Why being generous isn’t always about money

June 26, 2018 1 Comment
floral bomber jacket and joggers outfit

 

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, about what it means to be generous and how even a small act of generosity can make all the difference. It started around the time of Hannah and Jen's bake sale to raise money for Alzheimers. I couldn't give as much to the Just Giving online as I'd of liked but I helped by making cakes to sell and helping out on the day making cups of tea and anything else I could do. The generosity shown by people on the day and online was incredible and it really got me thinking about how I'd love to be more generous in my day to day life.

Sometimes to be generous doesn't mean giving money, its giving up your time or being generous with your skills, but an act of generosity not only helps someone else but it leaves you with that lovely warm and fuzzy feeling too.

So here's a few ways I think you can be generous without it being always about money.

 

OUTFIT
bomber | joggers | cami | trainers | bag sunglasses

Be generous with what you do have

I like to think I'm generous with what I do have. I give as much as I can to a couple of charities a month and I donate unwanted beauty and clothes items to charity or the women's refuge. I also give samples or beauty bits to my friends and family who I know love to get a treat every so often and it makes me happy that they go to a good home. There are so many ways to be generous with what you do have from donating old clothes or books to dropping a quid in a charity box.

 

Be generous with your time

Time is precious and we all seem to be so busy all the time that often its hard to give away that time to someone else but being generous with your time is such a simple thing to do for someone else. From sparing a few hours on a Saturday to help a friend move house or taking time out of your day to call that friend of family member properly and not just a hurried text message or Whatsapp can really mean something. I was in London the other day a girl was at Liverpool Street clearly unsure where to go and looking so confused. So many people were hurriedly rushing past her not looking and although I was on my way to an event, I stopped and I asked if she was ok.  Turns out she was totally lost and on her way to a job interview. I helped get her right to the tube platform she needed and showed her where to go next. Two minutes it took, two minutes out of my day and in turn I hopefully helped this young girl get to her interview on time and un-flustered and that's worth me being two minutes later to where I needed to be.

 

Be generous with your knowledge

I always really respect those people who take the time out to reply to peoples questions on instagram or twitter and I myself try really hard to answer other peoples questions about the Olympus Pen a subject I know a lot about and so I'm happy to help people out. Being generous with what you know is a sure fire way to help other people out and it costs nothing. Sharing knowledge shouldn't be seen as such a negative thing either. So often I see people not wanting to share blogging knowledge as I guess they see others as competition but to be generous with what you know is a really kind thing to do and I'm always happy to share my knowledge and help if I can.

floral bomber jacket and joggers outfit
floral bomber jacket and joggers outfit
floral bomber jacket and joggers outfit
Be generous with your compliments

There is no better feeling than when someone says "You look nice today" or "Ooh I love your top." A great compliment can really make someones day so be generous with them face to face.

On social media Tweet someone if you loved their post, comment on their instagram or Facebook because just that little gesture can mean the world to the person who put time and effort into their content. I know it means the world to me when I get positive comments on my blog, insta or YouTube and I try to take some time to comment on other peoples videos or images, especially my friends to show I support them.

 

Be generous with your ear

Taking the time to listen is a massive thing. I have some brilliant friends who are always generous with their ear to listen to my woes and take time to be a sounding board for me whether its work related or personal. Chatting is a brilliant thing but often the most generous thing you can do for someone is just to listen.

Be generous with your thanks

Saying thank you is much like a compliment in the effect it can have. Its such a simple thing, but can mean so much to someone. It shows you appreciate someone and that you noticed something they did or worked hard on. Even saying thank you to people who hold doors or let you on the tube is important I think. Thank You is a powerful pair of words and I know it really means a lot to me when people take the time to say it so be generous with your thanks.

 

So that's just a few ways I think you can be more generous in life without it being about money and I'm trying my hardest to action some of these in my every day life, I'd love to know what you think being generous means?

Debs

x

 

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1 Comment

  • Maya June 28, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    I loved this post and you’re so right. There’s many different ways to be generous and make someone’s day by sacrificing a minute or two or saying something nice. I guess our society got fairly selfish and if we pop a few quid into a charity box, we tell ourselves we’ve done well. I’m trying to be supportive and share my knowledge and spare a moment here and there, but sometimes that’s a real struggle (we all like to think we’re in a hurry and need to rush on), so this is definitely something that needs a bit of working on. After all, our lives can only get better as a result.

    Maya | londondamsel.co.uk

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