You'd be wholeheartedly thrilled with that gift, that compliment, that declaration of affection—if it weren't for the wary little voice in the back of your mind wondering how you'll ever be able to reciprocate...or did the giver really mean it...or what's the catch?

In the long run, we can't stay emotionally healthy without accepting gifts, both concrete and intangible. Refusing to receive leaves us chronically empty, prone to addiction, obsession, codependency, or an eternal psychological hunger that's never quite satisfied. The healthy alternative is to stop merely closing down and learn to receive wisely, fully accepting good gifts without being damaged by bad ones. The secret is this: No matter what happens, keep your heart open. Here's a way to practice: Take a bill from your wallet that's large enough that you'd be upset if you lost it—maybe $1, maybe $100. Go to a public place, like a park or mall, and find a spot with sporadic foot traffic. Wait until no one's looking. Place your money on the ground and retreat to a spot nearby, where you can see whoever finds it. The money is your gift to this person.

Observe your own mind as you wait. You'll probably find that you're running an inner monologue on subjects like worthiness, appropriateness, justice. You may hope a poor child finds the money, while your heart clenches at the thought of an addict buying drugs with it, or a lawyer sliding it into an Armani pocket. But no matter who discovers the cash, just watch them pick it up, then silently wish them well. If your giving capacity is out of whack, your receiving capability is likely jammed, too, which means this won't be easy. What it will be is highly educational. It's none of your business who finds it, or what they do with it. The goal is to reach a place where you could watch happily as an Enron executive pounced on your ten bucks.

Why should you want this to happen? Because the judgments that constrain your giving are the very demons that are keeping you from receiving. "You don't deserve that." "You'd better put it to good use." "Now you're obligated." "You'd better earn it, buddy...." As you teach your own charity to outlast such opinions while giving to other people, you'll release yourself from having to meet certain criteria (repayment, neediness, poverty) when you are given something.

Once you've learned to give with an open heart, it's time to receive something. Start with something easy: a gift that's an accident of birth. Perhaps you've accepted your own gifts from time to time, but only in covert moments. If you happen to have gorgeous feet, you may occasionally find yourself gazing at them appreciatively. When you think your way through difficult problems, you might think, "Wow, cool!" Then you clamp down, attack your own ego, search the environs for any witnesses you may have to kill, lest they report to the world that you're full of yourself.

Next: Learning to accept a gift

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