The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: heart fiber, should you give, United States

Editorial Reviews

Review

"We've needed a book like this for a long time. Now it's your turn to help. Buy it, share it, download, buy a copy for a friend. This book could change everything."
-Seth Godin

"Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon do a remarkable job of addressing the all-important questions: Why give? To whom should I give? What should I give? How can I give? When should I give? With pith and wisdom they make a compelling case for the old adage that the more you give, the more you receive."
-Jack Canfield

"This powerful and inspiring book will help you live a more significant life and become more the person that you were meant to be."
-Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

"Extremely impressive . . . Very inspiring."
-Dr. Wayne Dyer, bestselling author of The Power of Intention --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

This accessible, down-to-earth guide teaches the invaluable lesson: the more you give, the more you have—and helps you discover the unexpected gifts you are able to offer others (beyond just money!).

When most of us think of giving, we usually think only in terms of time or money, things we would like to share but barely have enough of for ourselves. But we have far more to give than we realize, and we stand to benefit more from giving than we can begin to imagine.

In The Power of Giving, Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon take us beyond the idea that giving just means donating money; they expand it to include the giving of kindness, ideas, advice, attention, skills, time, hope, love, touch, and much more. This simple, easy-to-use guide to every facet of giving helps us understand why we should give and what each of us has to give—as well as to whom, how, when, and how much to give. Equally significant as the difference that giving makes in the lives of others is the difference that it makes in our own lives, with benefits ranging from the practical, such as improved health and professional connections, to the intangible, like hope and a sense of connection with others.

Full of personal stories and inspirational ideas, thought-provoking exercises that help the reader discover what they have to give and how to best give it, and special sections on corporate giving, teaching children how to give, giving forgiveness, giving what we need to receive, and giving wisely for maximum impact and benefit, The Power of Giving shows us how the act of giving is a fundamental human need with the power to enrich all our lives. It is a must-read for anyone interested in improving the world, and improving their own lives in the process.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher; First Printing edition (August 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585426687
• ISBN-13: 978-1585426683
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compact book with an expansive message, August 18, 2008

By	A. Barker (Rochester, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The authors of The Power of Giving walk the talk and in so doing their message resonates with clarity and conviction: if you make the decision to live a life of giving, you'll be rewarded in many ways... greater happiness, new and deeper relationships, better health, better feeling about yourself, and many other ways.

I bought this book when it was first released and read it in one sitting. It's filled with great stories that carried me from idea to idea, and, as the cliché goes, "I just couldn't put it down".

After I'd done, I spent days thinking about the many ways in which I could be a better giver. And I started down my Power of Giving path by actually buying three more copies and sending then to my mom, my sister and my best friend.

It's been over a year since I bought and read The Power of Giving but the key message that "the more you give, the more you receive" has been proven time and time again in my own experience, since I started to pay attention to both what I can give with intention and what the world is giving back to me.

I've thought of their lessons (which by the way, are shared in a fun, sometimes humorous, but never earnest way) when my clients ask for more than what they're paying me for... and the results have been only positive for my business.

I've applied the wisdom shared by Jamal and McKinnon in the way I deal with my ex-husband and my new partner's ex-wife - and the results are clearly more productive than my previous way of handling difficult situations with these two people!

And yes, I have applied The Power of Giving to my annual giving, having made two donations that prior to reading the book I never would have considered. Why? Because I didn't feel I could afford that much money (both were for $500 and only one generated a tax receipt). But with the spirit of The Power of Giving in my mind, I took the leap of faith and made the donations. And you know what? At year end I didn't miss the $1,000. But I feel fantastic about the great work that my money has helped accomplish in a cancer care facility and in a rural village where women are now running micro-businesses to help support their families.

I highly recommend this book. It's such a small investment to make and the returns are incalculable.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To risk uncovering one's humanness, August 20, 2008

By	Naz Remtulla - See all my reviews

"When you read this book, you find yourself pausing to remember holy pieces of yourself and a human relationship with divinity. I found the book delightfully rich which encourages us to seek the deeper meaning that make up a human life. It is a powerful book that radiates compassion and a willingness to take the risk of uncovering one's humanness"
Naz Remtulla

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Purpose in Giving, August 19, 2008

By	Robert S. Williams - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The "Power of Giving", so beautifully and profoundly written, forces one to ask fundamental questions about our sense of purpose in this increasingly complex world. The gentle messages of love, compassion and giving are found on every page of this book. We read about real life situations that address the most basic elements of our humanity--- with all it's strengths and all it's vulnerabilities.

"The Power of Giving" is a spiritual awakening, but it is also a sensible and practical guide to the many possibilites and methods of giving. Azim and Harvey teach us that "giving" is more about loving than anything else. Giving inspires us to get outside of ourselves and to have an increased awareness of "the other". The authors encourage us to give what we can whether it be time, money, acts of kindness or gentle touches. Thankyou Harvey and Azim for giving us your book.