Challenge #2 (1 January - 30 January): 30 Days of Giving

My second challenge is also based on a book: 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker. (Challenge #1 was also based on a book: The 30-Day Vegan Challenge.)

In this book, Ms. Walker shares her struggles of dealing with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that strikes with flare-ups and can be debilitating--symptoms include loss of balance, no muscle control, and severe pain, and recovery from addiction.

Although MS has not affected me or anyone I'm close to personally, this book still struck me (in fact, when I finished, I ordered two copies to send to friends). Ms. Walker's spiritual advisor prescribes her an interesting medication: 29 gifts in 29 days. The effort leads the author to rediscover the joy of helping others, the positive feeling that comes from focusing on more than one's own life, and reminds her of just how fortunate she is.

I think we all need those reminders.

I'll give a more thorough review of the book later, but that's my goal for Challenge #2: 30 gifts in 30 days.

I will follow the book's guidelines, join the 29-Day-Giving-Challenge website, and give a gift (we'll define that further) every day from 1 to 30 January.

While I considered making this my first challenge for December 2011, I thought it would be more beneficial to do it AFTER the Christmas season. In December, many are focused on giving and sharing, but by January, focus usually shifts to paying the bills, recovering from the holidays, and personal goals for the new year. I don't want my focus to shift--I want to become even more focused on giving...and I'm curious to see where that leads me.

Pick up the book, check out the website, follow my journey, and join me in a challenge that shouldn't really be a challenge--give to others.