then any plunder could ever deliver! So go start giving first because that’s where you’ll find true satisfaction and endless receiving in return!