The song Live Till I Die by the Swedish artist Elliphant popped up in my earbuds while I was doing the laundry. Ellinor Olovsdotter, which is her real name, sings:
You die and never live live live ’Cause you never give give give
There’s so much truth in those words.
If our main focus is to get attention, to be “successful,” we’ll never be fully satisfied. We might appear successful in the eyes of others, but are we truly successful? Do we feel satisfied? Do we feel alive?
Most likely not.
Why? Because that mindset never crosses the finish line. It’s a constant hunt for more, a search for that final “perfect fix” that will supposedly solve everything.
It’s exhausting. A chase where we’re both the hunter and the hunted. Like in the song Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones, to include another musical reference:
I can’t get no satisfaction ’Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
Any form of receiving begins with giving. We get back what we give, often in ways we could never plan or predict. It’s quite logical when you think about it:
If we always hold on to “our stuff” and never give anything away, how could we ever gain anything? How can we receive when our hands are already full?
It’s impossible.
The more we give, the more we live.