Leading with Extravagent Generosity
2025 will be full of blessings and challenges. As our earth continues to revolve around the sun, patterns of humanity also follow their typical course.
Truly, part of being human is recognizing all outside of our control as well as owning all we can control. Leading with a generous heart and soul is a daily choice we can own. And it's a skill we can grow, which influences who we become.
"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill
TRUTH
"Generosity" - as defined by University of Notre Dame's Science of Generosity Project - is "the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly." Multiple scientific studies have correlated the voluntary generosity of time, effort, or goods to increased overall health, happiness, vitality, self-esteem, and contentment. Delayed mortality and decreased job burn-out have also been linked to acts of generosity.
Often, we think of being generous with our money. And the giving of money to others in need can have a significant impact on the giver and receiver. However, not every individual may be in a financial situation to give monetarily. Nor is leading with generosity only about the giving of currency.
Consider the following ways you might increase your generosity:
-the giving of compliments and praise
-the giving of encouragement, positivity, and belief in others
-the giving of undistracted time to family, friends, coworkers, strangers
-the giving of your talents and skills to others without compensation
-the giving of love in the recipient's love language
"No one has ever become poor by giving." -Anne Frank
BEAUTY
I was overcome this week with gratitude for humanity as I read several experiences of beautiful generosity observed or participated in by people from around the world and shared in a blogpost (Marc & Angel Hack-Life). I share a few experiences here, with hopes you will be inspired to click on the link and continue reading:
* “It’s been six months since I totaled my car. I’ve been in and out of the hospital a lot ever since with severe back pain. Although the pain has begun to subside, my recovery forced me to use all my sick time and vacation time for the year. But this morning my boss, who is usually ‘all business’ and pretty hard on everyone, called me into her office and told me she talked with HR and donated five days of her own unused vacation time to me so I would still get paid when I go out of town to visit my family for Christmas.”
* “This evening my dad brought me into the city to one of his favorite restaurants. He ordered a substantial amount of food and only ate half of it. On the way home, he drove a route I was unfamiliar with. He pulled over near an alley and said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ Then he grabbed the leftovers, ran into the alley, and returned empty-handed. When I asked him what he did, he replied, ‘There’s a homeless veteran back there who I’ve been giving leftovers to for the last year or so.’”
* “Tonight, at the local convenience store where I work, an elderly man with a guide dog came in, went to the aisle with the greetings cards, picked up a card, held it up really close to his face, and struggled to read it. Just as I was about to walk over to help him, a big truck driver asked him if he needed assistance reading, and then proceeded to read him almost every single greeting card out loud until the elderly man smiled and said, ‘That’s perfect! My wife will love that one!’”
Click here for more incredible stories on the power of generosity.
GOODNESS
Several years ago, while living in Yamhill County, OR, I accepted an invitation to participate in the Point-In-Time Homeless Count. This annual survey of people living outside was conducted to plan local and national service delivery to at-risk populations.
Volunteers were assigned geographical locations in the county and we set off (on foot) with needed paperwork to acquire information from homeless individuals along with food, water, bus tickets, and socks to be given to each person we met.
Socks? I had never thought about the dire need people on the streets have for clean socks. However, sweat glands are more concentrated on the feet than any other part of the body and these glands typically produce about half a pint (over 1 cup) of perspiration a day. Can you imagine wearing the same pair of socks days on end?
As a result of this experience, I began carrying a bag of new pairs of socks in my car to hand out to homeless people I met. I was shocked (and still am) by the gratitude expressed to receive a new pair of socks, and more than one person mentioned how others do not realize how important it is to them to fulfill this basic need.
Can each of us look around our current community and think of one simple way we can always be ready to generously help another?
EXCELLENCE
At times, we may get stuck in our thinking about how we can give more. We may feel we're in a position where we could not possibly give one more dollar, one more minute, or even one more smile. And I get it - I've been in those moments, too.
However, because I know those discouraging moments, I also know the way out. And I promise you, friends, the way forward toward catching our breath, seeing the light and receiving prosperity is through being generous - whether we do so through service, a kind word, or a listening ear.
For a bit of inspiration, I encourage you to listen to any episode from the podcast, The Giving Experience. Guests share modern day miracles and blessings that occur in their lives by surrendering control over their time, talent and treasure.
A FINAL LOVE NOTE
Many of us seek to make a greater positive impact on our world and struggle to know how to do this, particularly in light of daily challenges and fears. When we choose to lead our lives with extravagant generosity, the impact and influence we have on others is truly unlimited in scope and power. I invite you and myself to ponder upon ways we can increase generosity in our lives and then act upon the thoughts which will surely rest upon our minds.
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." -Robert Louis Stevenson
Remember - you are divine and loved. You are beautiful, worthy, and strong.
Lovingly,
