Oct 1

Oct 1 Gifts: My Mission

You could say that I’m in the gift-giving “business”. But actually giving a gift is the by-product of what I am really trying to do here. The fundamental reason why I created the Thoughtful Pinch app was to help people take a moment to let someone know that they are thinking of them. Even though my app facilitates the process of giving the gift, my mission is to spread the word about the MOMENT we reach out to let someone know they are being thought of. Gifts are great but being thought of matters 100 times more.

Almost everyone equates thoughtfulness with gifts. It makes logical sense. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GIVE A GIFT TO SOMEONE WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THEM. Allow me to make two points about that statement. First, gift-giving is a one way street. Meaning, one has to be thoughtful in order to give a gift. However, one doesn’t have to give a gift in order to be thoughtful. Second, the key word in that statement is “thinking”. One can think a lot or a nano second about another person. Either way, the energy is used in the spirit of generosity when someone chooses to give a gift. We’ve all received gifts that made us cry because we felt loved and connected. We’ve also received gifts that “fit” the need, checked the box, accomplished the task. Regardless, every gift is a result of somebody thinking about us.

For my birthday this year, my friend Christy Hanson, the one who is a professional gift-buyer (my dream job), knocked it out of the park. She gave me a set of hand-picked, carefully selected greeting cards. If you are waiting for the “WOW!” factor, here it is: These cards are for me to give to people in my life. In other words, instead of the gift being for me to enjoy and keep, the cards are for me to give away to the people who I want to pinch because that brings me lots of joy. I looked right into her eyes and confirmed that she totally “gets me”.

Now one may argue, she is a professional gift-buyer so of course Christy was going to nail it. But if you’re reading this blog, chances are you want to learn about more ways to be thoughtful. Here is why Christy gets paid to do what she does. She listens to people. She puts herself in their shoes. I’m paraphrasing here but her comment to me was, “What do I get a friend who is all about gifts but doesn’t necessarily care much about receiving them?” She decided something for me to give away was the best gift for me. And she was right. Don’t get me wrong, if she picked out a scarf, a pencil, coin purse or whatever, I would’ve loved it because I cherish anything from a friend especially when they have excellent taste. But the real gift is that I felt heard. I am grateful that Christy listens to me and understands my whacky relationship with gifts.

Lately, it seems like my relationship with receiving gifts is starting to evolve. I have started to celebrate many of the gifts that I have been receiving or have received in years past. I have discovered that using social media to share my gratitude for these thoughtful pinches is so much fun and it compliments what I have already been doing. I think letting others know how these gifts continue to lift me, will ultimately have a rippling effect and people will start showing thoughtfulness more often. Here’s a couple more reasons for me to post about gifts that are given to me: 1. Even if a thank you card has been written and sent, a post or text with a picture showing how the gift is being used and/or how the gift has made a difference adds up to a double thank you. 2. One of my favorite hashtags on Instagram is #itsnevertoolatetosaythankyou. I have found that the older the gift, the bigger the impact of this cliche. Who wouldn’t want to know that I’m still grateful for a Halloween candle given to us over 15 years ago? So even if I never got around to writing a thank you card 15 years ago, a post of gratitude for it today makes up for it!

Yes, gift-giving is my business because it involves thoughtfulness. Now my focus has shifted to both sides of the equation because in giving, we inspire and in receiving, we are grateful. They go hand in hand. My plan is to continue to share my written posts on my blog about the gifts that I plan on giving and post regularly on social media about the gifts that I have received. As for my mission, nothing has changed. I still want to influence people to pause long enough to tell someone that they are thinking of them. Only when we live in the moment are we able to let someone know that we are thinking of them. FYI, there’s an app for that.

Pinches,

Barb