Why You Need to Receive, As Well As Give

If we want to be happy, successful and to thrive in life, we have to know how to both give and receive. Some are definitely more comfortable with the giving part. However, the more we grow in both graces, the more we experience the flow of life. Here are two tips to help us grow in our understanding of the power of giving and receiving.

What you give comes back to you:

Someone once told me “We should give without expecting anything in return—that’s true giving.” That sounds like a healthy perspective, at first hearing. However, I have a different take on it: I don't think it's healthy at all. In fact, I think we ought to expect a return on our giving. After all, we have needs and desires of our own—if we don’t get them met, what would we give from? It’s fine to give to someone or to some cause without expecting anything back from that specific source—but to not expect a harvest from the seeds we plant is misguided. You can’t give out of what you don’t have. Be a giver, yes, but remember to receive when the giving is coming from the other direction and stay in the flow of the universe.

When it comes, be ready to receive:

There are many people who are uncomfortable receiving a compliment or receiving help when they need it. They don’t want to be in anyone’s debt, so they inadvertently make it difficult for others to give to them. To receive graciously, without embarrassment or shame takes a sense of self-worth. You are worthy to receive—you don’t have to earn that right. I'm talking about receiving things such as love, respect for being a fellow human-being or help when someone offers it. At work, you have to earn your paycheck; that's a given. However, even at work, when we realize we all have strengths, talent and passion and find a place to exercise them, we're eager to go to work and give even beyond what's expected.

Take the “Ready to Receive” Test:
 

If you’re searching for a job, have you let others you know that you need their help?
Do you find it difficult to ask for a raise, even if you know you’ve earned it?
 Are you uncomfortable when someone says, “Let me pay for lunch today.”
If you need to borrow money from a family member or friend; will you ask them without feeling that you’re somehow less than them?
Can you open up to others about your fears, mistakes and self-doubts and really hear them when they tell you how much they respect you and what they see as your strengths and gifts to the world are?