The Giving Challenge

By Stephanie L. Jones

Do you want to make a change in your life, but you don't know where start? Your time is limited, money is tight, and you feel anxious and depressed because of the negative news and social media. You think, "I should be happier."

Stephanie understands feeling pulled in a million directions without finding fulfillment. What began as a New Ye

• Language: English
• Publisher: Giving Gal, LLC
• Release date: Jan 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781948693042

Stephanie L. Jones

Stephanie L. Jones is on a mission to inspire others to give and practice gratitude daily. She loves sharing her message in schools, churches, and with companies. Besides her children's book, "Giving Gal"™, she's an award-winning author of "The Giving Challenge," "The Gratitude Challenge," and "Thank-You Notes to God." She lives out her dreams with her hubby, Mike.

Book preview

Author’s Note

When I started my giving journey, I never intended to write a book. I immediately wrote some stories, but others were written months or years later. All accounts are a recollection of my memory and are accurate as I remember them.

I have also prepared corresponding journaling pages that you can download from http://givinggal.com/TheGivingChallenge.

Preface

Compassion inspires action. Small, positive steps lead to unexpected reactions. These positive actions change lives, one person at a time. Experience conditions us to expect the worst from others. The news is full of depressing stories. We are surprised when a total stranger sees a need, simple or significant, and responds. I try to be that stranger, carefully observing my surroundings, and listening to the needs of those around me. But I haven’t always been good at taking action. Sure, I’ve volunteered my time and donated my money, but I didn’t necessarily seek out specific opportunities to give to others. Like everyone else’s, my life was busy, and I focused primarily on myself and the things I needed to get done in a day’s work. I stayed in my lane.

Listening to the tug on my heartstrings and having the courage to respond to the needs of others has been challenging throughout my life. Talking to strangers is awkward. Money was something I needed to keep for my selfish pleasures instead of giving away freely. My possessions were just that—my possessions—and they weren’t to be given to others. I worked hard for those things. I deserved them! However, much of that changed in 2011.

The beginning of 2011 ascended as the New Year always does: with the anticipation of coming adventures. I recently read 29 Gifts by Cami Walker and decided to embark on a gift-giving journey. My definition of a gift was simple, give and expect nothing (not even a smile or thank you) in return. As I thought about this experience, I wondered if I should plan my daily gifts or allow opportunities to present them to me. I decided a combination of the two, as there is no wrong way to give!

Within a few short weeks, daily giving ruled my thoughts. I couldn’t stop seeing opportunities to give and help others. The possibilities were all around—everywhere I went. For more than five hundred consecutive days, I gave a gift. While that may sound like humblebragging, what I discovered was incredible, and I had to share it! I didn’t expect this journey to change my life, but it did.

My relationships with friends and family strengthened. My marriage improved as I found more ways to be thoughtful and encouraging. I became more grateful. How? Because I interacted with people who had nothing and I realized how much I had. I began to understand things don’t bring happiness. In fact, I found the opposite to be true; giving away possessions and having less brings more happiness. I became more patient and took opportunities of standing in line to meet those around me. I grew more generous. I was no longer stingy with the dollar in my pocket. If someone needed money, I’d give it away.

I struggled with sharing this journey and gifts, as I never wanted it to come across as bragging. But I also wanted to get my story out to tell others that giving is simple. Giving will change your life, just like it did mine.

Opportunities to make a difference are all around us and most take little to no money or time. A smile to a stranger, a helpful hand, donating clothes, festive Easter baskets for the children of the local domestic violence shelter, an encouraging text, a bonus tip for the waitress who is working to put herself through college, or a thank-you note to someone that made a difference in your life. These gestures may seem simple, but they do make a difference. How do I know? How can I be sure? Because I have done these very things. I have seen smiles and tears; I have received hugs from strangers and witnessed the sense of relief, joy, and happiness of those to whom I’ve reached out. And for that moment in time, the people I gave to knew someone cared. I believe each gift made a difference.

In this little book, I share forty of my favorite gifts I gave, received, or heard about during my personal giving journey. The Giving Challenge isn’t a book to be read in one sitting, but feel free to do so. I encourage you to read one story in the morning before you start your day or in the evening before you go to bed. Let the book be of encouragement to you to intentionally seek opportunities to serve others instead of yourself. Even though I listed days 1 to 40, you can begin with day 1 or day 30; it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to go in any particular order. Each story stands on its own.

As you read, be challenged to look for, every day, ways to give to others. The challenges, if you choose to accept, will change your life, and that of others. With each story, I offer you a Giving Challenge, which is a challenge you can do on that day or save for later. The challenges are ideas to jump-start your mind and get you thinking of actions you can take to make a difference. If the challenge listed doesn’t apply to you, follow me on social media (see Let’s Go on an Adventure Together section) for inspiration and ideas. I also provided a space to journal your thoughts, giving experiences, someone’s reaction you want to remember, a blessing, or a prayer request. There is also a Notes section in the back to journal, doodle, brainstorm, or jot down future gift giving