Gift Global Magazine Issue 2

ISSUE #2
giftglobal.org | 1

A-ha has poignancy in its
simplicity and it is why we chose
it as our title.
In this issue of A-ha, we
present another pairing of
notable voices who are great
teachers and use storytelling
to help us better connect with
them and some important ideas
that we can immediately plug
into our lives.
A-ha is the moment some important realization sinks into the
depths of our mind and our being. It is not easy today. There is so
much information clutter and busyness that it is often very hard
to cut through the haze and take away deeper meaning.
If you like this , join up to receive A-ha
magazine each month direct to your
inbox giftglobal.org/magazine
The A-ha Magazine by GIFT Global is owned and published electronically by GIFT. a registered non profit with 501 (c) status.
Copyright 2019 GIFT. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced without the written consent
of GIFT. Requests for permission should be directed to: JOEL BROKAW - Gift Magazine Editor
GIFT Global, Suite 7265 1201 N. Orange Street • Wilmington, DE 19801
Co-created with
SomethingGood
Magazines.com
2 | giftglobal.org
giftglobal.org | 3

E HAVE
IT ALL,
SO WHY ARE WE SO MISERABLE?
A CONVERSATION WITH
CHRISTINE EILVIG
Christine Eilvig has put her finger on why so many
people in seemingly prosperous western societies are so
malcontent with their lives. Too many of them have bought
into a myth of norms and expectations of how our cultures
measure success. All too often, the dogged pursuit of
these goals leaves little bandwidth for anything else. And
achieving these benchmarks often leaves them feeling
anything but happy. In her books, talks and counseling
work, Christine helps people reconnect, rediscover and
reengage with their core selves, and in doing so, create a
living spirituality that launches them into new and more
fulfilling adventures. Christine lives in Denmark north of
Copenhagen with her husband and three children.
C
hristine Eilvig offers a refreshing, pragmatic
approach to help us clear so many of the obstacles
that stand between us and a life of greater joy and
fulfilment. She comes from Denmark, a country that always
ranks high in international happiness ranking. That said,
being truly joyful and happy on the inside requires us to
all take a hard look at many of our attitudes and beliefs
that may be holding us back.
My work as a spiritual advisor is
quite simply to help people who
are longing for a better sense
of inner peace and joy. It is not
about finding God and religion or
anything woo-woo or esoteric.
It often comes down to figuring
out what brings each of us joy
in our lives, and understanding
how we may have veered from
that path. My approach is very
practical and results-oriented.
I have found that often the most
effective solutions just boil down
tocommon sense.
One of the big things that separate most of us from
experiencing peace and joy in our lives is the fact that
upwards of 80 per cent of our desires and aspirations
are in reality false longings.
Accomplishing things on our to-do-list that we think
will bring us joy rarely deliver it. Earning this amount
of money. Graduating from this school. Getting this job.
Being together with this person. Far too often, we end
up sacrificing our joy in order to achieve these things.
We become dissatisfied. Our disconnection only worsens
as we create all sorts of negative choices in order to
fit into something we hardly recognize any more.
Money is also a big issue many of us face. If you haven’t
figured out a way to make money that is filled with joy
and passion, you’re going to end up with too many hours
of the day that are negative. When we’ve finally had
enough, that’s when we end up in a crisis of meaning.
I feel that abundance is connected to trust. So, if you
trust in yourself and in life in general, the money will
flow. Of course, you’ll have to do something but you’ll
love the things you do. You’ll infuse your life with many
more positive choices.
Before most people find me, they are already into selfdevelopment.
They have usually read a lot of self-help
books and taken many courses and workshops. What’s
been more challenging is putting what they’ve studied
into action into their own lives. In eliminating negative
choices and reconnecting with their joy, sometimes it
might mean getting a divorce, quitting a job or going
back to school. It is not for the faint of heart.
So many people want the change but they don’t want
to change. Having to learn to do things in a different
way is hard for some to swallow. Some people are
not ready for it and need a little more time—and they
leave. I’m okay with that. I’m here to help people who
are willing to change. It’s a big job. Many of those
who come to me are very connected to the form they
have—they just want to improve it a little bit instead of
going for the full transformation from a caterpillar to
a butterfly. That’s also okay with me, as long as they
know that what they are choosing may not take them
all the way to inner peace but hopefully a good portion
towards that goal.
4 | giftglobal.org
giftglobal.org | 5

It can be difficult to see others who are suffering
and not (open to) getting help, especially children.
I’m actually okay with that now, too. There’s
learning in that, and I wouldn’t be where I am
without what my pain has taught me. I feel
that sometimes we need that growing pain in
order to evolve. The same goes for hitting rock
bottom. I’ve heard that you should never rob
people from experiencing it. I let them have
their rock bottom, and they can only go up from
there. I find beauty in that.
Whether it is ten years later or right now, we
will at some point have to take 100 percent
responsibility for what we are creating in
our lives if we want things to change or if we
want a joyful experience. Too many of us find
a convenient excuse in our upbringing, more
specifically pointing at our parents. I truly
believe that we choose our parents in order to
get the right canvas for what the soul wants
to do in this lifetime. And once we understand
that, we become grateful for the way everything
turned out.
Awareness plus responsibility equals our
power. If I don’t like something in my life, I
immediately know that I’ve created it. “Why
did I end up with that result? And what would
I like to create instead?” So, I’m never going to
blame the weather, my husband, the economy
or anything like that. I don’t even blame myself
but I take responsibility. “Okay, that didn’t
turn out the way I wanted it to. I need to adjust
something.”
I share with my clients a lot
about my own journey, from the
dramatic to even how I manage
day-to-day mundane tasks. They
laugh a little bit, and sometimes
they have tears. But the big point
is that I hopefully inspire them to
just adjust a little bit—and that,
in turn, will help bring up more
stuff. It’s a process. Giving up what
for many has defined our identity
can feel like a death.
I’m also a big advocate for bodywork
and energy work. Working on the
mind is not enough. Bodywork
can reopen spaces closed down
inside of ourselves where many of
our fears are stored, like fear of
flying or phobias around making
money. Once we understand that
it’s just a closed place inside of
ourselves, we open the way for
bringing the life and flow back.
With the help of a good bodyworker, you are
suddenly better able to connect and understand
your whole history in a new way. Ridding ourselves
of these imbalances go a long way to helping us
create more positive choices in life.
So what do you want to create? How are you
acting on that or are you showing up in the world
that contradicts that? Let’s start the discussion.
To follow Christine, visit christineeilvig.com
6 | giftglobal.org
giftglobal.org | 7

GIVING
- THE REAL NATURAL HIGH
A CONVERSATION WITH
NIPUN MEHTA
What started as his experiment with four friends in the
Silicon Valley has now grown to a global ecosystem of
over 500,000 members that has delivered millions of
dollars in service for free. Nipun Mehta is the founder
of ServiceSpace, an incubator of projects that works at
the intersection of volunteerism, technology and gifteconomy.
Nipun has received many awards, including
the Jefferson Award for Public Service, Wavy Gravy’s
Humanitarian award, and Dalai Lama’s Unsung Hero
of Compassion. In 2015, President Barack Obama
appointed him to a council on poverty and inequality. He
serves on the advisory boards of the Seva Foundation,
the Dalai Lama Foundation, and Greater Good Science
Center.
I
n today’s world, no one has done more to advance the healing power
of generosity on the global level than Nipun Mehta. Jumping off a
lucrative career in computer engineering, Nipun applied the notion
of “small acts of kindness” to invent a way to take small distributed units
and build it into a dynamic platform for collective impact.
Our dopamine and oxytocin levels go
up and so does our sense of wellbeing.
The condition of our heart is better. We
have better social
relations as a result
of which we may
actually live longer.
Tons of scientific
research tells us
how good it is for
us. It’s good for
other people, too.
Everybody wins.
So, the big question
is, why don’t we do
more of it? Many
of us harbor this untested belief that you
can only afford to be generous once you
become rich and dominant and powerful.
When we perform the smallest kind act
of generosity, we set in motion a ripple
effect of so many remarkable benefits.
Our dopamine and oxytocin levels go up and
so does our sense of wellbeing. The condition
of our heart is better. We have better social
relations as a result of which we may actually
live longer. Tons of scientific research tells
us how good it is for us. It’s good for other
people, too. Everybody wins. So, the big
question is, why don’t we do more of it?
Many of us harbor this untested belief that
you can only afford to be generous once you
become rich and dominant and powerful.
In truth, we can all give. It’s hard to remember
that because we live in individualistic times.
The onus of our happiness is purely on our
shoulders, and it lends itself to: “It’s me against
the world, and I have to do my best to take care of
myself.” Mired in self-maximizing transactions,
we dilute our connection with others and trust
in the social fabric of the communities we are
embedded in. Against this backdrop, it’s hard
for us to believe in the possibilities that are set
in motion from the smallest gestures.
Yet, I think it’s just a matter of looking deeper
into this idea of what your self-interest is. Is
getting ahead and having a big bank balance
going to make you happy? It’s quite clear that
it doesn’t. Some of us may recite the merits of
Gordon Gecko’s “greed is good” mantra, but
I think that generosity is much better. As an
alternative, I prefer the Dalai Lama’s quote:
“Be selfish, be generous.” On the face of it, it
appears to be a paradox, but it’s only so if our
world view is external. If we factor in the inner
experience of generosity, it is actually in our
self-interest to be kind to other people because
you’re going to immediately feel better with
that act of generosity. And it’s going to have all
these ripple effects that are going to change
you, your social fabric and ultimately the system
as a whole.
Kids totally get the power of small acts of service.
Adults, on the other hand, can have the knee-jerk
reaction on the first impression -- “Oh, that’s
cute. Call me when you grow up.” Sometimes
after talking to a group of young students, I’ll
open up a bouquet and give everyone a flower.
8 | giftglobal.org
giftglobal.org | 9

I will ask them to pay it forward by thanking
someone they’ve never appreciated
before, like a teacher, a fellow student,
a janitor, somebody working in the
cafeteria or anyone else. On various
occasions, they come back with tears
of gratitude and ask if they can get
another flower. This is natural. I have
a lot of faith in generosity, and now we
also have a lot of neuroscience backing
up this notion that we’re wired to care.
For me, personally, generosity has been
a great spiritual practice. It allowed me
to act without wanting to own or dictate
the outcome. Both in my organization,
ServiceSpace, and my personal life,
we really don’t have an agenda other
than to spread love. Even spreading
love can’t really be called an agenda,
because that’s the default direction of
all existence.
In ServiceSpace, we have built up some
wonderful tools and processes that
allow things like micro-volunteering
to scale up into a focused effort, and
into a larger movement. But we’re also
not attached to holding it all under one
umbrella. If it’s helpful for someone to
do acts of kindness in the cocoon of our
umbrella, fantastic —if you’d rather go
out and do it on your own, that’s just
as great too. The message is always
about being the change we wish to see
and thus allowing love, generosity and
compassion to flourish in our society
at large.
When we approach a moment without
an agenda -- without expecting anything
in return -- we relate to life in a multidimensional
way and activate that
possibility in the other person as well.
And that kind of a deep relationship
makes way for a radical emergence
that we might’ve never imagined. Over
time, we come to trust in that process
-- of life’s natural propensity to take us
to the doorsteps of greater good. It’s a
beautiful way to go about life. Instead of
sizing others up constantly, we let go of
our judgements and let in an unexpected
possibility.
With a sense of awe, we look
to the fertile soil of deep
relationships to discover which
flower will bloom next. It brings
great joy and fresh eyes to each
moment, in place of trying to
shoehorn each moment to fit
into some biased, pre-meditated
outcome. It lends itself to a quiet
kind of contentment and a very
satisfying way of being.
To give you an example, just a
couple of days ago, I was out
shopping for art supplies with
my wife. A guy in the aisle called
my name, but I didn’t recognize
him. He told me we had met 12
years ago and went on to share
a bit about his journey. A few
months back, he had bought
a food truck, and he shared,
“Someday, I’d like to do add
some pieces of generosity
and community building into
it.” I asked him, “Why don’t
you start by doing some little
acts right now?” “What do you
mean?” he replied. I opened my
wallet. I happened to have $40
and gave it to him, with a few
Smile Cards (printed with the
message of paying it forward).
“Whenever you’re serving
someone and you feel moved
to make their day, just tell them
that their tab is covered by
somebody they don’t know. And
it’s up to them to pay it forward
however they want. Try it out and
see what happens.” In all such
encounters, we have a choice.
I could have just totally looked
the other way or just said, “Hey,
nice to see you.” But if we are
willing to assume value in each
moment, a whole new possibility
can be birthed. His eyes were
radiant with love, and we both
left our brief encounter with a
sense of elation and connection.
And inevitably, there will be ripples. Having
this kind of practice is hardly a static thing; it
requires a constant orientation towards our
inner growth. Whenever I am perplexed or
get overly drawn into external work, I return
to my practice of small acts of kindness to
help me navigate the terrain. It’s a process
of constant learning and improvement.
Sometimes, it also requires us to go far
outside of our comfort zones. For example,
several years ago, my wife and I intentionally
chose to embark on walking pilgrimage in
India. We started at the Gandhi Ashram in
Western India, and ended up walking 1000
kilometers south, eating whatever food was
offered and sleeping wherever place was
offered along the way. Rather organically,
we landed up at a monastery where we
meditated for the better part of the next
few months. When you do something like
this, you uncover the hidden basements
within your consciousness. It’s easy to be
centered and look at how good things are
in your comfort zone, but all of a sudden
it’s 120 degrees Fahrenheit outside. You
don’t know the people in that community.
You may not speak the language. You don’t
have access to money. You are insecure
about how your wife is going to be treated
or how you are going to be fed. Put all of
this together, and it’s a little different than
running into the guy in the art supplies shop
after having a nice lunch. :)
The first thing that comes up is that you
start to discover your own dark spots and
limitations. “Wait a second, I thought I
was generous, but I’m only generous to a
certain degree.” Beyond that degree, all
these inner-negativities starting coming
up. That was the first realization.
The second realization was that if you
persevere with it long enough, there is
light at the end of the tunnel. You realize
you actually have the capacity to be far
more magnanimous, to actually grow in
love. Firsthand, you see how kindness is
actually a muscle that the more you flex
it, the stronger it becomes—and the more
compassion you have.
By the end of the three months on the
streets and subsequent three months in
the monastery, I had found a much deeper
composure and a grander reservoir of
compassion that I didn’t know I had.
Instead of reacting blindly to a man who
insulted me, I could now respond with
patience. Most of the time I would fail,
but those few successes exposed my
latent capacity for being more loving and
equanimous. I felt so much stronger to
take on the world and all the high tides
and low ebbs that life throws our way.
Once we start practising generosity, the
practice itself becomes the reward.
All kinds of other virtues start blossoming
inside us. The hidden traits and capacities
that have always been there, but now, it’s
activated. Previously, we might’ve thought
that kindness was cool -- but after seeing
it’s a positive feedback loop, it’s kindness
on steroids. The sages across all traditions
have repeated this wisdom, but it mostly
remains an intellectual idea. When we do
something about it, though, it becomes
a lived reality and the magic begins. At
least, that’s been my experience. That’s
been my growth curve all my life. I hope
that today I have a kinder heart than I
had 10 years ago, and ten years from
now it will be even more firmly rooted
in unconditional love.
In the end, I don’t think there is one grand
answer to solve all the problems of the
world. A mono-crop farm will never be as
rich a poly-culture ecosystem. We need
an infinite series of experiments. We
need an infinite series of experiments.
And to create that social poly-culture
farm, it helps to remember that we are
all contributors, that every small act
changes us and the world, and there
is an inevitable ripple effect of every
action we take. So let’s experiment and
get creative in the direction of greater
generosity, greater connection and
greater compassion.
To follow Nipun Mehta, visit
ServiceSpace.org
10 | giftglobal.org
giftglobal.org | 11

The word CONNECT denotes the most powerful
action a human being can take. It is the gateway
to enlightenment and higher purpose, setting us
on the path to boundless discovery. CONNECT
is the transformational mindfulness life skill
that GIFT is working to advance to make the
world a better place.
GIFT is taking action on several fronts to
advance mindfulness approaches as a powerful
solution to a host of problems affecting life on
Earth. GIFT’s method is to let actions speak
louder than words by advancing cuttingedge
initiatives with a defined purpose and
measurable outcomes. We’d love to connect
with you at giftglobal.org and help change
the world.
SAM BEARD
President & Founder, GIFT
12 | giftglobal.org
Cell: 302-545-1677 • Email: sam@sambeardGIFT.org
Skype: s.beard624 • Website: www.GIFTGlobal.org,
Sambeard.org