Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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February 19, 2007

Change the World: Give When No One Notices

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:35 am

The Giving Tree

Change the World!

Sometimes we give, and no one seems to notice.

To me, the children’s book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, is about that. It’s the story of a boy and a tree that is always there for him. Throughout the boy’s life, the boy uses the tree for shade. He climbs it. He eats its fruit. He carves his initials, and those of his sweetheart, into the tree’s trunk. When he wants to make a new life, the boy uses the wood from the tree to build a boat to sail away. Years later, as an old man, the boy returns and sits on the stump of the tree that he had left behind.

In my twenties, I thought this was a beautiful story of unconditional love.

In my thirties, I wasn’t so sure I looked at the boy and saw his selfish taking. The tree began to look like people I knew who became “victims” because they never said “no” to anyone’s request.

I came to realize that the story is perfectly told.

The difference between a victim and a Nelson Mandela is a choice in the mind of the giver.

We choose unconditional love or choose to be a victim. The response of the one who receives doesn’t enter into the decision. Many who were helped by Nelson Mandela showed and felt no response to his gift. Yet he didn’t become the victim.

That one choice by Nelson Mandela so inspires me to make the same kind of choices in my own far less burdensome situations.

Sometimes we give and no one seems to notice. That doesn’t matter. Does it?

We can change the world — just like that.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.





Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog |




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24 Comments to “Change the World: Give When No One Notices”

  1. February 19th, 2007 at 9:06 am
    Karin said

    Great choice in ‘philisophy of the week’ ;-)

    It comes IMHO down to ‘givers gain’, even if no one notices the receipt of a ‘gift’: the giver knows anyway and ‘gains’ satisfaction of being able to give in what ever format.

  2. February 19th, 2007 at 9:40 am
    ME Strauss said

    It’s true, Karin. The giver always gains from the gift, just as the receiver does. That’s the big secret of being generous.

  3. February 19th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    Great post, and regarding the ’secret’, I came to the same conclusion in a much more roundabout way!

    Mike

  4. February 19th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mike,
    I can’t wait to read how you got there. :)

  5. February 19th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
    Dawud Miracle said

    Choices…we always have choices. People somehow feel they don’t have choices in their lives today. They feel as though they’re under they’re constantly forced to do something they don’t want to do.

    Yet, what we learn from a man like Nelson Mandela is that we always have choice. And the most powerful choice of all is what we think about things.

  6. February 19th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Dawud,
    Thank you for saying that so beautifully. I can add nothing to it, except that I agree.

  7. February 19th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
    Hans said

    The above excerpt is really beautiful. Thanks for it. I always thought it like that : If you give sincerely, even if no-one notices…someone does. GOD. There’s some verses in the Bible that says God gives you the measure you use to give to others. Even if it’s small but sincere, it’s counted in his eyes. I’ve always relied on this and helped on many buddies of mine but I know even if I don’t get anything somehow someday God does the good back to me.

    In life many times it’s difficult to give specially when that’s free. Perhaps many person really take it granted when you offer something free like your service to another.

    Perhaps it’s all business in this world and something given by mere friendship or kindness don’t count. I’ve still to find this. perhaps the tree kept on growing and becoming green’er’ just to have the companion/friendship of the boy.

  8. February 19th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Hans,
    I just gave a few words in post and look what I got back! I wasn’t expecting anything and I got more than most who would have expected something. I’m one very lucky girl.

    Giving is so much easier than not giving. Open is loose free. Closed is tight and tense and can cause pain — physical, mental, and physic . . .

    Joy is an open thing. So is love. :)

  9. February 19th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
    Dawud Miracle said

    Thanks Liz.

  10. February 19th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Oh, Dawud. you’re welcome. :)

  11. February 19th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
    Tim Singleton said

    Great post, Liz. Wish I could add to it, but I don’t think I can. Ever seen the movie, Pay it Forward?

  12. February 19th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Tim!
    Yeah, I’ve seen the movie.

    By the way, I think you do a good job of being generous. :)

  13. February 20th, 2007 at 4:20 am
    Karin said

    Hans, good morning (10.15am here)
    Read your comment and have a slightly different opinion to it: giving isn’t difficult, not getting the acknowledgement of that gift and not caring about that: that’s difficult. Giving is easy.

    I’m perhaps very fortunate to have received free gifts from businesses, especially on advice/services in times I didn’t know where to turn. I did acknowledge the gift (still do ;-)) and the gift became even greater: turned into a lasting friendship.

    So keep giving, freely. The giver always gains, the receiver ‘might’.

  14. February 20th, 2007 at 5:44 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Karin!
    It’s now about 1 hr and 20 minutes after your comment and I can’t help say your sentence

    The giver always gains, the receiver ‘might’.

    should be on a poster. :)

  15. February 20th, 2007 at 5:53 am
    Karin said

    Morning Liz

    I do like posters ;-) (Especially short and snappy ones, like KISS ;-))

    And little buttons with text (or T-shirts for that matter).

    Shall we go in business with this? (Am honored BTW that you think this one has ‘poster-value’)

  16. February 20th, 2007 at 5:55 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi karin,
    Of course I want to go into business with you! Why do you think I keep offering you a job? I think you’re fabulous and that working with or for you would be a fabulous endeavor. You read my other blor . . . we have same work philosophy. :)

  17. February 20th, 2007 at 6:00 am
    Karin said

    My horoscope for this month did mention a job offer ;-)
    Why don’t we start with SOB’s in UK conference? Now there’s a challenge.

  18. February 20th, 2007 at 7:39 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Karin,
    SOBcon in the UK would be wonderful . . . but before you commit you should talk to someone who’s planned such an event. I could get help over there, but the job is a BIG one.

    Luckily we would have experience and a track record!!!

  19. February 20th, 2007 at 7:39 am
    ME Strauss said

    PS Karin,
    We’d have to invite you on the platform :)

  20. February 20th, 2007 at 7:45 am
    Karin said

    Hi Liz

    We haven’t ‘dictated’ which year now, have we ;-) Could be 2008 or even 2009 ;-)
    Besides, I like big jobs (and good team-members)
    Platform, what platform? You do know I am very very shy?

  21. February 20th, 2007 at 7:49 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Karin,
    You’ll note I used the word “invite.” Feel free to decline the invitation to speak. The key is sponsorship. The endeavor is expensive, as you might guess.

  22. February 20th, 2007 at 7:55 am
    Karin said

    LoL Liz

  23. February 20th, 2007 at 8:32 am
    ME Strauss said

    Made you laugh. :)

  24. February 22nd, 2007 at 9:35 am
    100 Bloggers » What Gift Would You Give If You Knew You Could Not Fail? said

    [...] Recently, Liz Strauss blogged about giving when no one notices. That got me wondering. If we give with an expectation of some return, is it really a gift? Or is it a payment? Where is the line between a true gift and a payment/investment? As it turns out, every gift is an investment. The only difference is our expectation of the nature and timing of the payoff. Karin noted over at Liz’s post that “Givers always gain; receivers maybe”. [...]

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