We aren’t put on this earth to be selfish and focus on ourselves. What has made me happy is knowing that I’m here to help God’s people. We’re not put on this Earth to selfishly live our lives, trying to get the newest or the best gadgets. We’re put on this Earth to help each other grow and thrive. At the end of the day regardless of if we are rich or poor, we’re all God’s people. My sense of purpose has changed throughout my life, and now I feel my freest when I’m helping other people change their lives.
That is the true definition of freedom—being able to help another person change their life and live their dream. That is my purpose. That is what I live for.
I want to teach you a few ways you can give to others and be more generous. But first, we need to talk about the foundation of giving—your mindset. There are two kinds of people—ponds and rivers.
A pond is a collection point for water. Water from a stream or a rainfall can flow in, but it won’t flow out. A pond is stagnant, and it sometimes forms “pond scum” on top of the water because it hasn’t been refreshed. These are the kind of people who believe that there is only so much to go around. In return they hold on desperately to everything that they get, and never really grow.
A river, on the other hand, is constantly flowing. You can never step into the same river twice because the water is continuously in motion. A river is simply a channel that carries water from one point to another. These people are a never-ending supply of goodness for those around them. They have a mindset of abundance because they know there is more than enough to go around. When they give to people and help others in need, they know it comes back
to them in surprising ways.
Your mindset is what makes or breaks you. With the right mindset you can be free, positive, generous, and giving. But if you let yourself fall into a trap thinking that you have to keep every single thing you have, because nothing will ever come back to you — your life becomes a stagnant trap.
When you die, what happens to your money and possessions? It gets distributed to other people. You can’t take it with you when you die, so why hold so tightly to it while you’re living?
I didn’t always think this way. It took time for me to develop this mindset. Generosity is like a muscle. You have to exercise it to get stronger.
The reality is, when you help others, you improve yourself. One reason that happens is because of the positive vibes that giving brings into your life. When you focus on the positive, more positive things happen. Whatever you focus on gets bigger. It’s not that the world around you has changed. The same negative things are happening. But your mindset has changed, so you perceive things in a different way.
I can sum up all my thoughts about giving like this; You should help someone if you’re in a position to do so. When you help others, it always comes back to you in some way. It’s important to give back. We’re here for a bigger purpose. We are here to help God’s people.
That is part of being selfless and giving back to the world.
Being generous and giving is not always about doing big things. Sometimes it’s small acts like that that mean the most, especially when helping people directly. It can even be as simple as paying for another person’s meal when you go out to eat.
No matter where you are starting from, you can begin writing a brand new ending for your life story.
If you’re starting with doubt and confusion . . . embrace your destiny.
If you’ve lost your confidence . . . believe in yourself.
If you’re stuck in a job you hate . . . find your why.
If you’re discouraged about your past mistakes . . . learn from your failures.
If you’re living day-to-day with no purpose . . . focus on the future.
If you’re struggling with stops and starts in your habits . . . be consistent.
If you need to upgrade your relationships . . . choose your friends wisely.
If you don’t have enough energy . . . take care of your body.
If you’ve lost financial freedom . . . live debt-free.
If you want to feel true joy by serving others . . . give generously.
You have so much potential. Don’t wait until tomorrow. You’re not promised another day. Today is the only day you have.
To start giving generously:
1. Do you have a generous mindset? List three generous things you have done for others in the last month. (If you’re struggling to come up with three, you may not be as generous as you think!)
2. If you are struggling financially, what is one thing you can do in the next twenty-four hours to help someone in a way that doesn’t require money?
3. When you come to the end of your life, what regrets might you face? What can you do in the next year to prevent those regrets?
Are you ready to live a generous life?
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