Click Here to Learn More About Cami's Book: 29 Gifts!

I want to share how I found Cami Walker's book because I think it is quite significant. I had been on bed rest for about a month due to some serious health issues, I had to quit my job and I was sleeping twenty hours a day trying to recuperate. The short amount of time I was awake, I was feeling quite useless for lack of a better term. Being a perfectionist who is always on a go, this was a wake up call for me!

I began prayer, meditation, and reading. I will share all the inspiration books with you in future posts that have changed my life. When reading one given to me by my mother called "The Last Lecture" it asked the reader to discover your "unique" gift. It further explained that this isn't being a "teacher, mother, friend, etc"...those are not unique. It took me sometime of prayer to realize what my unique gift is...GIVING! I love to give, it's my favorite thing to do, it makes me truly happy. My greatest fear with losing my income was that I would not be able to give as much as I'd like to. Once I realized what my gift was I began praying about how I can share and use this gift. I am writer at heart and decided that my love for blogging would be something I could do no matter how sick I was and my laptop solved the problem of my state of being on bed rest. So, I decided I would blog about "giving".

Just the idea of blogging about giving gave me more energy and I found myself being able to stay awake longer and share my ideas with my husband. He loved the idea and supported it totally! I even had the energy to go to the grocery store and while I was there, looking for another inspirational book to help me on my journey, I came across "29 Gifts" by Cami Walker. "You are kidding!" I exclaimed out-loud. I felt like God had delivered this gift directly to me to confirm that He was leading me in this direction. The book was all about how giving every day, even small gifts, can heal you. This was a different spin, I had never considered "giving" as a way to "heal" me...but I had noticed how the notion was making me happy and more energetic, so it made perfect sense to me!

I grabbed the book and came running (almost) in the door to show my husband. He said, "That's weird, that's what you were just talking about last night." That's when I told him that I didn't want to give for 29 days, I wanted to commit to give for 365 days and blog about it! His brow scrunched up and he said, "Baby, let's start with the 29 days..." and of course I said "No way! That's not enough of a challenge." Yes, you can already see the perfectionism and idealism in me while my husband tries to keep me in a more realistic place. But as always, I was able to convince him of how excited I was and he told me that he was thrilled to see me smiling again.

That's when I read Cami's book and I related to her on a level that I can't express, it was like reading my own story! I emailed her and asked if she would allow me to talk about her book on my blog and she said "yes"!!! My husband and I celebrated the first victory on my year long challenge.

So, to learn all about Cami's book and her "Giving Movement", simply click on the title of this post and you will be redirected automatically. I know you will love her story just as much as I have and it will inspire you!

Click here to purchase her book:

How It Works!

"A FEW HELPFUL TIPS:

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. 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."

These tips are quoted directly from Cami Walker's website givingchallenge.ning.com

The Day Before My Challenge Starts!

OK, so it is the day before my one year challenge is about to start. I'll admit, I'm nervous. I had a really rough day yesterday and thought to myself, "There is absolutely no way that I can do this!" I find that I am my own worse critic and enemy and woke up with a splitting headache and negative attitude. However, I pulled out an inspirational book and got myself excited all over again. My headache has subsided and all five of my children are sleeping in. Suddenly, things seem pretty wonderful!

I've been dreaming and thinking about all the different kinds of gifts I will be able to give, trying to be creative and practical. Since I am no longer earning an income, I want to come up with meaningful, inspirational gifts that won't put us in financial turmoil. I'm hoping for lots of suggestions from readers, so please send them! I know that the gifts do not have to be grand and I will be posting more about this soon!