The Spirit of Generosity

The Spirit of Generosity Lives on!

Want to produce a crop?  Grab some seeds, a comfortable chair, an umbrella, and a tall, cool glass of iced tea or lemonade.  Find a really nice plot of fertile land to set everything up.  Now kick back, sip on your drink and watch the crops grow!!  

Yeah I’m confused too.  I seem to have missed a step. 

Let’s review:

1.       Fertile land…check!

2.      Umbrella…check!

3.      Easy chair…check!

4.      Fresh drink…check!

Oh, wow!  The seeds are still in my pocket.  I can sit there all week waiting on something to come up out of the ground and nothing will ever happen if I don’t take action and plant those seeds! 

You’ll have to pardon the analogy, but it does bear a striking similarity to how we can sometimes feel about our own lives.  We expect something when we’ve given very little or nothing at all to the process.  Oftentimes, we may think we’ve given, and given generously, when in fact we haven’t. 

My first rule of generosity is to give joyously. 

Whatever it is you give, give with a pure heart.  All too often, the term “generosity” is associated with money or something of monetary value.  To address this aspect, I simply say, give what you can, when you can, as often as you can.  And give joyously.  If you loathe at writing the check, then you’re not giving joyously.  Find something you can support and believe in.  You’ll know it when you find it.  But don’t fall into the trap of waiting for it to come to you. 

It’s okay to expect a return…

Hold the presses!!  Some may be thinking, “Does this not conflict with what’s written in the previous paragraph?”  Absolutely not!  I get a lot of debate on this one, as you may imagine.  It’s all in the attitude of generosity that strikes the delicate balance between the arrogance and a humble belief that life has a way of recognizing the true value of the gift or service you provide and will repay you with abundance.  If you give with an “attitude” of malice or expectation of a return favor, then the attitude is all wrong and you’re not giving joyously in the first place.  It’s okay, however, to expect the quality of your life to be favored by your joyful giving.  That favor is what we see when we see successful people enjoying more success, charismatic people enjoying more friendships, generous people enjoying more…generosity and abundance! 

There are several things we can give generously that will not only enrich the lives of others, but will enrich our own lives as well.  The next time you think of generosity, before thinking about money, think of one of these elements. 

1.       Time

2.      Integrity

3.      Respect

4.      Passion


Then...

5.      Money

Time – Our most precious commodity, we’re often the most selfish with time, and rightly so.  We want to spend time wisely, but I would suggest most of us aren’t very good at it.  Given an outside perspective of each of our lives, there would no doubt be revelations on how we could rearrange our lives to provide just a bit more time to be generous with it.  True, all of us are allotted the same twenty-four hours.  But there are so many things we could do that would allow us to donate our time with simple adjustments.  If this speaks to you, think about being generous with some of your time.  If money is tight, consider giving your time to a worthy cause.

Integrity – People are drawn to integrity.  It’s something that must be proven over time (our first element), but one in which the value cannot be overstated.  Many a business has succeeded or failed because of the value of integrity.  The very structure of family and friendships are built on the foundation of integrity and everything it imbues.  If you choose to be generous with your time, bring along your highest standards of integrity. 

Respect – Don’t pre-judge!  Everyone deserves the benefit of respect, no matter what their lot in life.  Ever find yourself being more outwardly respectful of someone famous or higher in rank or status than you?  Why does that occur?  Why do we tend to expect people to earn our respect?  I say, smile at everyone, get to know them regardless of rank, status, or bloodline and you will become known as cheerful, charismatic, and personable.  You become the respected one.  The rewards tend to return back to you rather quickly on this one most of the time. 

Passion – My all-time favorite, this one strikes a chord within me that resonates stronger and louder the more I share it!  You can’t fake passion.  It’s way too transparent.  Your passion, or lack of it, precedes you in so many ways.  Discover your passion and share it with everyone!  If it’s truly a passion, you will not only bless those with whom you share it, you will be blessed as well.  People will often be intrigued with your passion.  An amazing thing happens when you share your passion.  You ignite the passions of others.  You shake them…some gently, others violently.  Your passion provides an awareness they'll actually be witnessing for the very first time.  If you haven’t already discovered your passion, I encourage you to.  It’s one of life’s greatest pleasures that is beyond my ability to put into words.  When you find it, share it generously.  Your path to success will become clear and your generosity will be rewarded beyond measure!

Money – I left money for last, even though money, or any of the elements, can be used at any time and under just about any circumstance.  Your generosity with money can go a long way, even if you aren’t able to give a lot.  Remember to give joyously and as generously as possible.  If you can only afford to give a set amount, then do so joyfully.  If you’re able to give more, then do that as well.  If you’re already giving, consider an increase.  When you do so, expect the quality of your joy to increase, knowing your generosity is making a difference toward the greater good.  Your generosity may be the difference-maker in someone’s life. 

The bottom line is to give of yourself and to do so generously!  The universal law of attraction will perpetuate and come back to you.  Give it a try and drop me a line on how you see the gift of generosity working in your life! 

Until next time!

- G -

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Enjoy the Journey

Enjoy the Journey!

You’ve no doubt heard it many times, but having goals and aspirations is essential to the forward progression of life.  It’s true, because, without knowing where we’re headed, how would we ever know once we’ve arrived?  Or worse yet, how the heck would we even know the path it takes to get there?  Well, today’s blog is not so much about the destination as it is the journey.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard things like, “I hate this job” or “college sucks” from some of the very same people who later attest to how much that job or class meant, in retrospect, in building or shaping the outcome of their present, and most often, improved situation.  Ask most young military recruits who are caught up in the middle of initial basic training and they too will tell you just how "terrible" their situation is.  But ask them to look upon their training after they’ve successfully graduated and they’ll have story after story on how the experience left an indelible change on their lives, and oftentimes, literally transformed them into mature adulthood. 

All too often, we get so caught up in anticipating what’s next that we lose sight of what’s now.  If you think about it, the very things going on around us right now is the result of the actions we put in place to bring us to this moment.  Ignoring it is not only tragic; it robs us of the subtleties that are designed to keep us moving forward in a meaningful way.  In other words, don’t forget to stop and enjoy the journey! 

This blog is a reminder to enjoy the journey, or the now.  There’s so much happening in the journey that we can experience and truly savor.  Our experiences and reactions to the journey literally shape who we are as individuals.  If you have children, you have more than your share of examples right in front of you that serve to drive the point home to its core.  Our children change every single day.  Yet, it’s so easy to get used to the subtle changes taking place right before our very eyes that makes it all too easy to look past…until they do something so funny or spectacular that it gives us pause and reminds us just how perishable the journey is…just how delicate and important the moment is.

If you don’t have children, try something else that’ll serve as a reminder.  Sit and watch a sunset one evening.  As you watch the beauty of the changing colors cast upon the horizon as the sun sets, take note of the amount of time passing before your very eyes.  Here’s a wake-up call – it’s the last sunset you’ll ever see…today!  Tomorrow’s sunset isn’t a guarantee.  If you’re able to grasp that concept, the sun will seem to set so much faster than it normally would if you were to simply allow it to happen without savoring the experience. 

There are so many other things that can serve as a reminder to enjoy the journey.  Don't allow these important things to escape you without an attempt to enjoy them for everything they offer.  Look around on your drive to work instead of thinking about what's on the agenda once you get there.  The agenda and all the expectations of work will be there when you arrive.  Why waste your journey on thoughts that won't change a thing anyway?

Another important part of the journey is to pay attention to what it’s telling you about the direction of your life.  It’s in the journey where we make conscious adjustments to our future.  We base those decisions on the experiences provided to us inside the journey.  If we experience joy and satisfaction, we tend to view that positively and seek to perpetuate more by repeating the decisions it took to bring us to this point.  Conversely, if we tend not to really care too much for our circumstances, we choose to change them so we can enjoy a different journey in the future.  Every journey, however, good or not-so-good, provides insight we can use to make these adjustments.  So, my humble advice is to experience the journey for everything it provides. 

Our journey brings us to places and circumstances for a reason.  The reasons are as wide and varied as each of us are unique.  Suffice it to say, however, that each of our journeys are designed to shape us to become wiser, more aware individuals with the potential to make decisions that continually change the path of our journey.  The direction that journey takes is ultimately up to you alone to control.  I only hope you stop occasionally to enjoy the scenery that surrounds you along the way!

Until next time!

- G -

"Don't get so caught up in what tomorrow will bring that you fail to experience the joys of today."  - G. Westfal - 

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Author

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom of the left column.  You'll be subscribed and will receive notification whenever I publish a new blog or provide updates to my novel Dream State.  And help me by recommending this blog to others and "liking" my FB page.

Please visit my All American Warriors! bog at: http://allamericanwarriors.blogspot.com/ 

Please visit my website: www.gwestfal.com

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