Altruism - A Gift for All!

I love being altruistic! Whether it’s a candy bar for the homeless gentleman outside of the grocery store or donating to my favourite charities or anything in between, I’m all for it!

So, with this Holiday Season in full gear, I wanted to send a loving message about how when we help others, we are helping ourselves and everyone wins!

Law of the Mind #5, which is shared in my children’s book, My Mind Book, is “All Minds are Connected” and surely this is a law which I have repeated many times. If all minds are connected, then what I think, say or do to others, I am thinking about, saying to or doing to myself. In a positive light, this is why any act of being loving to others is so good for you!

Whether you are volunteering, giving a gift to someone, donating to a charity, smiling at someone who appears grumpy, or whatever it may be, you are being love and reinforcing love for both yourself and the other.

Remember from my series on the ego where you learned that the ego seeks to separate us from each other? The ol’ “divide and conquer” attitude! And it is this seeking to separate which hurts us every time we give in to it.

“…the mad belief in separate thoughts and separate bodies, which lead separate lives and go separate ways.”

A Course in Miracles, Lesson 100

It is divisiveness which the ego seeks to preserve in our minds. And it is this idea which hurts our minds and is the source of all negativity and fear in the world. Why would we want to reinforce such a poor idea? 

Yet when you are being altruistic, you are unifying yourself with others! So instead of dividing and conquering you seek to “Unify and Heal” which is a very positive thing for your mind. Our minds are connected and this is why altruism feels so damn good!

A few other benefits to being altruistic include

- Reinforcing love in your mind and the minds of others

- Showing others that you care about them

- Raising your self-esteem

- Boosting your mood

- Acquiring good karma

- Setting a positive example for others

One tradition I have of helping others is a tradition started by my parents where they began putting together gift bags filled with underwear, socks, gloves, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other essentials, then they would add in all the baked goodies and chocolates which they had accumulated over the Holiday season, into the gift bags. (An excellent way to rid yourself of tempting goodies!) Then on Christmas Eve, my Father and I would drive around downtown Calgary and hand out the gift bags to any homeless person we came across.

The response has always been surprise and pure gratitude! There is nothing better than showing someone that you care about them, it’s an amazing feeling!

My husband and I will team up with my parents this year to continue this loving tradition!

To help spread the word and perhaps even offer up some altruistic gift ideas, here is a charity and project which I support!

The Happy Hearts Fund; a project created by Petra Nemcova which helps rebuild schools in disaster-stricken areas. Check them out at www.happyheartsfund.org

Feed Projects; Founded by Lauren Ralph Lauren and is my favourite place to buy a purse! There are also a ton of gift ideas available on this site. Some products are made by artisans in Kenya, India and more! With each purchase made you provide meals for children in impoverished areas. Check them out at www.feedprojects.com

Love and Helping The Collective Mind,

Fiona