Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Generosity is one of the most underappreciated traits of manning up (I mean true, selfless generosity, not the generosity for the purpose of showing off to others). Generosity is about more than money. We can be generous in giving money to those who need it certainly, but also our time, our talents, our knowledge, our love and our resources. The key to being generous is that is done freely instead of grudgingly and done without seeking credit or appreciation. Here are some ideas to help grow in generosity and become a more giving person

1. Recognize the needs. All around are people who could use a helping hand and all it requires is taking a second to look and then ask. If you still are having trouble, ask any local charity and they will likely be able to find a way to put your giving heart to action
2. Start small. Make a point every day of giving something (time/money/talent etc.) without expecting anything in return. This could be buying a coffee for a coworker, volunteering with the food bank or maybe teaching a class on something you know at a nearby school. As these behaviors become more consistent you will begin to see changing attitudes until being generous becomes increasingly natural.
3. Start with ways that feel most comfortable and then begin stretching your comfort zone. Everyone is going to have ways of being generous that are more natural. Some people may find it easier to give from a distance, while others may want to be able to see those impacted by their giving, but the key is to begin expanding your comfort zone as you grow that giving muscle.
4. While giving to others, ensure your own needs aren’t going unmet. For a lot of people, it becomes easy to keep giving to the point that their own needs go unnoticed, and this results in burnout. Sometimes you may need to say no and take the time to look after yourself.
5. Giving is not a one-time thing. The more you give, the easier it becomes; but the reverse is also true. Once you get out of practice in giving it becomes far more difficult to get started again. Find ways to make giving part of your regular routine, such as regularly scheduled times (i.e. helping out the same night every week in your local food bank) or perhaps schedule reminders in your phone

One of the keys to making the world a better place is for people everywhere to step up and give when others are in need. The world does not have a resource scarcity problem, just a resource distribution problem. There is nothing wrong with enjoying your life or being financially comfortable, but there is a problem when there are people hoarding billions of dollars, more money than you can reasonably spend in multiple lifetimes, while there are people literally dying from lack. If you don’t have extra money to give, consider some of the many others way to give and know that every time you give, the world becomes a little better.