In this video, we're gonna be talking about our last ingredient and that is giving back. So I know what you're thinking, to be in order to be able to give back, you have to feel well, you have to have been looking after that self care, and you will have had to make time in your schedule to be able to facilitate this. But giving back doesn't always necessarily mean volunteering five hours a week, or going to an actual organization and making sure that you're listed as a volunteer. Sometimes volunteering and giving back. It just means giving help support advice, your time, your love your attention. And that can come in the small forms of daily acts of kindness, if you will.

So for example, if you've got a regular trash or recycle pickup in your neighborhood, maybe that means for your next door neighbor, you bring in the recycle bin for them on a windy day. That's a really nice way of giving back. It's a very small action. And if you're already doing it for yourself, it's just one more step to do it for someone else. Giving back can also be in the form of if you've been recently retired and now you have a lot more free time because work isn't filling up your 40 hours a week. Maybe this is time when you can look and say, What do I really value in my community?

And I'm glad that it's there. Maybe they're seeking out volunteers. I know a lot of organizations never say no to volunteers. So if you have time in your schedule, could you be volunteering at a food bank? Could you be handing out food at a soup kitchen? Could you be going around and lobbying on behalf of your favorite politician when it comes to to voting time, depending on whatever it is that you want to do giving back it is going to add a lot to you for the reason being is that giving back is one of the number one ways to up fill your spirit to feel well because people are generally so grateful for the fact that you're giving time attention, love and advice, support to them, and you're expecting nothing in return.

An example that I really enjoy I hate finances, but I actually don't mind filing people's taxes. So every spring from March and April, for four years in a row, I would file taxes at a local organization and not for profit. For people who were oftentimes new to the country, they were unaware of the Canadian tax system, and it can be very overwhelming and daunting at times. And what that clinic would offer was just free help with filing taxes so that people could either get the money that was owed to them by the government, or therefore just fulfill their, their need of filing their taxes on time so that they didn't pay late fees and penalties. It was something that just gave me so much satisfaction because every single person who came in, it was such a simple task for me to do, but it provided them with this huge weight lifted off their back.

No longer did they have this stress of not meeting their deadline or getting their taxes in on time or even understanding what it is that they could claim against their taxes. So every single person was always smile. was always really grateful. And for me, I was just so happy to be there three hours a week filing those taxes, the thing that you know, I don't like finances, but I was willing to do it because people were so happy in return. So I guess in the long sense, you do want to make sure that you're giving back to something that you feel well about, that you feel like you belong, that you feel like you're having a contribution to. And it's not always easy to find that role.

It's not always easy to find those small tasks that you can do. You want to test out different ideas, you want to see what's available to you. Maybe it means that you have to pioneer ahead and start a role for yourself, create something that's missing in your community. Maybe it's as simple as going to a market and giving free hugs. Amelio for the first time was way outside his boundaries when he was in Australia, and he was backpacking with a few people and that backpacker suggested Hey, we should go to the market because we need to get some food. But while we're there before we go shopping Why don't we just get these signs and why don't we give out free hugs and a meals like, I don't know, that seems weird.

But in the end, he surrendered to the idea. He held up that side, he was all smiles. And he was shocked by the people who sometimes saw the sign and just went running for arms wide open, ready to get a big hug. And he said that it was just such an invigorating experience. And that is giving back that is giving your time that is giving your attention, giving back and add a lot to your life. If it's something that you used to do, or it's been missing from your life, really look at how that can add a lot of value a lot of positive energy to what you currently are doing.

Or if you're someone who's an over volunteer, look at how potential is that could be taking away from the other areas of your life. There is such a thing as giving too much of yourself and not saving enough for yourself in return. So just know that you can overcome it and you can under commit but giving back is definitely an essential ingredient for everybody. And that's Sometimes just means showing up and being present. Join us in the next videos