You Get What You Give… Or What They See

Generosity comes in many shapes and sizes. Often how generous we are, in another person’s eyes may not be a true reflection of our generosity. One real question around generosity rests in asking how important is it that other people “see” your generosity.

Let’s explore this.

Cultivating generosity means that you have a desire to give back. Giving back is broader than throwing a few dollars (or a few hundred thousand dollars) to a nonprofit of your choice.

Generosity is about what you deliver to the table, without expecting a return.

Certainly, returns come, which is one of the beauties in the nonprofit world – that by helping someone else, you too might receive something back.

What is different is that generosity is about the gift, not the giver. The more public your giving, the more scrutiny it may very well receive. Knowing this help make the decision when, if, or how you give and what your generosity will look like.

So,

Just practice generosity and be a generous person all the time. Nowhere is the public eye more aware of how you show up than through media, whether social media or mainstream media.

Your growth (in life and business) may largely be determined through others by what “they” see you do.

You Get what You Give… Now, Go Give It

Everybody wants exposure. Most hope that the exposure is a positive one. One avenue for exposure to be positive is to be known as being generous.

Be generous with your time, your energy, your products, your services. Show up. When you do in this manner, desiring to sow more than you reap, you will, sooner than later reap what you sow.

When you show up on social media…give.

When you show up for an interview…give.

When you are finished collaborating with someone… share.

Go above and beyond daily. Make it a habit. It will become part of who you are.

You Give What You Are… Now, Who Are You

A great question at this point is to ask, ‘how do I give.’ Quite simply, you give out of the abundance and overflow of who you are and what you have.

Selfish people do not give much or often, unless they know their pockets will be lined when the dust settles.

Who you are determines what you bring. The higher your ethics, morals, values, one has, the greater value they will deliver.

Others will see this.

People talk highly about this group. When you maintain a high level of integrity, your generosity will cultivate automatically, you will not be able to help it.

If you are out of alignment in that area, people will notice. You may be able to “fake it” for a short bit, perhaps years in some cases, but not forever.

You are What Your Consume… Now, Go Eat

Generosity comes in the form of showing up. Showing up happens based on those ethics, morals, values that are a part of one’s character.

Character is formed in part (in most) by what we consume.

Garbage in… Garbage out.

What you allow in is what gets cultivated and grows. The more positive, healthy, growing relationships you have, coupled with a deep desire and commitment to be in those, the deeper your roots of generosity will go.

Generosity is a marker of character. Selfless striving people are more generous. Selfish people may be generous however they will want you to know that they are generous MORE than you find out they are generous. Let me be clear here too. I am not saying that all people who talk about their generosity are selfish. There is a time and place for it. In fact, that is how nonprofits state their case, and is the entire reason for the nonprofit world… to be generous. I am talking more about those who tout their generosity as a ‘look at me and how great I am’ kind of way.

The Great Melting Pot

Our lives are lived today throughout various media platforms. While there are some people who have successfully avoided them like the plague, for the majority of us, our impact and influence occur often inside of the social vacuum.

Cultivating a lifestyle of generosity means that your values will permeate every area of your life so no matter what part of you had exposure, your character remains consistent.

Be consistent and you will be generous.