The Paradox of Generosity: How you get more when you give more

Hey you awesome giver,

I’d love to tell you a story about how consciously giving a percentage of what I earn to the causes I felt strongly about came so easily to me, how it felt wonderful and natural and every time I did it, the sky lit up with sparkling gold dust, unicorns romped past and angels sang!

If I told you that it would be a big fat lie.

As I studied the principles of wealth creation, over and over and over I read and heard about the importance of giving as a conscious strategy to creating wealth. I’d nod sagely and intellectually agree with the principle as something I would definitely implement when….

“When I’ve had more; when I’m earning more; when I’ve saved more, when I’ve invested more; when I reach my Financial Freedom # … then I’ll bring this great wealth creation strategy into my life.”

It wasn’t just giving of my money I’d use this mantra with, essentially I’d use those phrases with all my key resources – giving of my time, giving of my energy, and giving of my money. Basically my fearful “not-enough monster” was running the show. I didn’t believe there was enough and so how could I give. I kept waiting the enough-ness in order to give but like a donkey with a carrot dangling on a stick in front of my nose, I could never reach the enough-ness.

This is the paradox of giving.

In giving we calm our “not-enough monster”. We tell that small scared part of ourselves that we are safe, that the world is abundant, that we don’t have to prove anything or do anything to be enough.

Giving of our time, energy and money is one of the most powerful gifts we can give to ourselves because it tells us we are already enough.

In the powerful words of Charles Dickens – “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

I get this now, but as I said, it didn’t come easily!

Years into my freedom journey I realized I couldn’t avoid this giving malarkey any longer if I truly wanted to experience and live a wealthy life. So I started small. 10% straight of the bat just felt impossible!! A bit like how many “Wealth Chef’s in the making” feel about putting 10% towards their financial freedom by “Paying Themselves First”.

It was stretching and uncomfortable (and still is sometimes) and it brought up loads of stuff about scarcity and not enough-ness for me to process and work through. I got to see that giving 10% of $10 is actually as easy / as hard / the same as giving 10% of $1 million. I discovered that the resistance and fear was never about the amount but about the underlying belief in my own capacity to bring in what I needed when I needed it. I realized that if I couldn’t give when I had $10 I’d never give when I had $1 million.

As I consciously chose to give as a way of life – (as opposed to giving only when I was guilt-ed into it by one of those over zealous charity collectors that accost you on the street or to get away from a beggar at my car window) – a whole new world opened up. A world where I started being given thing, where opportunities and ‘gifts” popped up in the most bizarre ways, where money arrived in the strangest ways, where I got salary increases and unexpected bonuses.

I know it seems far-fetched and just plain weird. I never truly trusted or believed those books either, but after seeing it repeated so many time I chose to give it a go.  It changed my life and expanded my wealthy life experience exponentially and all I ask is that you be open to giving it a go too.

Remember that giving isn’t only about giving money. While you are creating a solid financial foundation by building your emergency fund and clearing bad debt you can give of your time, energy and creativity too.

Here are a few ideas:

• Make a donation to a cause you feel strongly about. The Wealth Chef company supports two causes that are very close to our hearts and aligned to our mission of helping people liberate themselves from the chains of financial impoverishment. Learn the  secret power of giving.
• Volunteer at a local shelter, orphanage, animal organisation or soup kitchen.
• Visit a nursing home or hospital and listen to people’s stories. (one of our amazing Wealth Chef’s in the making is collecting old unused iPods, loading them up with tunes and giving them to folk in old-age homes)
• Clear out stuff sitting unused in your home and pass them on to other who can use them and get value.
• Learn to be a great receiver too because if you only give and never learn how to receive joyfully you block the flow and destroy others giving to you.

In the comments below this post I’d love to hear your ideas on creative ways to give and the experiences you’ve had when you’ve given consciously?

Please share abundantly  – Remember thousands of Wealth Chef’s in the making come here each week for juicy wealth snacks, insight and inspiration and your ideas and shares may trigger someone to have a big breakthrough.