Generosity is Cheap

Vishen Lakhiani coined a term “brule” which stands for bullshit rules.  I love this because it applies in so many areas of my life.

In my mind, only wealthy people can be generous.  I mean you have to give thousands of dollars to make it worthwhile, right?  This is definitely a brule and I have numerous examples to prove it.

A friend of mine recently posted that he was doing a carwash fundraiser for his child’s mariachi band to go to a conference.  First, I love that they actually OFFERED something instead of just asking for money.  But I digress.  The carwash was at the same time as my son’s birthday party so of course I couldn’t go.  So the next time I saw him in person, I gave him $10 towards the fundraiser.  He was so surprised and thankful, you would have thought that I gave him $100!  And the next time I saw him, he thanked me again for contributing.  Seriously?

Often times when we think of being generous, we think in terms of money.  But if you think about it, it is just a small aspect of generosity.  One of my favorite ways of being generous is being thoughtful.  I believe the best and most rewarding generosity is the gift of your attention.  And that’s free.  Make a call to someone who you know is going through a hard time.  Often times, I offer to make a meal.  There is something so generous about feeding someone.  It not only feeds their bellies, but it also feeds their spirit.  Especially if it’s good food.  When I was pregnant with my daughter and on bedrest due to a high risk pregnancy, a coworker offered to make a meal for me every Sunday until things improved.  She brought dinner over for 3 months.  Her generosity impacted me deeply.  Obviously we were thankful for the delicious meals, but the thoughtful gesture was profound.  Her gesture inspired me to do the same.  Many of my family and friends have been on the receiving end of home cooked meals, all because of my dear friend Kathy’s generosity.

Another way of being generous is just being decent.  It’s so simple but I think we forget to do it all the time.  Or don’t think that it will make a difference.  A great example is last month a gentleman rear ended me.  Initially I was in shock and a bit shaken up.  When I got out of my car to examine the damage, the first thing he said to me was, “Are you ok?”  Yes, I do know that it was his fault and he should be nice, but the reality is, some people aren’t and thinking to ask if you are ok is not the first question some people ask.  His decency made an impact on my reaction and caused me to ask, “Are you ok?” too.  We both looked at my car and there was just a small scratch on my bumper.  I told him it wasn’t a big deal but I feel like I should get his information just in case.  He looked in the car for his registration and insurance and both were expired.  He admitted that it wasn’t his car and he was borrowing his friend’s, as he was on his way to pick up his car.  I told him it’s ok, I really don’t want to get him or his friend in trouble for driving with expired insurance and registration.  He looked at me with a big relief on his face and said, “I feel like God had us meet so we can bless each other today, thank you”.  We hugged and parted ways.  I left that interaction with a swollen heart full of gratitude.

There are so many ways you can be generous with people.  You don’t have to wait to be rich, because generosity is not about money. It is about the small everyday gestures that you can give to anyone.  For free.