The Benefits of Sharing

You've heard it since you were a child. Play nice and share.
You've probably said it to your own children. Yet it isn't something other adults say to other adults. It seems it is one of those lessons you're suppose to learn by the time you are an adult - like saying "Thank you". Simple.

But it's not.

I am amazed at how many adults don't share. They seem to be afraid that if they give up something they feel they have earned, that they'll have LESS of it. They follow the equation of 2 - 1 = 1. But it doesn't have to work that way. And in these scary financial times, where we are struggling to keep our houses, put non-modified food on the table, and just do more with less, sharing doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. But it's the key.

Let me explain.

Going it Alone

Personally and professionally, we need supporters, contacts, others to bounce ideas off of. Otherwise, we end up doing all the work that we could have shared. Does that mean we shared the profit too and therefore had less of it? Maybe.

Or it could mean that one hand washed the other. By working together we created something better than we could offer alone. I see networking sites like LinkedIn and Xing and Plaxo are flourishing because as the economy tightens and "competition" gets tougher, we have to find people who have resources that we don't. And usually, there is a trade.

Oh, so that's kind of like sharing - isn't it? I like to think so.

Another benefit of sharing is purely psychological, but ends up translating into abundance. One of my favorite writers, Martha Beck, who often writes for 'O' Magazine, wrote in her article about just-in-time thinking and just-in-case.

The main point was that in times of scarcity, especially in our 'First World' lives, it is actually ok to take only what you need, eat what you want, and think in a way that helps you realize there is enough, and there will always be just enough when you need it.

You don't have to stock pile and hord.

No, really, you don't.

How it Works

It is actually quite easy to start thinking and acting in a way that lives up to the rule of sharing.

1) Make a list of all the great things in your life that you have without trying too hard. (fresh air, warm sunshine, clean water to drink, healthy, happy children etc.)

2) Make a list of all the resources you have, like people in your life who support you in different ways, your car, your education.

3) Then try thinking of all the things you could share. For example, I am an avid reader, so I always have a paperback around, or an idea of a good movie. I share those books and ideas with people all the time. I also love stories and tend to remember things when they are in a context. If I meet someone who loves photography, my mind starts going through the catalogue of others who like it and I try to connect the people who love it to each other.

This is a very powerful way to share. It not only connects you to others, but creates a kind of abundance. I like to look at it as an invisible safety net. Who knows, some day you may need something, and if you've been sharing, it's likely others will feel grateful and return the favor.

I have never had sharing backfire. Especially when I do it without expecting something in return.

No surprise I am a big believer in, 'What goes around, comes around.'