29 Gifts Story

How It Works

The first day of my personal 29-Day Giving Challenge was preceded by a sleepless night. I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis. When insomnia hits, I often go through old journals and read them. I found a note that I'd made during a phone session with one of my mentors several weeks before. The note said, "Give away 29 Gifts in 29 days." It was 3 a.m. and I decided in that moment to take the suggestion.

And so my 29-Day Giving Challenge began that morning as I gave my first gift -- a simple supportive phone call to another friend living with MS. I woke up the next day and the next day after that feeling excited about what I might give away. And I began to notice that the more I gave away, the more abundance I was experiencing for myself.

I wanted to see what would happen in my life if I really committed and focused my energy on giving for 29 days. What space would it create in my life for new and unexpected things to occur? What shifts would I see in my thinking and behavior as a result? What impact would my gifts have on others? These were just a few of the questions I was curious about in the beginning, but there’s no way I could have anticipated what unfolded for me.

By Day 29, I was astounded by the magical shifts in my life:

• I was feeling happier, healthier, and more in awe with the everyday.
• I found myself smiling and laughing more.
• My body got stronger and I was able to stop walking with my cane by Day 14.
• My business exploded with new, unexpected opportunities and I was able to go back to work part-time again after months of being too sick to work.
• I began connecting with a community of new friends after feeling isolated and alone for several months.
• My creativity opened up and I began writing stories regularly, which led to my first New York Times Bestselling book, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life

The list of changes goes on and on. This is only the beginning.

When I started out, nothing was planned. I simply began the day and when I felt moved to give something, I did. Part of me initially wanted to plot out the 29 days and line up the things I was giving in my hallway so I had the illusion of knowing what to expect. But collapsing into that old, manipulative and controlling way of being would defeat the purpose of the experiment.

I documented what I gave away and any observations I made each day. I began to post stories at 29Gifts.org. Who knows, I thought, maybe others will decide to take the 29-Day Giving Challenge and experience a similar positive impact on their lives. So I decided to invite some friends to join me and and now thousands of people have joined us.

Our collective goal at 29Gifts.org is to create a worldwide revival of the giving spirit. We want to inspire more generosity on the planet and help our change lives, one gift at a time.

I hope you'll decide to join in the fun and start giving.

Peace, light and good giving to you today. May you be the recipient of many gifts.