I am a Giver

I am the giver. I give advice. I give encouragement. I give money. If you want it and I have it I will more than likely give it to you. I’ve asked myself many times why this is the role I have adopted for myself. I ask myself what is the motivation for my so called generosity. I’m sure this is a learned behavior but how did I learn it. I’ve always been this way because I remember as a child buying enough candy at the corner store to share with my recess friends. However, just like that child would wonder what would happen if I didn’t have candy, I find myself wondering as an adult what if I wasn’t the giver.
I did an experiment…. My mother taught me when you walk into a room I should give a greeting to those already in the room. So every morning when I walked into my office I would say good morning. Some of my office mates would respond and some wouldn’t. I did this for months because it’s who I am. Then I started wondering what would happen if I just stopped. When I stopped giving my morning hello some would say good morning to me first and some would just go on about their day. No one’s life ended because I didn’t speak and more importantly my life did not end because I didn't speak.
The lesson I learned through this experiment is that I am a giver who cannot control how others behave. My motivation for giving is that it makes me feel good. I also learned that if I stopped giving there will be those people who are in my life only for what they can get and they will fall by the wayside and go on with their lives. Nevertheless, the most important lesson learned is that sometimes people will give to me if given the opportunity. That thought makes me feel good too!