March 9, 2010

Today I Will Be Generous   "Today I will be generous."   How would your life be different if you woke up every day saying those words and acted on them?    Without a doubt, your life would be enriched.    Don't be stingy with your generosity. You can spread it around in several ways:   Lighten someone's load.  Who do you know who had surgery and would enjoy a home-cooked meal brought to his/her door?  Who needs a night out, yet can't find a baby-sitter?  Who needs a ride or someone to accompany them to the doctor or grocery store?  Who is lonely and would enjoy your company?    Be charitable by donating money to your worthy cause.  Even a little can go a long way.    Volunteer your time.  Help out at the soup kitchen, volunteer to read to those who struggle with their eyesight.  Adopt a "friend" in a nursing home.  Bring them cookies. Chair a committee.      Utilize your talents to help others.  Sing at a friend's wedding.  Play the piano at an assisted living complex.  Donate your artwork to your local hospital to place in the waiting room. Teach someone to paint who doesn't have the resources to expand on their budding talent.   Ask.  You don't know if someone would like a bit of generosity until you ask. "How can I help you?"   Smile.  A smile is a way of expressing generosity to a stranger.  Smile again.  A smile is a means to express generosity to everyone you know. Be kind.  Be polite to others. Set a goal of doing one random act of kindness each day.   Be generous to yourself.  Take care of you. Live a balanced life.  When your house is in order, you are in a better place to assist others.   Build on your spirit of generosity.  You will feel good about your part in making the world a better place.   Moreover, when you are generous, generosity will be returned to you.  And, who can't benefit from generosity!       "The generous man enriches himself by giving; the miser hoards himself poor."             Dutch proverb   "We must give more in order to get more.  It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest."             Orison Swett Marden   "Lose yourself in generous service and every day can be a most unusual day, a triumphant day, an abundantly rewarding day!"             William Arthur Ward   "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."             Winston Churchill     Not feeling generous?  Stuck in your own rut?  Get your mind off yourself and look around for someone to sow some generosity on.  Then do something generous.  When you spread some cheer to someone else, the cheer will be returned to you.   Everyone knows that you reap what you sow. Sow generosity and you will reap generosity.    Have a fantastic week and be generous today.   Stephanie     We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com