something niceghd for others really does create
a chain effect. One person feels so touched by the kind,
unwarranted gesture that he or she wants to inspire the same
feeling in someone else. Generosity levels are on the rise this
time of year, but most of the focus is on tangible gifts, like fun
tech gadgets or jewelry. We tend to forget that it¡¯s often the
smallest gestures that mean the most to people. That¡¯s why
movements like 29 Gifts, a monthly gift-giving challenge started by
Cami Walker, are so innovative and rewarding. For twenty-nine days,
participants make a goal of giving away one thing to someone else
every day¡ªit can be as simple as a smile or as generous as they
can afford. For Walker and her followers, the reward is greater
than anything they part with in the process. How It All Began ¡°We
change lives¡ªand change the world¡ªone gift at a time.¡± This is
the mission of 29 Gifts, which was started by one woman and now
involves thousands of people inghd straighteners almost forty
countries. The project was born one sleepless and particularly
difficult night in Cami¡¯s life. She was struggling with pain from
a recently-diagnosed disease¡ªmultiple sclerosis¡ªand felt
frustrated and lost. Leafing through an old journal, she came
across a passage she¡¯d written after speaking with Mbali Creazzo,
a South African medicine woman who¡¯s now the spiritual advisor for
the entire 29 Gifts team. Mbali told her to focus on giving things
away as a way to alleviate her suffering and depression. Cami tried
it the next day, reaching out to a friend plagued by the same
condition. She was so moved by the results that she opened up her
goal to the public, blogging about her daily efforts. The movement
gained momentum, recruiting contributors all over the world and
earning Cami a book deal to write about her pioneering efforts.
(The book, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, is
available now.) Today, she¡¯s participated in at least twenty
rounds of gift-giving and inspired many others to do the same.
Members start personal challenges ghd hair straightenersand
contribute to a community project that supports causes lacking
attention from the media. Health Top Tips Nutrition Love Lifestyle
Happiness Weight Loss Give a Gift, Get a Mood Lift ¡°I don¡¯t know
if it¡¯s the giving or the change of attitude, but I feel better,¡±
Cami shares. After just a few days of gift-giving, she noticed
improvements in her physical health¡ªwalking more, using her cane
less, and having the energy to start working again. She credits the
new perspective that 29 Gifts has given her as the key to her
healing. ¡°I think I had that power in me already, but it¡¯s just
that my mindset was so negative,¡± she explains. ¡°I was in such a
negative space mentally that when I started giving, it helped to
shift my energy and made me feel more open.¡± Rather than focusing
on her diagnosis and the pain of her disease, she turned her
attention toward finding opportunities to make other people¡¯s
days¡ªwhich cheered her up in the process. She¡¯s still amazed at
how far 29 Gifts has spread since that bout of insomnia. ¡°It¡¯s
not a project I began with any kind of agenda, but there are many
blessings that have come from it,¡± she says. Not only has it
strengthened her personal relationships and physical stamina, but
it¡¯s given her a completely different outlook on her life. ¡°I
feel like the MS diagnosis is a blessing now and that¡¯s a huge
change. Three years ago there¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve said that out
loud,¡± she says. But the way she lives her life now¡ª¡°purposeful
and happy,¡± as she ghd hair shopputs it¡ªmight not
have been possible had she not been diagnosed. She feels that her
acceptance of that has been one of the most surprising outcomes of
the experience. The Power of One Among Many One of the most
fundamental parts of the challenge is sharing the journey and its
effects with the entire community. The 29 Gifts Web site has
sections where participants can share stories or post artwork,
songs, or films¡ªanything that demonstrates what changes, if any,
happen along the way. Many community members have blogs in which
they share the ups and downs of daily giving. Cami continues to
blog as well and her posts are heartfelt and honest, which
encourages other members to write with the same freedom. However,
she makes it clear that it isn¡¯t a requirement of the challenge.
As a seasoned blogger, she¡¯s comfortable using the Web site as an
outlet for her emotions throughout the project. But she encourages
others to just use the Web site for inspiration or to journal
privately. While the challenge comes with community support and has
worldwide appeal, it¡¯s an individual process at its core. In order
to experience the desired effects¡ªincreased happiness,
mindfulness, a fresh perspective¡ªpeople must make the challenge
work for them. Participating in 29 Gifts isn¡¯t a
guaranteeghd hair iron of pure happiness
for a lot of people, at least not in the midst of it. Some feel
overwhelmed by the constant pressure to give while others have
guilt about missing a day or two. The Web site makes it clear that
forgetting here and there doesn¡¯t signify failure. ¡°Don¡¯t forget
that there is never a day you don¡¯t give,¡± it states. ¡°There are
only days that you don¡¯t acknowledge and remember you did.¡± Even
Cami has missed a few days here and there; the point is to keep
giving whatever you can, whenever you can. ¡°I¡¯m not asking anyone
to believe in or prescribe to anything,¡± Cami maintains. ¡°All I
know is that this experience has made me a more positive person and
I¡¯ve seen it help thousands ofCheap GHD straighteners
people now.¡± And really, taking twenty-nine days out of your life
to do nice things for others doesn¡¯t seem too hard, given the
great results. It might just be the best gift you give yourself all
year.
