How Generosity Can Help You Achieve Your Dreams

"True generosity means you give it your all, pursue your passion."

generosity

What is True Generosity?

Generosity is the quality of being kind and generous. It is the virtue of being liberal in giving, usually in reference to gifts. It’s a fantastic quality in a person’s character that allows them to be benevolent in their actions. Generous people see a need and feel compelled to fulfill that need regardless of what that might entail – donating their time, money etc. Generosity of spirit is the willingness to extend kindness to others, sharing your talents in beneficial ways with those around you, without expecting anything in return. While it often involves giving of some sort being generous can just mean being human. Caring for others and giving in the spirit of helping another person simply because we share a common bond of humanity is the right thing to do. Connecting to our generous spirit helps us to see and feel love. It allows us to be grateful for what we have and help our community. As the saying goes, “love makes the world go round.”

Be Generous to Others

Everyone wants to be loved and appreciated, both are components of happiness. When you emit a selfless generosity, it feels wonderful both for you and the party you’re bestowing your gifts on. It builds your character and helps to conjure up happy feelings even when you’re having a bad day. Teach yourself to be aware of the opportunities that present throughout the day where you can extend yourself with a generous spirit. When you’re on the receiving end, be sure to be grateful of others’ generosity towards you. Pat yourself on the back as the example you set for them taught them to return the favor. It catches on quick and what a great quality to disperse into the world. Imagine how much nicer life would be if we could all just be a little bit more generous. Be it, teach it and spread the love!

Be Generous to Yourself By Doing What You Love

Now that we addressed being generous toward others, what about being generous with ourselves. We are all passionate about something, many things perhaps, and have felt the gentle tug of interest in pursuing something else besides what we are doing now. This feeling is often just a whisper that goes unrecognized for a time until our instincts start begging us to pay attention and take action. Pursuing your passion means making great changes. These changes can be physical, mental or even a whole career change that has you taking on something completely new.

How to get Started

Find Your Passion

  • Identify things you are passionate about without concern for the how, time, money etc. Think about things that you enjoy, make you feel good and happy. Make a list to keep track as you think, jot them down. Dig back into your childhood if necessary. Identifying things you enjoy can be difficult if your not used to concentrating on yourself.

Get Educated

  • Research what needs to be done to achieve your dreams. Degrees you may need, the time it takes to educate yourself etc. Go into anything that you pursue with your eyes open so you don’t get caught up in difficulties immediately. Remember that everything takes time and you will encounter obstacles so be prepared.

Find a Mentor

  • Look for guidance from someone who does the same thing. Consult a career counselor or find a person who’s willing to mentor you if possible. The expertise of someone with experience in the field you’re looking to get into can be invaluable as you proceed.

Expand Your Network

  • Network to meet people with similar interests, search online groups for instance and attend events offered that sound interesting. Sometimes, meeting the right people can be extremely helpful logistically and also in terms of establishing a support group emotionally. 

Think Ahead

  • Try to anticipate obstacles you may encounter and be prepared to overcome them. You will likely hit not just one or two obstacles but many throughout your passionate journey. Face each challenge with courage. Organize your thoughts and actions in a way that allow you to jump over hurdles like a pro.

Be Patient

  • Be aware that it may take time to gain earning power with your dream job. Consider working part-time to support yourself and try to incorporate your passions into your current life and work. Look online or through your established network of people to find internships that may lead to paying jobs in your field of interest. Don’t be shy about going for it even if it’s a position that seems difficult to obtain, be bold and try it!

Take Little Steps

  • Do even just a little something each day to move towards the achievement of your goals. Not everyday is going to be your best day, but you can take even just a small step in the right direction. You’ll feel better and any step is better than no step, it all helps. 

Stay Up to Date

  • Stay educated about what you are trying to achieve as things change in every field of work so you need to remain current. Continuing education in any industry is important, but when you are trying to break into a certain field of work, education is imperative to your success. Any manager is going to be pleased if you have taken the initiative to increase your knowledge base.

Get Experience

  • Look for opportunities to get experience and practice in your desired field. Experience is essential in any job and always makes you a better contender for an open position in a company or facility. Practice makes perfect as they say, or at least makes you better.

Find Emotional Support

  • Establish a good support system of friends, colleagues and family. Emotional support is so valuable as you embark on a passion project or any project for that matter. It takes a lot out of you, the stress is immense and can rise to incredible levels.

Have a Plan B

  • Have a back-up plan in case things really get tough. A plan B is always a good idea, just think about what avenue you’ll pursue if your first choice just doesn’t work out.

During this time be generous and kind with yourself, reaching goals can be a lengthly and tough process, pace yourself and give yourself a break. Self care is so important and generous people often forget themselves as they reach out to others. Take care of you and as the process unfolds the generosity and kindness you put out into the world will work it’s way back to you, be grateful in both giving and receiving.

Photo: Loli Clement

Join the Conversation

    1 Comment

    1. Avery Elizabeth

      Extending yourself in generous and kind ways really vibrates out into the world and makes everyone around you think positively and with a greater generosity of spirit themselves.

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Trending

    View All