Free Put on Your Crown by Queen Latifah

and help another kid. It moves us all forward.
Give to Get
    There are times when I will write a check for $20,000 or $50,000 or $100,000, but if you took a peek at my expenses or the
     number on my bank account, you would say, “Girl, you better hold on to that!” But when you give, you get back in multiples.
     Of course, you have to treat your money with respect and manage it with care, but cash comes and goes, and you can always
     make more. I’ve never regretted giving money away to someone who is less fortunate. I give it with freedom, knowing that what
     I am really doing is giving myself a gift. The feeling I might get frombuying a new car just doesn’t stack up to the knowledge
     that I may have helped a little girl in Asia who was raped because some guy thought her virginity would cure him of AIDS.
    I can’t wait to go to Cambodia to visit the girls rescued from a life of prostitution by Somaly Mam. This woman, a former
     victim of sexual slavery herself, has built a safe haven for young girls she risked her life to pull out of those situations.
     We were both being honored by
Glamour
magazine a couple of years ago, and I had to follow Somaly after she gave her acceptance speech. I was so moved by her story,
     I wrote her organization a check for $150,000 on the spot. Some of that money, as well as some cash from Barbara Walters,
     helped build a vocational school and home outside Phnom Penh where the girls could live in safety and learn how to sew and
     cut hair. Outside this modest building, embedded in a small garden, there are two fancy plaques with our names written in
     gold. The contrast between these shiny black marble markers and their humble surroundings is touching. Gold Grammy statues
     are always nice, but knowing that this tribute exists in my name halfway around the world, in a dusty corner of Southeast
     Asia I’ve never even seen, means more to me than any industry award.
    But giving doesn’t have to be on such a grandscale. If you pass a homeless person who is hungry and doesn’t have anywhere
     to sleep that night, and all you have is a couple of bucks in your pocket, you can still put a coin in his cup and feel good
     about that. You don’t even have to spend money to give. Sometimes giving is just a simple act of kindness. I’m the type of
     person who will help an old lady across the street or stop when someone’s pulled over by the side of the road with a flat
     tire. Giving can just be talking to one of my younger cousins, nieces, or nephews and offering them some advice or support.
     Taking the time to just listen can make a huge difference in someone’s life.
    Try to incorporate giving into your life as much as possible. Even if it’s just taking the time to have a quick conversation
     with a stranger. The other day I was in a Blimpie getting a platter together for my mother’s church. They were having a choir
     rehearsal after work and people come in hungry, so my mother likes to bring something. A couple of girls were shocked to see
     Queen Latifah at a Blimpie, and one of them asked for my autograph. I was happy to oblige. It was a small thing, but to her
     it was huge. She said, “You don’t know how much this means to me. I was really having a bad day, and you just made my day!”
    It was really that simple. You don’t know what’s going on in someone else’s world, so you have to try tobe as nice as possible.
     You never know what kind of impact you can have on that person’s life with a small act of kindness. You don’t have to go around
     giving autographs, but just asking someone how they’re doing and showing you care can make a difference, especially during
     hard times. A little compassion can go a long way.
    There’s so much more to life than chasing a dollar. Yes, money’s important, and you have to respect it. I learned that lesson
     the hard way. But I don’t want to live my life on a hamster wheel, making more money to make more money to buy more