How You Benefit From Generosity by Roz Denny Fox

A friend sent me a flyer recently on improving health and well-being for the new year. I expected it to be news on exercising and eating right. But instead it was all about practicing generosity. According to a 2014 Gallup Poll, generous people tended to be happier and healthier than less generous peers.

Small acts of generosity toward a friend or stranger will improve a person’s mood and even prompt them to pay it forward.

Donations in any form contributes to the greater good of your community. You will feel more connected to other people around you when you serve.

You will feel more grateful. Your kind gesture of help or good will make you thankful that you’re able to help. You will be more satisfied with your life.

Believe it or not, it will lower your level of stress to do a good deed. Being generous releases feel-good chemicals in your brain.

When you feel more relaxed it improves your work performance. Altruism on the job improves your relationships with coworkers, boosts your satisfaction with your work, and makes you more committed to your job.

The flyer listed 5 ways to pay generosity forward. Something that struck me when I read the list was by how many of the ways are practiced by the writers I’m fortunate to know.

Mentor Someone—Mentors help guide people along their career paths. You don’t need a fancy title, just be comfortable enough to share your experiences, give advice, or offer an ear to listen.

Share a Skill—You may be a whiz at creating spread sheets, at using social media, or using a new software. You’ll reap rewards in teaching others.

Use Your Skills to Help Others—If you knit well, knit lap robes for the elderly. Make dinner for a sick neighbor. Simply smile at someone who looks stressed in a grocery store, or in line at the post office.

Write a Kind Note to Someone—It doesn’t matter who you write a nice, short note too, but make it genuine. Tell a former teacher how much they impacted your life. Tell an author how much you like their book. Drop off a note for the barista who always has a smile when you get your morning coffee.

Volunteer—Busy people seem to find time to help with local charities. It only takes a few hours a month to show you care.

I like to give books away to people I think may not be able to afford to buy them because they can’t get out to stores and live on fixed incomes. It’s not a big thing, but at area Assisted Living facilities, some residents still love to read a good romance.

Your small acts of generosity will boost the spirits of persons on the receiving end. It will also encourage them to pay it forward. Kindness begets kindness, and won’t that make for a better world?