The Benefits of Generosity

Give and Share

Human nature says we need to get all we can. Generosity, however, offers us great benefits.

We were created to conserve. Our nature, however, says consume. This consumption is an expression of the brokenness of the world. We have to fight the desire to get all we can. Yet if we could see the benefits of generosity, and practice generosity, it just might move us from consumers to conservers and transform the world.

1, Generosity increases wealth.
Henry Ford said, “Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service.” Lao Tzu notes “The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.” Both men are saying the same thing. In giving, we have more. We get more. Most people think of wealth in economic terms. Even in economic terms, giving brings wealth.

Listen to the story of the Potlatch. The potlatch is a festival or ceremony practiced among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. At these gatherings a family or hereditary leader hosts guests in their family’s house and holds a feast for their guests. The main purpose of the potlatch is the re-distribution and reciprocity of wealth. In fact, the status of any given family is raised not by who has the most resources, but by who distributes the most resources. The hosts demonstrate their wealth and prominence through giving away goods.

Wealth can also mean simply an abundance of resources. Wealth can be wholeness in relationships, finances, emotions, and vocation. By giving of your wealth, or what you possess in abundance, you get wealthy. But note the Roman Caesar and philosopher Marcus Aurelius: “The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.” Why? It’s like Thorton Wilder said, “Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.”

2. Generosity opens up doors to additional networks
The more generous we are, the more people know our names. Some will try to abuse our generosity and take advantage of it. However, the more you give, the more connections you make. This can be great for business and for relationships. You get the opportunity to meet new people, have them invest in you and you in them, and through those connections, you get to know others. The network grows and expands. Relationships grow and expand. Opportunities to give grow and expand. Opportunities to receive grow and expand.

3. Generosity just feels good
Listen to the thoughts of others for a moment:

“When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self-giving is a personal power-releasing factor.” – Norman Vincent Peale

“Unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss one of the greatest sources of happiness.” – Ray Lyman Wilbur

“Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another’s pain, life is not in vain.” – Helen Keller

Giving generously just makes you feel good about yourself. It becomes a self-fulfilling event.

Research shows that giving reduces stress and increases life expectancy. A 2003 research study by Stephanie L. Brown, Randolph M. Nesse and Amiram Vinokar of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan and Dylan M. Smith of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and VA Health Services Health Services Center for Excellence suggest that their research supports the hypothesis that providing social support is extremely beneficial to the provider. The provider experiences “reduced stress and improved health.” The authors state that the “sense of meaning, purpose, belonging and mattering” that are acquired during, say volunteering, leads to increased happiness and decreased depression. The positive effects of providing social support span improvement in both physical and mental health. Most importantly, the study supports the hypothesis that providing social support promotes longevity for the provider. (http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2003/pr030708.cfm)

Another study by Elizabeth W. Dunn, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver sought to explore the ways that more money might lead to more happiness. Working with graduate student Lara B. Aknin and Harvard Business School assistant professor Michael I. Norton, Dunn began by asking 632 Americans from across the U.S. to rate their general level of happiness, as well as to report their income, how much they spent on themselves and how much they donated to charity. As researchers sifted through the numbers, they found that happiness didn’t correlate with personal spending but, rather, with how much they gave away.

So do you want to be happier, wealthier, and have more opportunities in life? Be generous.

How to have a Glocal Generosity mindset:
1. Make a long term investment with a group to provide help overseas. A group like Compassion International, where you have direct contact with those to whom you are giving, would be a great start. This is the Global part of a generous mindset.
2. Make a long term investment in a non-profit where you live. Give of your time, your money, your skills. They can always use those generous gifts. This is the regional part of the generous mindset.
3. Make a long term investment in your family. Really, be generous with your time mostly, but your finances and skills and gifts should be given also. Your family, also, should be your priority. This is the local part of your mindset.

How can you be more generous this year?

Tags: Generosity, Giving