Practice Generosity
Have you ever been in the drive through and had the person ahead of you buy your order for you? How did it make you feel? I still remember the one time I had someone do that for me and it was over 13 years ago.
I was on my way to the university after work because I was taking night classes to do my Masters of Education degree. I had been having an overwhelming day and was quickly going through Starbucks to grab some caffeine and a snack, when I got to the window the Starbucks employee told me that my order had already been paid for. It almost brought me to tears because I had been having such a rough day.
So the next week I made a point of going to the same Starbucks and paying for the person behind me. In a small hope that it would bring a little bit of brightness to the stranger in the car behind me, the way the person ahead of me did so graciously the week before. I feel like little acts like this go a long way and in our busy over scheduled lives we forget how these small acts can really uplift others.
Practicing generosity does not always have to be in the form of money either. We can practice generosity by giving our time and attention to others. Have you ever gone on a trip to visit a friend and they clear their weekend for you so that you can do all of the fun things that where they live has to offer? I recently decided to go to Vancouver to visit some life long friends because my daughter had never seen the Pacific Coast of Canada so I wanted her to see the ocean and experience the west coast. Also to sneak down to the States for a little outlet shopping.
My daughter literally had the best time and was so grateful to get to go on a plane to visit friends. Even though it was really rainy and not the best weather we made the best of it by just spending time together and doing crafts. We often forget about how we can be so generous with our time by just truly being present and setting aside time to be with people we care about.
Generosity goes a long way to make people feel valued and appreciated. Often the most generous people are the kindest and most authentic people you will ever meet. How can you bring more generosity into your life this week? Could you be generous with your time or do a small act of generosity to a random stranger? When we focus on sharing generosity with others more will show up for you.
