THE SECOND KIND OF GIVING

Second. Give to yourself. Yes, open your mind to receive by giving to yourself, because all progress begins with self-improvement. It is just as possible to overgive to others as it is to undergive to yourself. Overgiving to others and undergiving to yourself unbalances the law and keeps your good from coming through. You must first give your allention to the improvement and development of yourself before you can possibly help others.
You cannot possibly give to others unless you first have something to give. You must first have strength, wisdom, and substance before you can share these qualities with others. There are those misguided people who think it is selfish to emphasize self-improvement first. But it is only after self-improvement that you are capable of helping others.
When you do just the opposite, when you overgive to others and undergive to yourself, you feel depleted and you are. This causes within you a sense of lack which is degrading and limiting. Because of this, overgiving to others is self-defeating. It accomplishes nothing constructive.
Psychologists talk about the sin of parents who overgive to their children. This suppresses their children's talents and it overworks the parents. Such overgiving harms everyone concerned. In the recent "age of permissiveness,'' we have witnessed the damaging results of overgiving parents in their confused, bewildered children.
Conversely my own father reluctantly gave as little as possible to his children. The philosophy of under-giving had been a part of his upbringing. It caused us many hardships, and it took me years to overcome the poverty- consciousness that resulted. So let us seek to strike a happy balance.
The philosophers of old advised, "To thine own self be true.'' Give something to yourself right away. It might be a new book you wish to read, an item of clothing or jewelry, or something for your home or office. It might be the treat of going out to dinner, to the theater, to a party, or taking a vacation. It might be the deliberate setting aside of some daily time for prayer, meditation and inspirational study. It might be something; big or small, tangible or intangible.