A Gift Worth Giving.

Today's Marketing Cookie is less about the giving and more about the gift.

The greatest form of giving is when the recipient can never know its origin. Yet, many people have done away with generosity conducted in private in favor of practicing charity in public. Companies and individuals alike seek to establish a reputation for giving while attempting to do so at as little cost as possible.

There is no doubt, however, that donations of every size do a lot of good in this world. Whether the gift is given secretly or promoted with a run of press releases and a photo shoot of recipients holding an oversized check, it is still good to give. Truly, it is. The fact is, companies and individuals are not required to give. Setting all intentions aside, the good that giving does would not be possible without their gifts.

My intention this morning was not to question the way people give but rather to examine the value of the gift itself. Money is easy to give, especially for people who have accumulated great wealth. Time, however, is a limited resource. How you spend and give your time can make all the difference in the world.

There's no person on earth, barring Marty McFly and Doc's time-traveling DeLorean, who can store up more time than anyone else. Time has placed all of us on a level playing field, each with twenty-four hours in a day, seven days a week, and roughly eighty years in a lifetime. The richest man in the world has no more minutes in an hour than the poorest man; it all just depends on how he chooses to fill his day. While anything can be done with the gift of money, it is often the doing that requires the gift of time.

I encourage you to spend time with someone in need. Consider volunteering for a non-profit organization, visit the sick in a hospice, or simply visit your elderly neighbor once a week. This isn't just something you can do for strangers. Sometimes the greatest and most memorable gift you could ever give your children is extra time together, just focused on them. Give it a try this weekend. You'll see what I mean. You can give money any time, but giving time is more precious. When you do, it will be as today's fortune says, "Others will be impressed with your generosity."