Giving More, Getting More

Last fall I had the pleasure of meeting BlogHer co-founder Jory Des Jardins, who recently collaborated to launch The Juice, a site geared towards helping women “get more of what they want, and less of what they don’t out of life.” I think a lot about this topic so was compelled to respond to an invitation to submit an idea for an episode of The Juice, as follows.
I’ve always been a relationships person. I value the people in my life enormously and try to stay in touch as well as possible (even if it means sending my holiday cards in March). I also believe in karma, and feel that there’s immense value in doing good things for people – not just because the goodness may circle back to you in the future, but because the universe truly needs as much positive mojo as it can get. No matter how busy I am, I feel compelled to nurture my relationships, sometimes devoting time to connection and good karma in seemingly nonsensical ways (as far as the clock and my inbox are concerned).

So, my proposed episode for The Juice is Giving More To & Thus Getting More Out of Relationships with these tips:

1. Consider helping someone, gratis. I recently was approached by a friend who was willing to pay for some design work; however, I felt really passionate about her new project and my gut told me: give her a gift. It felt fantastic to do so, and now she is reciprocating with her own creative skills. The exchange is replete with happy, creative mojo.

2. Take the time to connect people. These are trying economic times and connections matter more than ever. Whenever I hear of a friend who is hunting or hiring I immediately make e-introductions. The gratitude and good feelings are palpable.

3. Give a creative gift. One area in my life where I completely forget about my work pile up is when I’m creating a gift for a loved one. I’m currently hand stitching a baby quilt for a girlfriend and to me, there’s something so wonderful about how much love goes into each tiny stitch. Even if you don’t craft, consider gifting in whatever way you are creative, be it by letter, a photograph, or baked treats.

4. Connect beyond the mouse. I’ll be the first to admit how convenient technology is for staying in touch, but few things truly rejuvenate like in-person connection with my husband or a girlfriend.

5. Nurture your relationship with yourself. Thanks to a humorous blogger fitness challenge that bloomed into an amazingly supportive community, I now make self-care a priority. When I take better care of myself, everything else runs the rails more smoothly.

Bottom line: Work and household minutia will always be there, but the relationships are what matter. If you give more to them, you’ll get more out of life. And mysteriously, I find that important work and home matters rise to the top and always get done somehow.