29 Days of Giving: How Giving to Others Revived My Life And My Business

I recently spent several months in a very dark place. My marketing consulting business was stalled after a long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic neurological disease. I was hospitalized five times over a three-month period, hadn’t felt up to seeing clients for four months, and my bank balance was frighteningly low. I felt scared and hopeless.

A simple suggestion from a friend turned things around for me: Give away 29 things in 29 days. “By giving, you are focusing on what you have to offer others… inviting more abundance into your life,” she told me. “Giving of any kind… taking an action… begins the process of change and will shift your energy for life.”

I was wary, but wrote down her suggestion. At first, I had no intention of doing it. I could barely walk some days, and simply couldn’t fathom giving to another person every day for 29 days. I was attached to my struggle and really believed that I had nothing to give anyone. I thought I needed all of my energy for my own healing. I forgot that healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but through our interactions with other people. After ignoring the suggestion for several weeks, I decided to try my friend’s 29-Day giving experiment.

And so the 29-Day Giving Challenge began. On day one, immediately after giving my first gift, I got a phone call with an offer to consult for a large philanthropy organization. As the 29 days unfolded, the calls kept coming in. New clients showed up out of nowhere and I generated more than $8,000 in completely unexpected revenue.

I woke up most days feeling excited about what I might give away. I gave simple things like writing nice notes to friends, washing the dishes for my husband, or donating small amounts of money to causes I cared about. I noticed that the more I gave away, the more well being and abundance flowed into my daily life.

In the beginning, I wanted to see what would happen if I focused my energy on giving for 29 days. There’s no way I could have anticipated what unfolded for me.

By Day 29, I was astounded by the magical and miraculous shifts in my life:

• I was feeling happier, healthier, and more in awe with life.
• I found myself smiling and laughing more.
• I was able to go back to work part-time and my business exploded with new, unexpected opportunities.
• My body got stronger and I stopped walking with my cane by week two.
• I began connecting with community in new ways—experiencing deeper intimacy in my relationships.
• My creativity opened up and I began writing stories regularly.

The list of changes goes on and on. This is only the beginning.

I documented what I gave away and the observations I made each day. I posted these stories online at 29gifts.org hoping others would be inspired to try the 29-Day Giving Challenge. I invited some friends to join me and so far 706 people have committed to give. Many report remarkable life changes. A fellow entrepreneur friend made more money during his 29 days than he had generated in the previous three months.

The goal of the 29-Day Giving Challenge is to start a giving movement in the world to promote generosity. After all, if we want to see our world change, we must DO something to change our world.

How the 29-Day Giving Challenge Works

• Sign up at 29gifts.org and give away 29 items in 29 days.
• Your 29 gifts can be anything… money, food, old sweaters, smiles, your time or kind words or thoughts.
• You can start your own, personal 29-Day Giving Challenge at any time—there’s no official begin or end date.
• To complete the Challenge, share a story communicating the impact it made on your life to focus on giving.

Cami Walker is the woman behind this paying it forward, gift of kindness known as 29 Days of Giving.  To learn how others are embracing this movement, check out the 29 Days of Giving Challenge Community - a place to share ideas and experiences.