Category Archives: Gifting, Giving

Reaching Out Is Part of Moving Forward

Gifting, Giving, personal and social development, Societal Issues, Values and Principles, , ,

We often hear about the importance of kindness: helping others, offering support, and encouraging those around us. What about being on the receiving end? Is asking for kindness or help a sign of weakness or failure? Or is it, instead, a sign of self-awareness and determination?

I believe that when people ask for help, they acknowledge their limits and show a willingness to learn, grow, and improve. Seeking advice, assistance, or mentorship can save time and resources, prevent unnecessary mistakes, and open us to new perspectives. Asking for help, whether in our careers or personal lives, is not only acceptable, it’s wise. No one succeeds entirely on their own. Every achievement is shaped, in some way, by guidance, support, and shared knowledge, even if that help remains unseen.

Progress in any field is often the result of collaboration, cooperation, and mutual support. Asking questions, learning from those with more experience, or accepting help during difficult moments allows us to move forward with more confidence and humility. Many people are willing to help; sometimes they are simply waiting to be asked.

I’ve seen this courage to ask firsthand. In France, NGO workers, who’re immaculately polite and relentlessly cheerful, stop strangers in the street to ask for donations for charitable and environmental causes. Watching them, I’ve wondered whether the confidence to ask is culturally conditioned or deeply personal. We tend to applaud this kind of public boldness, yet hesitate when the request is our own.

When I lived in Brisbane, I went door-to-door collecting money for the Australian Red Cross without a second thought. Yet, I’ve never asked a single family member or friend to buy any of my books; doing so makes me uncomfortable. I do know that three of them bought copies without my prompting. I’ve seen authors’ posts on Facebook about selling 50 or even 100 copies to friends and their social networks. It makes me wonder: did those friends buy the books out of genuine interest, or simply out of kindness?

So, how willing are you to ask for support with your professional ambitions or the passions that matter most to you?

A gift is not measured by its price, but by the sincerity it carries

culture, Gifting, Giving, Societal Issues, society, Values and Principles

It’s the first day of December, and our neighbourhood has begun to glow again. The streets are laced with lights, and shop windows glimmer with colourful decorations. The Christmas market, which is outside our building, opened last Saturday. It’s 6:34 am here; I’ll take some pictures later and post them closer to the 25th.

Everywhere, we’re reminded that it’s time for giving and for thinking about what kind of gifts truly last. I believe that amid the glitter and the rush, few presents feel as timeless or as personal as a book. I’m not saying this because I’m an author but because it is a present that can be reopened.

A book is more than an object wrapped in paper; it’s a world waiting to unfold. To give someone a book is to say, I know what might move you, challenge you, or make you dream. It’s a gift that invites reflection long after you’ve torn apart the wrapper. It can travel with you in a bag, rest on a bedside table or nightstand, or live on your shelf waiting to be read in the future.

A book carries something of the giver. The title you choose and the note you write inside the cover become part of the story too. Every page turned is a small act of connection between three minds and hearts (i.e. giver, receiver, and author). As well, it doesn’t beep, need batteries, and go out of style.

This December, amid the glitters and ribbons, a carefully chosen book may be your most generous gesture of all.

Let’s remember that the simplest gift often speaks the loudest.

Happy holiday season. Stay safe and cheerful.