Giving is good for your health.
At the end of each year, numerous not-for-profit organizations are soliciting financial donations. These same organizations are involved in collecting clothing, food, and other items to give away to those in need. The need for giving of your time, talent, and treasure is always appreciated, but greatly valued in the month of December.
Generosity, as defined by the University of Notre Dame’s Science of Generosity Project, is “‘giving good things to others freely and abundantly.’ When they are generous, people (and sometimes animals) prioritize the needs of others, often above their own.” While it can be frustrating to be continually asked to give in the form of donations, the benefits of giving are clear. According to the Cleveland Clinic, generosity is good for your heart as it can lower your blood pressure. People who volunteer tend to live longer than those who don’t. If you want to reduce your stress, do something for someone else. There is even a “helper’s high” that boosts self-esteem, elevates happiness and combats feelings of depression.
Generosity is about acts of kindness–doing something for someone else. These acts can be large or small. It can include giving tangible gifts or helping someone. According to Kelli Harding, MD, MPH, an expert on kindness, there is extensive research that shows “giving is the social glue that connects us to each other and our communities.”
Some of the most meaningful acts of kindness and generosity are small and don’t cost a lot of money — and the benefits are the same. Thinking about helping someone else reduces your own stress level and increases happiness. Small acts can include walking your neighbor’s dog, shoveling your neighbor’s sidewalk or giving time to listen to a friend.
For my podcast “Becoming a Sage,” I interviewed Jerry Foster, author and the founder of the Foster Group, a financial planning and asset management firm. During our conversation, Foster mentioned how he has been intentional about sharing intergenerational generosity within his family. He described three ways he and his wife have tried to create a culture of generosity.
- Model. Be role models by demonstrating the behaviors you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren.
- Teach. Explain what you want them to understand. Invest time and energy to share information.
- Host. He and his wife have an annual grandparent camp where there are themes such as friendship, kindness, compassion.
When I probed Foster more about generosity, he said he practices three types of generosity which he calls the 3Rs and he shared examples of each.
- Routine. This includes volunteering, mentoring, and small acts of kindness.
- Random. Being aware of the needs that exist and being spontaneous. Giving food or money to a homeless person. Or paying it forward for someone else.
- Radical. Generosity outside of one’s comfort zone. These gifts have a larger impact.
I was so intrigued with one of his radical acts of generosity with his family that my husband and I adopted one of his practices with our family this holiday season. Even though generosity is not just about giving away money, my husband and I want to encourage our three adult sons to support causes and people outside of the family. We gave each son an envelope with a $1000 check and instructions. They could not spend it on themselves or each other. They could not save it. They were instructed to distribute the money in any amount to people or organizations they choose. At the end of the year, their gift to us is to share with the family how they allocated their funds.
Since our sons are each in their 30s, they are all trying to save funds for their futures and they have needs and wants similar to most young adults. While we think they practice routine and random acts of kindness, our request is more radical. Our goal is to role model and teach them to live a legacy of generosity starting now. We look forward to learning how our experiment turned out. Stay tuned for an article about the rest of the story.
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