The Amazing Side Effects of Generosity!
All of us, no matter where we live, no matter what nationality or culture we are; we all experience a warm feeling when we give or receive generously. Many argue that generosity is a win-win for all… and I tend to agree.
Generosity is the quality of being kind, understanding and not selfish. It is the willingness to give or share unselfishly.
Recently, my wife and I gave birth to our first child, Sienna. As you can imagine, we are overjoyed with love and happiness! Many did their best to prepare us for what it means to be a new parent, but few shared the wonderful experience of receiving generosity from the people around us.
From the abundance of well wishes sent via social media; to the personalized cards, numerous calls, gifts and visits over the past week; both my wife and I are humbled by the kind generosity and love sent our way. Happiness has now taken on a new meaning for me; not only from the birth of a child, but also the outpouring of generosity received from the friends and family around us.
Americans who describe themselves as 'very happy' volunteer an average of 5.8 hours per month. Those who are 'unhappy' just 0.6 hours.
Both in our personal life and in the workplace, the side effects of generosity are huge! Research shows that people who are generous are in better overall heath and are less often sick. Generosity also promotes cooperation and connectedness, which leads to gratitude and a state of happiness. At Roma, we’ve recently created Core Value Cards to promote generosity and gratitude! It’s super simple to implement and execute, and yet the outcomes are remarkable.
How it works is simple: When you see a team member, partner, supplier or anyone for that matter, perform an act in line with our Core Values, we send them a card acknowledging that behaviour. The exercise sounds simple enough, but the effects are crazy awesome! It not only promotes our Core Value behaviours, but it also spawns connectedness, recognition, and gratitude. Not to mention, it’s super contagious!
Today, after reading this blog, try this simple no-cost exercise and see the side effects firsthand: Take a simple sticky note and write something awesome to a co-worker, friend, husband and or wife, acknowledge them for something they recently did, and do it from a place of generosity – the effects are crazy good!