Lessons for a father - The Best Gift Of All

Image Courtesy: Flickr

I really want to know. What is the best gift of all?

A lot of us appreciate good books. Books are a great medium of learning or to be transported into a land of imagination.

Great food, cooked at home or at a restaurant, never seems to be a bad idea either. Home cooked food obviously adds that extra personal touch, but either ways it makes for a great gift.

I have been told to stay away from all forms of colognes and perfumes. Various, very logical but mostly emotional, reasons have been cited. I defer to them.

So what do we do when we genuinely want to make a day or a moment special for someone?

And, what if we want to choose a gift that has professional relevance as well?

We all suffer from finiteness of various things in life. From lack of sleep to a lack of information, sometimes of work, and other times of happiness. Whatever the case may be there is always that something that is lacking in our lives. Something that we could do more of. Our stay in the world is one of them.

Given an unending life we would accomplish so much more than we do. Alas though, that is not possible. We have a very limited time on this beautiful planet within which all of us should contribute towards making it better. Leaving Earth better than we found it should be on everybody's to do list.

I would think that the best gift anyone could give me or have from me would be of time. That "extra" or gifted time can allow me to learn more, serve more, do more and be more. 

How do we, though, give that gift when we hardly seem to have enough for our own chores?

This might help:

• Make sure only people that can contribute directly to the job at hand are invited to meetings.
• Make sure meetings start and end on time. 
• Schedule time for responding to emails and phone calls. Distractions, even when they are relevant, often contribute to a wastage of time.
• Keep emails relevant and to the point. Use the subject line well (for example, phrases like [Information], [Response Required], [Urgent] can be used instead of explaining what the email is about).
• Schedule time for a mental and physical recharge. Take days off. Spend time with your loved ones. A well functioning mind can contribute a lot more than a tired and over-extended one. Even a brief walk or a coffee break can help.
• Meditate/ connect with your spiritual self. Between hitting the weights in the gym and solving Mathematical puzzles, spiritual health often gets ignored. It is equally, if not more, important.
• Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize.  Not everything is as important as it seems.
• Do not shy away from saying no. "We never say no" is a cliche that will take its toll.
• Optimize - stay away from redundant labor and utilize optimization tools wherever possible. 
• Most importantly - share your abundance. If you know of a tool or a trick that can make others' job easier, share it.

Here is my theory then. Food, books and even clothes are very relevant presents. None of it will matter, however, if we do not have the time to enjoy them. 

It will, therefore, be my intent to give the best gift of all - that of time.

What do you think makes a great gift?