Book Review - Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn

Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn

 This is a great book about how to live a joyful life.   I think it is one of the top 4 books I have ever read.   I started to seriously read books at the start of 2022.   Here in April of 2023, I have now read a total of 124 books, which is an all-time high for me.   In the past, I did good to read 10 books in a year, and most were not of much value but just for entertainment.
I want to mention the name of the other 3 books that really set me in the right direction.  

The first I read 3 years ago was The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.    For years I struggled with debt and tried so many ways to get out of debt.   But I never fully bought off on doing just that one thing.   Dave Ramsey sets you up with a simple 10-baby-step plan that works.   I stuck with his exact plan and 9 months later in September of 2021, we were debt free except for our house. 

We then focused on it and were free of the mortgage in August of 2022.   It has made all the difference and we now have plenty of money to invest.  With all the other books I have read, we now have a solid plan.   Read about all the different methods to invest on the Investments tab if on a Laptop. (Click on the 3 lines on top of screen if on phone).   I write a new article each week on either Investments or minimalism and we currently have over 50 articles available.   The earlier articles are at the bottom of the lists.

The second book that got me started on the right path regarding how to study investments was recommended by my good friend and author, Joshua King.  He says no one author ever helped him more than Robert Kiyosaki.   I have read five of his books, and highly encourage you to read them.   Start with what I think is the best of all:   Rich Dad, Poor Dad.   I just realized I never did a book review on that book.   Here is my review of Unfair Advantage which is another great Robert Kiyosaki book.    I recommend reading them all, but best to start with Rich Dad, Poor Dad as he refers back to it in his later books.

Mr. Kiyosaki is the one that made me realize that all of the financial education I received in college was not true.    Get a degree, go to work for a big corporation, feed that 401-K, and HOPE you can retire someday.   Things are not the way they used to be.   I think in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy said, “We are not in Kansas anymore Toto.”  😊

Two of Robert Kiyosaki’s greatest points are that your home is not an investment and that rich people don’t work for money.   They understand passive income and buy assets that return great cashflow.   What worked 20 years ago is not valid today, and as things rapidly change, what we know today may not work tomorrow.   Never stop reading and learning.

The third book that has changed my life is Mastering Successful Personal Habits by Zig Ziglar.   I am reading his best-selling book, “See You at the Top”, and I highly recommend it.     Zig Ziglar teaches so many solid fundamentals on how to live.   Trust God, live with great personal affirmations every day, and have habits that make your life better and better.   I try to read those great personal affirmations every day, and they have made me a better Christian.    Hard to affirm good things about yourself if you are not living up to those standards.   Zig Ziglar is the one who recommended the next book “Try Giving Yourself Away” by David Dunn.  

The book review today is on “Try Giving Yourself Away.”   I think this David Dunn book has had the greatest effect on me of all books I have ever read besides the King James Version Bible.   This books teaches you so many things.     I intend to read and re-read this book, and will read a Zig Ziglar book at least every other month.    He knows how to fire you up to set goals and be determined.   And most of all, to get results from your goal setting.

I first obtained “Try Giving Yourself Away” by David Dunn through the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) program at my library.    After reading it, I wanted every member of my family to read it.  I found a copy on eBay and purchased it last week.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM “Try Giving Yourself Away.”

David Dunn said he developed giving himself away as a hobby.  In giving himself away, he proved the biblical axiom that you can not outgive God.   When you give and sacrifice, God blesses you back way more than you give.

When you bless others, it seems to come back to you double.  I started doing this as a hobby 10 days ago, and these have been 10 of the best days of my life.  I intend for Giving Myself Away to be a part of my day-to-day living for the rest of my life.

I had an aunt that was like Mr. Dunn.   She went out of the way to always help and encourage everyone, especially children.    Her name was Goldie Brown, and she made an indelible impression on me as a young person.  Lots of people ask young people how they are doing and what they have been doing, but Goldie LISTENED and followed up and asked how things that were important to me were going.    Never underestimate your power of encouragement with a young person.  We all need it, but children are very impressionable.   I want children I meet (especially my grandkids and great-grandkids) to know I hear them and really care.

Mr. Dunn said he was brought up to believe that to acquire a lot in life, you had to “GET”, not “GIVE”.   As he started his new hobby, it did not take long for him to discover that life was now more fun and filled with adventure.

His examples of what he did are fantastic.   I won’t for brevity and time’s sake mention any of those.   That will give you an extra blessing when you read the book.

To be effective, you must cultivate the “Giving Yourself Away” habit.  Time is fleeting.  I urge you to not wait another day to get started with this great hobby.   Don’t waste another day without becoming an encourager.

All of us can give appreciation, kindness, interest, loyalty, and understanding to those around us.   There are so many ways to bless others.  Just little acts of kindness mean so much to others.   The bible teaches there are rewards for just offering a drink of water to strangers.   None of us knows what the person we are talking with has been through in their life.   Show compassion and love to all you meet.

When you go into a store, and you see a hard-working employee, tell that person what exceptional work they are doing.  Many have never received even one compliment.   All they hear are customer complaints.   You will make their day with a kind word of encouragement.
Take time to send little notes of appreciation when you see someone being kind and helping others.   Any deed worthy of praise should receive some recognition.

Mr. Dunn said you should never do something to encourage and then receive remuneration for it.    That negates the giving.   Always do what you do for free with no intention of receiving something in return.  Giving yourself away must be for free, not by being purchased.  Freely give and freely receive the blessings that come back from your good sowing.

When you give a gift, be sure it is a portion of you.  Don’t just give money or things of value.   Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:  “Rings and Jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts.    The only true gift is a portion of thyself.”

Always, always, give a portion of your heart.  The Bible teaches that out of the heart come the issues of life.  Be sure you give real gifts, not things with no thought from yourself.

I will not try to cover all of this book.   Just be blessed and read it all.   This book will change your life as you see example after example of ways David Dunn gave himself away.   Try spending a few minutes every day being an encourager.   It will amaze you how much appreciation you get from a simple kind word given at the right time.

I will mention that this book contains 145 pages.   All of the information I mentioned here came out of the first 10 pages.  I purposefully gave no examples of what David Dunn did so that they will be fresh and new for you when you get the book.

Get a copy of this book and it will bless your soul.  I got my copy off eBay for just $4.08.   What a bargain for something that will allow you to be blessed all your life when you adopt this super hobby of “Try Giving Yourself Away.”

 
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