Generositude: Are you Giving what you have been Given? by Doug Grady, Author, Speaker, and Coach

generositude (noun)

the state of giving what you have been given
the experience of gratitude when you give

If you’ve read The Ripple Effect or been to one of my speaking engagements you may recall one of my major turning points. It was roughly nine years ago, I was stuck in every significant area of my life. Physically out of shape, mentally and emotionally all over the place, heavily in debt, spiritually dull, bad attitude. It wasn’t pretty.

I was given what you might call a moment of clarity. It was a one-two punch.

Punch number one: you have been given much. I started taking inventory of what I could consider gifts in my life, what I could be grateful for. The roof over my shoulders that was still there (I wasn’t sure for how long – I was at least three months behind on my rent, but it was still there). I still had food everyday. I still had a car, a phone and electricity. I had an education, not just in college but through people and seminars and books through the years. Resources and skills I developed. People who cared about me.

I had been on my first mission trip to Ecuador roughly three weeks prior to this moment. I got to see up close and personal how some of the rest of the world lives. People with little or no food, no shelter, many in fear for their very lives. People who had been given much less on their best day than I had been given on my worst day.

You have been given much.

Punch number two, you are giving very little. I wasn’t completely stagnant, I would go through the motions, make a prospecting call or two every once in awhile, go to a networking meeting, but I was not fully engaged.

I’d like this to be a gut check for you. Are you giving what you have been given?

Whatever season this is in your life, particularly if this is a pivot point, give yourself the gift of this one-two punch to cultivate more generositude in your life. Grab your journal.

Punch number one: What have you been given? How can you expand the definition of gifts in your life? Consider:

family and friends
other people, even the difficult ones
talents
experiences you’ve had
education
skills and resources you’ve developed through the years
possessions
lessons you’ve learned
food, shelter, even the air you breathe
your body
what do you take for granted?

Generositude begins with the realization that you have been given much.

Punch number two: what are you giving?

How are you showing up for the people that you lead, love and serve?
How can you give of yourself more fully?
How can you share your talents, your time and other resources?
How can you help those in need?
Where can you serve?
How can you more fully experience generositude?

“You can’t out give God.” -Rev. Donald E. Grady Sr.

Ultimately generositude expands when we the more we give the more we receive. When you give of yourself you open the door to receive even more in your own life. More fulfillment, more peace, more joy, more gratitude, more generosity, more…generositude.