Think back at the last time you got a very good gift from someone. Was it an expensive cloth, a large amount of money, a car, or a ticket to a dream vacation? How did you feel? Pretty good, right? And how long that feeling last? An hour? A few days? A week if you were really lucky?
The best and most expensive gift that you can receive from someone won’t bring you sustained happiness if it comes from money or from the things that money buys. The best gift of happiness that you can give to someone comes from meaning. It comes from helping the other person to grow, develop, and have a positive impact on the lives of others. That gift is nothing better than a KISS:
K: Knowledge
I: Infatuation (Love)
S: Service
S: Surprise
The Gift of Knowledge:
All of us have a message that we like to share with the world. Don’t we? If you want to give a gift to someone, give them the gift of your knowledge, your message on what is important in life. Package your gift of knowledge in the form of a book, a video, or a CD. This will allow you to share your gift to many more people in this planet. In this high technology age, your gift can be handed to the hands of thousands of people in just a matter of seconds.
Look for ways to wrap the gift of your knowledge in the form of a teaching. Whether your knowledge is related to your daily job (technical knowledge) or your understanding about life (soft knowledge), share it.
If you are at a stage that you are not ready to package your gift of knowledge yet, then offer the gift of highly successful people’s knowledge; the knowledge of people whom inspired you through their seminars, trainings, or books.
Do you know what the best gift that I have ever received from someone was? It was the gift of knowledge. One of the best birthday gifts that I got was a ticket to a live seminar of Dr. Wayne Dyer, one of the heroes I admire. You cannot imagine how happy I was when I hugged Dr. Dyer and most importantly got his gift of knowledge live.
Another great birthday gift that I got recently was one week training with the world’s greatest speakers and trainers, including Paula Abdul. Wow, what a seminar it was; Full of learning and unleashing new capabilities. I left the seminar inspired and motivated to re-invent my life, to boost my performance, and to apply the techniques I learned.
The knowledge that I obtained from these trainings are priceless. It will stay with me forever. Who can steal your gift of knowledge, whether you gained it or shared it? Your gift of knowledge is eternal. You never can tell where your influence ends.
The Gift of Infatuation (Love):
Almost all people are seeking “Love” in their lives. Don’t you like to be surrounded by people whom you love? Don’t you like to do a job which you really love? Don’t you like to be loved?
Benjamin Franklin said it well: “If you would be loved, love and be lovable.”
My father once told me about LOVE that stuck in me to this day. He asked me “Do you know who really feels happiness in life?” As per the result of 20 year study of Harvard University, the happiest person is the one who feels others like him. Imagine just the feeling of love can make you the happiest person in this planet. Why don’t you start by giving the gift of your love to the people around you? Ask yourself what I can do today to show my loved ones more attention, adoration, and love.
It’s that moment of attention and love that your spouse and children need the most. What was the last time that you showed your true love to your loved ones?
The gift of love reminds me of me of what I heard from Rabin Sharma, a leadership expert and #1 bestselling author, a couple of years ago. He brought tears into the eyes of more than 600 managers by saying: “Do you know what my biggest regret in life is? I regret why I didn’t say “I love you mom”, “I love you dad”, before they passed away”.
Don’t hesitate to say “I Love You”. Don’t let these simple words be the biggest regret of your life. Tell your loved ones how much you love them before they are gone.
There was a husband who really loved his wife. To show his love, he used to write sweet loved notes and place them in various places in the house. One day, the husband had a heart attach and passed away. When the wife was packing the stuff, she felt rejoiced when she found one love note after another. Through those notes, her husband gave her the best gift of love. She knew one thing for sure even after the death of her husband that there was someone who truly loved her.
How about you? What are your posted love notes? How do you show your love? Think how you can give the gift of love, attention, and adoration to people around you.
The Gift of Service:
When we opened our eyes to this planet, could we survive without the service and dedication of our parents? If there was no one to feed and cuddle us as babies, could we be alive today? Later on in life, could we live without the service of others? Definitely not! Every 6 billion of us in this earth are offering a service to another human being. So, don’t you think that one of our purposes in life is to SERVE?
Your gift of service and time can transform many people’s lives. If you don’t have money to give away, why not donating your gift of time and service to people around you?
Give the gift of your time to your loved ones and the gift of service to strangers. As much as your loved ones need you, there is someone out there who is hungry for help.
Do volunteer service for some cause that you are passionate about at least once a month. Even schedule your volunteer work. Schedule the times that you will give away your gift of service. By giving, you activate a universal law as sound as gravity: ‘life gives to the giver, and takes from the taker.’ The more you give, the more you get. The only way to get what you want is by helping enough people get what they want first. As Sir Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”
Give the gift of your service to people around you and you will be amazed at the gift of abundance and fulfillment that will flow into your life.
The Gift of Surprise:
What was the last time that you really surprised someone with your gift? How about the last time that you were surprised by a friend or loved one? How did you feel? Very good, right?
I believe most people like surprises. Who doesn’t like the feeling of excitement and joy? Who doesn’t like to receive something great unexpectedly?
I am the fan of good surprises. As much as I love to be surprised, I love to surprise people. I always think of ways to add a spice of surprise and creativity to the gifts I offer. For example, last year instead of handing the birthday gift to my lovely husband, I mailed it to his workplace. When my husband got the gift, he was shocked even before opening up the gift. He was thinking who on earth sent him a pink package! Which client sent such a funny wrapped package! Well, at least I could surprise my husband.
Isn’t it great to create magical moments for people around you through your surprises? Why not making it a daily practice to surprise at least one person per day? Creating a magical moment for people can lighten up their days and bring smiles on their faces.
The gift of surprise reminds me of a great lesson I learned from Brendon Burchard in his High Performance Academy event. He shared with us the three questions that he asks every morning under shower:
1- What I am grateful for?
2- How can I surprise and create a magical moment for someone today?
3- What excites me about future?
Imagine starting your day with these powerful questions. Don’t you think asking these questions are a booster juice to start a fabulous day?
When you ask yourself everyday “How can I create a magical moment for someone today?” Won’t it excite you to go through the day with the joy and excitement of surprising someone that day?
I urge you to make the habit of creating magical moments for at least one person per day. Soon you will see how much joy is infusing to your life as the result of this small action; offering the gift of surprise.
You no longer need to buy expensive gifts. What you need to offer is simply a KISS. The gift of KISS can transform the lives of people around you. Start today by offering the gift of knowledge, love, service, and surprise. KISS to be KISSed.
By: Shohreh Ghorbani
Co-founder of Dream Achievers Academy
www.dreamachieversacademy.com
