The Key to Making Our World a Better Place: Embracing True Generosity.

True Generosity is reciprocal, intentional, costly but worth it.

I thought I was generous until I met someone truly generous.

A fiver here and a tenner there isn’t enough.

True generosity is intentional and costly but worth it.

Remember, you're here because of the generosity of others.

Think about it!

Like most people, you consider yourself generous.

At times and in the moment - you respond to a charity appeal on the telly.

You give €20 to the starving children somewhere in the world.

Then return to your life.

Never to think again about the starving children.

Until the starving children somehow again penetrate your Ad-free Netflix binge months down the line.

And you are compelled to repeat the process - you give another €20 again.

If that’s the standard of your generosity - there is a problem.

It is very negligible as a percentage of your annual income.

It’s not even 0.1% of your income.

If that’s everyone's standard of generosity, then we have a massive problem.

The world would be a better place if we each raised our standards of generosity.

Recently, my wife and I attended a conference. We made small talk with a stranger next to us. He was by himself, so we included him in our plans at break times. I would have preferred to spend the time alone with my wife.

We have four children, so we hardly ever spend time alone together.

But we did the decent thing and let our new acquaintance be the third wheel.

At the end of the two-day conference.

Our new friend gave us a £1,000.

Why?

Because Generosity begets generosity.

Generosity is reciprocal.

It’s like a virus, the good kind that spreads from person to person.

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.

Because of generosity, a stranger became a friend.

There will be fewer conflicts if we each become more generous.

Why must you be generous?

It benefits you more than you realise.

Generous people are more happy

A Harvard study found that people who gave money to others were happier than those who spent it on themselves.

The study only proves what Jesus said more than 2 millennia ago.

You're far happier giving than getting.

Generous people are not greedy

You naturally look after number 1 - Yourself.

If you doubt this, who is the first person you look for in a group photo?

You, of course.

You will call the photo great if you look great - Forget the others.

This tendency to prefer yourself isn’t an issue - If it’s kept in proportion.

However, if it’s out of proportion, it becomes ugly.

In fact, we call these people greedy and narcissistic.

Generosity is an antidote to greed and narcissism.

It benefits others more than you realise

Generous people change the course of someone’s life for the better

As a teenager, I was offered the university course I wanted.

I got the necessary grades required for the course.

Yet, it wasn’t all jubilation at my house.

Although I had the grades, I didn’t have the thousands you need for tuition.

The banks couldn’t take a risk on me.

It was all heartbreaking until some people came to the rescue.

They paid my tuition in full.

This changed the trajectory of my life, my future children, their future children, and so forth.

One act of generosity can ripple through the ages.

How to raise your standard of generosity?

1. Evaluate your current levels of giving.

   Have a look at your bank statement or banking app, and see how much you are giving to others.

   Be honest with yourself, is it generous?

2. Choose a charity or organisation in your community to support.

   It can be anything.

   A cause you are passionate about will do the trick.

   There is only one requirement: let it be a charity or organisation that helps other people. Yes, there is scope for supporting animals and global movements. But for now, start with a charity that supports people in the community you live.

   It’s baby steps.

   The more you see the impact of your generosity, the more you will commit to being generous.

3. Choose a percentage to give to your chosen charity.

   Generosity isn’t about the amount of money you earn.

   It’s not something you can say - I will start being generous when I earn more money.

   In fact, the more you earn, the less likely you are to be generous.

   So, choose a percentage and stick to it, whether your income goes up or down.

4. Increase the percentage you give by 1% each year.

   We all suffer from lifestyle creep.

   The more your income increases, the more your expenses increase.

   A raise at work comes with an upgrade to a car, house, the restaurants you frequent, etc.

   Lifestyle creep can inhibit your generosity.

   You can keep a lid on it by increasing your generosity as your income increases.

Today, make an intentional plan to be generous.

No one is generous by accident.

Whether you have a lot of money or a little, you can still shun a self-centred and unfulfilled life by tapping into generosity.