October is winding down, and that means that November – and the 30-Day Giving Challenge – are right around the corner! I’ve been starting to think about some of the things that I can do as part of the Giving Challenge. I jotted down a few things on my list… and crossed a few off. I found myself making excuses about why I couldn’t do those things. It stopped me in my tracks.
What are the reasons that we don’t give as much as we’d like? Here are a few excuses that I find myself using. Maybe you can related.
Time
This is the absolute biggest issue for me. When I think of giving, I think of going somewhere and giving a whole day of my time to work in a soup kitchen or shelter. While that’s an awesome way to give, I realize that it may not be possible for everyone right now. One day it may, but we have to be realistic about what we’re able to do.
If we try to plan out extravagant ways to give every day of November, I can predict what will happen. We’ll all burn out by the 10th. Instead, I’m going to focus on things that I can manage right now. Challenging and stretching ourselves is different than pushing so hard that we set ourselves up for failure. I may not have a whole day to give as a volunteer, but I do have some time to clean up leaves for a neighbor who’s not home. Thinking of things we can do without burning out is a great start.
Money
Hopefully I debunked this one when I posted my ideas for free and inexpensive ways to give. There are some great free and inexpensive things that anyone can do. Give the gift of a smile to a total stranger, and who knows how it could affect that person’s day. Lend an ear to a friend who needs to talk. Clean out your closet, and you might be able to provide someone with just what they needed.
Ideas
Sometimes it’s just hard to think of ways to give. I seem to do the same things over and over. Not that that’s bad. I just want to be a little more creative sometimes! I’m going to try to share more ideas about ways to give as we jump into the 30-Day Giving Challenge together. I’m also hoping that you’ll share your ideas. We can all work together to inspire each other to give more than we could on our own.
If you want to start keeping track of your ideas and planning out your month of giving, you can download a copy of the giving calendar from the 30-Day Giving Challenge website. You can type right on it and save it on your computer. Or maybe you want to print a copy and hang it on the fridge to get the whole family involved.
What other obstacles do you find when it comes to giving? Have you figured out ways to overcome those?