Giving Awareness and the Season of White

Today I was on my way to the store to buy lights for the house in anticipation of the season of giving.  A very important person sped up behind us on the road, and passed us in the turning lane, and then proceeded to run the red light on his or her way onto the Ring Road.  I can only imagine how important that person must be to place at least 20 other families at risk at that very moment. 

As Publisher of SKY Magazine, I promote my clients and their businesses relentlessly. I wear their clothes, use their products, talk about them in my day to day life and on the SKY social media network, and when asked, I refer people to my clients because I know what they do, and I believe in them to the point where I would put my own reputation on the line.

Sometimes, I am surprised to learn that the people requesting a reference from me have never heard of the business that I am suggesting.  That always surprises me a bit, since many of them have been in business for up to 10 years, and of course, I am relentlessly talking about them.  But people are busy and often in a hurry, worrying about work and family.

Most of us forget what we had for breakfast, and sometimes we don’t realize how our decisions and choices affect others in the community.

Promoting the businesses on the pages of SKY Magazine is the easiest thing I do because I believe in them 100%. They are great businesses, run by great people with a very high level of integrity and ethics. They carefully curate their offerings so that people like you and me will look and feel unique as we walk about during our busy lives.

Learning to slow down a bit and take it in is a part of giving awareness.  How we walk about the world (or drive) says something about who we are. Making the decision to shop for those things that say something about ‘who I am’  is one way to slow down and think about it.  After all, every day begins with getting dressed, so you may as well put on clothes that say something about you.

What we wear, eat, and use does say something about us.  To shop at a local business says 'I appreciate and support my community’.  It says 'I like that we have these unique businesses, each run by an impassioned person who loves what he or she is doing, and is doing it for yours and my enjoyment.'

So, just like the very important person who blew the light this morning with no regard given to others, so do we when we blindly shop and buy without awareness sometimes. In all facets of our lives, slowing down can begin with a check in, by asking ‘Do my values line up with the values of the business to whom I am giving my hard earned money and time?’

The Christmas season is coming, and I know that the shops in Regina are full of amazing things for you to enjoy. I hope you take the time to seek them out and enjoy them, and that way, the Regina business owners can enjoy their Christmas too.

To find out where to shop, you can visit www.myskymag.com to download the latest issue.

Cheers and happy giving.