How Giving & An Attitude of Service is Your Power: 5 Laws of Success that Will Change Your Life

for the Creatives
by Mika Vonshá

Living with a lack mindset can make it extremely difficult to not worry about money first whenever you make any decision. Moreover, a lack mindset can make it seem impossible to give and cause you to undervalue yourself. It's time to shake things up. It's time to adopt a new belief that may cause some discomfort at first glance. Yet the solution to a poverty stricken habit of mind is and always will be generously giving and practicing an attitude of service. 

Oprah Winfrey has stated that as long as you have breath in your body, you have something to be grateful for. This couldn't be closer to the truth. When I fell in love with my breath, my entire life began to change. I realized that although it had seemed like I had lost everything -- my health, my home, my marriage, my children, the truth was that I had everything in the world to be thankful for and that my breath alone was enough. Having breath means that you still have your being. You still have the animation that expresses through you in a way that is most authentic and unique. This authenticity is exactly what is required to give to and serve humanity. It is through our authenticity that we offer unique experiences to others and inspire them. 

I will never forget Dr. Wayne Dyer´s advice to always give generously. In fact, when I first heard his suggestion, it cut me up so deeply inside that I knew I needed to change how I was perceiving all of the material objects in my life. I needed to become more aware of how I was contributing in my household and social groups. It was time to take responsibility for my offering. It was time to truly give from the heart without the expectation of receiving something in return -- without the fear of lack. It took time. It took practice, but eventually I was able to accept the new expectation that everything in my life was working out accordingly. Cultivating this new expectation involved listing my gratitudes daily -- even if it was only a mental list first thing in the morning. It also involved challenging myself to look at conflicts from a different angle and to intentionally seek the positive possibilities even when it was uncomfortable. Sometimes it meant standing alone in my optimism. 

It has been mentioned by several successful people that Bob Burg and John David Mann´s book entitled The Go Giver, is a must read for entrepreneurs. It follows the story of a business man in search of a sort of secret to success. The secret, however, turns out to be the simple law of giving. The irony is that unless you do indeed practice self-love, you will never truly understand that your life is intended to be given away because it is indeed so valuable. Without loving yourself and filling up your cup, you will never realize your duty to give. You can't give from a perspective of lack. You must see the truth in that even your breath is more than enough to offer up -- so much so that it does this automatically. With every exhale, our breath gives life to the plants around us and in turn, they give us the oxygen we need to breathe freely up until our very last. This ebb and flow is an integral component of every cycle of life. 

So why not give intentionally? With gratitude we can begin to see what more we have to give and recognize the unique value we can offer on purpose. But how can we achieve success and afford even the most basic of needs if we are freely giving away everything we have? The Go Giver outlines the following ¨laws of stratospheric success¨ : 

1. The Law of Value - ¨Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment."

2. The Law of Compensation - ¨Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them."

3. The Law of Influence - ¨Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interest first.¨

4. The Law of Authenticity - ¨The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself."

5. The Law of Receptivity - ¨The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving."  

Before I started this blog, I meditated on one question: How can I give more intentionally and generously? I looked all around me and saw that my 3-D reality did not match what I had envisioned for my life. I wanted to give music, but I did not have adequate studio equipment to produce the quality of sound I thought listeners deserved to hear. I wanted to give movement, but lacked the space to move in even after writing grants to imagine a mobile dance studio. I wanted to give my creative works, but lacked the confidence required to overcome criticism. Stifled by all of these ¨buts¨, I rephrased the question to myself: What do I have to give and how can I give it intentionally and generously right now? 

I decided to do something radical. I decided to look away from my 3-D reality. I decided to re-write my life. Many self-help books align with the strange truths that our imaginations create our reality and that our word is our wand. I decided to put these mysterious theories to the test. In this blog, you are witnessing that test. In fact, it is the entire motivating factor for this blog. The best part, I had already established the habits of reading and writing needed to see it through. 

I want to give other creatives the inspiration to re-write their lives too. Re-writing one´s life starts with being receptive to one´s own self. It means following your inner guidance and valuing your own authenticity. It means realizing how your authenticity is exactly what someone else is seeking. When you ask what the desires of others are, you can have an honest look at how your uniqueness may fulfill them. It is an opportunity to serve them well and meet others with similar values. 

I recently watched Toni Morrison´s documentary ¨The Pieces I Am¨ on Netflix. I admit, her ability to get to the root of human pain and suffering turned my stomach so much in college that it was very difficult for me to get through her books. I had always been afraid to confront such griefs of my people. Now that I have the psychological tools I needed to emotionally process some of our very unique experiences, I deeply admire Morrison´s courageous work. But it is her bold authenticity and veracity that moves me the most. Because she recognizes the mirror-ability of the human condition, she evokes an emotional experience in readers that places them right into the shoes of her characters. 

While I am no Toni Morrison, I aim to stir emotion through this blog, music, and movement not to trigger pain, but to bring awareness to the power of words and vibration. It is through this power that we can transmute our pain and suffering into something beautiful -- something of deep value that people can connect to. I believe that is what people are looking for. It doesn't matter what field or facet of business they are in. Everyone yearns for connection. This is what I am referring to when I state that an attitude of service can change your life. Giving someone the experience of deep connection that welcomes every emotion creates a lasting bond that transcends any material object. It is the ultimate act of service. 

At this point, it is no secret that I have a deep concern for the well-being of artists from all walks of life. My hope is to draw out a sense of confidence and faith in the creative process from deep within the artists I connect with so that they too can fill up their cups and give, give, give. We only have but so much time as our lives are but a twinkle in infinity. 

With Love & Abundance

-Mika Vonshá