Below is a guest post from Beth Borody
Every day we have the opportunity to be generous to those around us. Every day we make the decision to reach out and give, or stay to ourselves. There is a fear around giving – that if I give you something, then I am losing something, and losing something is exhausting, especially when I worked so hard to get something.
We have been conditioned to look out for ourselves, to make sure I am taken care of, then my family, then my friends, then maybe one of those children on TV, or that homeless man I walk past on the way to work. We’ve also been conditioned to think that if we give, we have to give a lot and we have to make a profound impact or else it’s not really worth it. We have been trained to be afraid of generosity because we have responsibilities and obligations, and if we give, then we make it harder for ourselves to be happy and we are putting ourselves at risk.
Let’s reframe the way we think about generosity. Let’s remind ourselves, on a daily basis, that by being generous to others, we are being generous to ourselves. By helping others, we are creating happiness and joy that benefit ourselves as well. Being generous and giving your time, space, emotions, or money doesn’t need to be a grand gesture, it can be as simple as $2 a day or giving someone a hug who needs one.
Remove the cloak of fear that hides your generous spirit and let it shine. Do something small every day and keep track of what you are doing. You will begin to feel joy you have never felt and being generous will stop being something you fear and be something you crave.