The Power of Giving...

I love the holiday season because it's a time when most of us are surrounded by family and good friends.  For me, my favorite part of the holidays is giving.  Doing things for others brings me a lot of joy especially when it puts a smile on their face.  In the Jewish culture many people refer to having the power of "mitzvah" which loosely translates to "good deed"...unfortunately many people do not possess this quality and I'm fortunate to have been blessed by it. 

I stole a couple of quotes off of www.goop.com which is another interesting blog by Gwenyth Paltrow. 

“Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first”
-Muhammed
“A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
- Buddha
“Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
- Jesus

Spiritual leaders for centuries have taught the idea of putting someone else’s needs before one’s own. What is it about this common thread - the act of giving of one’s self - that is so valuable? - gp

Even though at some level I guess I wish people would do onto me as I do onto them but at the end of the day I do good deeds because it feels good and even it's something small, I feel like I did my part.  I am also a big believer in karma so for those of you who feel like bad things are always happening to you, try putting some positive vibes out there and do something for someone else for no reason...might make you feel better or even turn your luck around. 

There's always someone out there that is worse off than you so as you go through this holiday season and onto the new year I hope we all can remember to be kind to one another and that there really is a power in giving. 

Power of mitzvah baby!