Via the New York Times story below, the 29 Day Giving Challenge:
29Gifts.org is a global giving movement with several thousand members in 38 countries. Their collective mission at 29 Gifts is to revive the giving spirit in the world. They change lives—and change the world—one gift at a time. During their first year of operation they’ve accomplished a lot for some very worthy causes. Read about some of their projects here.
GIVE A LITTLE EACH DAY. MAKE A BIG IMPACT.
Give one thing away each day for 29 days. Share your stories about how it impacts your life to focus on giving. Join the 29-Day Giving Challenge today. Why? Because to see our world change, we have to do something to change our world. Plus, the best way to attract abundance into your life is to be in a perpetual state of giving and gratitude. Be an important part of the global giving movement that inspires more generosity on our planet.
HOW IT WORKS:
Sign up and then give away 29 gifts in 29 days. Your 29 Gifts can be anything given to anyone… money, food, old sweaters, smiles, your time, kind words or thoughts. You can start your own personal 29-Day Giving Challenge at any time—there’s no official begin or end date. To complete the challenge, submit a story, post a piece of your original artwork, create a short film or write a song. Tell about your favorite gives and the impact it made on your life to focus on giving.
1. Be mindful. The Challenge is intended to be a sacred ritual—it is your opportunity to cultivate a mindful practice of stepping outside your own story for a few seconds each day by serving others.
2. Don’t quit. If you have a day that you feel unmotivated to give, it’s ok. Just go for the simple give. Call a friend and give some kind words. Write someone a nice note. Or exchange smiles with a stranger. Every give doesn’t need to be monumental. You might even notice that the “simple gives” feel more powerful than the grand gestures.
3. Don’t worry if you don’t do it perfectly. If you forget your give one day, be gentle with yourself. This ritual is about progress, not perfection. Sit down and quietly reflect on your day. Review the entire day mindfully and find the times you unconsciously gave so you can bring it into your consciousness. Don’t forget that there is never a day that you don’t give. There are only days that you don’t acknowledge and remember you did.
4. Be receptive and have fun. Enjoy your 29 days. And remember to stay open to receiving. Giving can’t happen without the receptors of our gifts.
5. Participate. To get the most out of your experience, take part in our discussion forum and document your experience. Writing in your giving blog or posting videos or images regularly on the site will help you keep giving top of mind during your 29 days—and longer if you choose to stick around.
6. Stick Around. When you’ve completed you first 29 days, our hope is you’ll feel so inspired by the changes you see in your thinking and your life, that you’ll continue to give mindfully each day. You’re welcome to stick around our community as long as you want to. Many givers have been here for multiple 29-day cycles. You’re also welcome to join them as a volunteer after you’ve completed your first 29-day cycle. They always need people who are willing to commit to help welcome new givers, comment on blog posts, spread the word online, help them organize their community events and fund raisers. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact Erin, their online community manager at erin@29Gifts.org and tell her a bit about yourself, your skills and why you’d like to be a 29Gifts volunteer.
What a beautiful idea! You can sign up now and get started. Give your gifts to the world!
