Discovering Value
It's been a year since many generous & caring people came together to support the ‘HPD K-9’s Needs Our Help’ campaign. Our family choose to show our appreciation of a heroic profession and were able to positively affect this cause. In the process, we stumbled onto a wonderful phenomenon; the blessings reflected back onto our family were immeasurable.
Although I grew up with religious reminders of the value of “giving back,” as a physician I wanted evidence. So I started researching...and the scientific evidence is there. Studies conducted at the University of British Columbia concluded that “charitable giving not only makes people feel better but can lower their blood pressure.” Other scientists using fMRI discovered that when people are doing charitable acts, the midbrain or pleasure center lights up. This explains that “warm glow” or “good feeling” you get when doing a kind act. Another study published in Science shows that “spending money on others promotes happiness.”
Therefore the scientific equation looks something like this:
Compassion + Action = Improved Physical and Mental Health
Not only is there plenty of anecdotal evidence, the data also supports it. A commonly questioned cliche comes to mind…. “it is better to give than receive.” Cliches come into being for a reason…because they are usually true. Watching our children stand a little taller by adding value to others was priceless.
I hope to continue to focus my energy on adding value through my blog at www.OwnYourFocus.com. Thank you again for all of YOUR compassionate action!
