Learning to live with an open hand is a lifelong process, but it will yield dividends beyond expectations. If this is what you are yearning for, here are some steps you can take to make gratitude, contentment and generosity part of your financial strategy for life.
Gratitude
"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold." - Maurice Setter
Focus on what you have:
You cannot afford the knicknack of your dreams? You've got no money for extras? Focusing on what you lack will make you feel impoverished. But if you choose instead to be thankful for what you have, you soon feel richer.If you're short of cash, it may take extra willpower to look at the bright side. But it's worth it. Gratitude has the power to transform your outlook and open your eyes to life's fullness. It can transform a trinket into a treasure, a meal into a feast, a deficit into a gain. Recognising that many of the best things in life are free. Springtime. Friendship. The laughter of children. They cost nothing – in fact, they cannot be bought – but they enrich your life in invaluable ways. What's more, there's freedom in enjoying things without owning them. You can relish a walk on the beach without having a beach house.Make a daily inventory of what you're thankful for. This is a must if you are to reap the full benefits of practising gratitude. Choose a time – it need not take long – to tally up daily blessings. Write them down. When days are tough, reading your list will lift your spirit.
Contentment
"He is poor who does not feel content." - Japanese proverb
Distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. If you confuse what you want with what you need, you've
probably bought into a consumer culture. Advertisers would like you to believe life is not worthwhile unless
you're buying what they're selling. But they're lying. A worthwhile life lies not in having many riches, but in
being content with what you have.
Realising you don't need a new colour TV or a supermatic onion chopper, sets you free from consumer jail. You have a choice; you may choose to buy what you want, but you know your happiness doesn't depend on it. Don't let wealth define who you are.Your worth is not equal to your bank balance. Your home, your car and your clothes are, at best, a weak
reflection of who you are. There is so much more to you than your possessions. You'll never be content with what you have, until you're happy with who you are.
Giving
"You make a living by what you get...But you make a life by what you give." - Winston Churchill
Give where your heart is. What moves you? The plight of Rwandan orphans? Women in Afghanistan? Earthquake victims? Give to the cause that arouses your compassion and concern. Having an impact where you think it matters, will keep you giving.
Budget for giving
If you wait for the end of the month to share your wealth, you may find there's nothing left. To experience the full benefit of giving, you have to make it a priority. Budgeting for giving means you're committed. And, of course, you may still give on the spur of the moment too, if you like.
Give regularly
The more you give, the easier it becomes. Giving regularly shows you're living with an open hand. And an open
hand is ready to receive abundant blessing in return.
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