Yes you can.

When I look at who gives the most in our society, one group stands out: moms.  I know my mom sacrificed a lot here raise five kids.  And in many she sacrificed too much.  So finding the balance is always key.  And it's not easy.

Obviously there are times when you are either a mother or father where there's absolutely no balance.  That is the natural order of things.

The trick is to find out how to take care of yourself whenever it is appropriate – that leads to taking better care of your children.

For my son Ian’s birthday, we first had a family birthday and then a friend birthday during the school day.  For his friend birthday, he got a few toys, but he also received nine books. 

When I came home from work I asked him what presents he received, he said “A lot of books.” 

“That’s great,” I said. 

His response, “I told Mom you’d say that.  I like books, but Dad, I’m only 9 years old.”

That said, he devoured Diary of a Wimpy Kid #2 that day.

Dr. King once remarked that greatness is determined by service.  I absolutely agree. 

Greatness is not determined by what you possess but by what you contribute. 

My friend, Nido Qubein beautifully says that it is your contribution that takes you from success to significance! 

In our book “The Power of Giving” Harvey and I give many examples of how you can live a significant life by the service you render.

Even in turbulent economic times, it's important for companies to keep their eye on the environment.  Not only is it a way to stand out as a leader, but it's also a great way to keep costs down. 

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given came from a friend just before my wedding.

The advice wasn’t that I should agree with everything my bride Marcia ever says (although I should, and I do, because she is wise).

Rather, the advice was to spend the entire evening together, holding hands as we visited people during dinner, greeted relatives in the receiving line and through all the other obligations that come with being the newlywed couple.

The brilliance of the simple tip was this: we shared the entire experience, the conversations, the laughs, the love.

What place does “giving” have as we see economies stumbling all over the globe?

When you see your investments declining by 10% in value over a few days how do you feel?  Do you want to hunker down and protect your investments and your family and neglect others?

If you feel that way, and if you feel frightened about what seems to be a global recession, that's a fairly normal reaction.  As a person of modest means, who hopes to retire someday, hopefully by the time I reach 85, I too feel nervous.

Today is the 1st day of the month. Every first of the month can be a powerful way to begin afresh. For that matter every day can be a fresh beginning. However, a daily fresh day will too much for most of you! What can you do every first of the month? Ask yourself the following questions:
 

• How can I be a better giver to myself? – Perhaps more exercise, reflection time, avoid guilt?
• How can I give more to my family? – be a loving dad, husband, and son?
• How can I give more at work? – be a mentor, team player?

My son Tawfiq had an away league game this past weekend - a 45 minute drive away. I take Tawfiq to all the soccer games when I am in town, because it is bonding time for us.

I asked Tawfiq if he was okay to car pool with Peter, the team goalie, because it was not environmentally friendly to take two cars to North Vancouver. I told him that I'd make up the missed bonding time. At first he was surprised that I'd miss his league game. However, he understood my logic.

So he went with Peter.

A few things ensued:

Last night, I stayed up the whole night in prayer.  I prayed for one and all, especially for those who are less advantaged.

It made me realize that we are all resilient and can do things that we don't normally do.

Usually, I do not stay awake for the whole night (only part of the night!).  Usually we give in a certain way.  Perhaps worth trying other creative ways of giving - giving "outside the box"!

For example give to your spouse/child/parent/colleague/employee in a way that you have never done before.

This past Sunday, I was helping my 13 year old son Tawfiq with setting short term goals.  We were doing this over dinner at one of his favorite restaurant’s “Nandos”.

As he was enjoying his chicken and spicy fries, I was writing down what he would like to accomplish in the next 3 months.

These were his goals for the period September 22 to December 31, 2008:

SOCCER:

• Score 5 goals
• Win two thirds of their games
• As the youngest player in the school team, to make a great impact on the team

STUDY: