1. You have to give in order to get. There may or may not be a metaphysical bank account that keep track of how much you’ve given, so that you will get in response to that giving.
2. Getting is simply a function of how much you think you can get and how good you feel about yourself and whether you deserve it or not.

I’ve been testing number 2 for a few months and it hasn’t been working so well. I’ve simply found myself focusing more on what I want and how I can get it rather than what I can do or give. I’ve felt my ego become stronger and stronger over the past half-year. I’ve come to worry more about what other people think, to want to do things just for the recognition or power and these are sure ways to unhappiness. I decided to turn that around and give and do more rather than focus on just getting or having for a few reasons:

• Even if number two is correct, I have found very few ways to feel good about myself more than to give or help others.
• Anyhoo, today I decided to focus on giving and true to IM, syncronisities arose:
• Today I had at least two, maybe three opportunities to help. The first was someone asking directions. The second was my philosophy class’ substitute prof didn’t know how to work the overhead and asked if anyone did. I knew that I could tinker around with it and make it work, because I’ve The Knack. I realized the only reason I wasn’t doing that was because I was afraid of what people would think, so I immediately stood up and went down. After a minute or so I fixed it (never having used this system before) and everyone clapped and I took a bow jokingly. :p Third opportunity: I met someone with a mental illness, or something, who was scared of going to college. I did tell him that everyone gets afraid the first time and I dunno if he took any solace in that. He couldn’t read the word “habits” and was at least as old as me. I tried to talk to him, I guess, I dunno. I dunno if it helped at all.
• Today I also found a quarter. Someone actually pointed it out to me and let me have it. I’ve found pennies, mostly. I did find one dollar but never really found anything bigger than penny. This might be a sign that giving relates to getting.
• I feel more secure, ironically, the more I feel I’ve given. I also feel better about myself, and I believe that this is certainly a way to promote an abundance mentality, as well as improve security.
• Just the way IM is marketed, there’s a lot of focus on getting or having what you want, except for some (like the Law of Dharma and the Law of Giving in Deepak Chopra), and I think that puts too much emphasis on it. There are other categories, too, IM can help you do, be, have, or give anything you want.
• Giving is great for, at least my, spiritual, emotional and mental health. A reknowned psychologist was asked by someone what people should do if they feel depressed. Everyone expected him to say, “Seek therapy”. Instead, he said something like, “Go find someone who needs help and help them.”

Giving isn’t that hard. Just truly listening to someone, instead of thinking other thoughts is a form of giving. I write “Read The Automatic Millionaire” on newspapers I find on the subway, on the slim hope that someone will read that, read the book and apply the information to not be worried about money again. I try to think of this blog as a vehicle of giving, too, although it gets a bit confusing sometimes.