Gratitude practices are all over the place, and don’t get me wrong, they’re great. But gratitude isn’t the only value that, when put into practice, can change your life for the better.
At Storyboard, we believe that people are innately generous, so what does it look like to start a generosity practice?
Recognize what moves you.
One way to begin your personal practice of generosity is to recognize the stories and causes that move you.
If you get a pit in your stomach when you read a story about homelessness, listen to it. Explore nonprofits serving the homeless in your community.
As individuals, we only have so much time, attention and money to give, and if we try to solve all of the world’s problems, our pursuit will end in frustration and, ultimately, a lack of motivation.
But if we tune into the causes that speak to us directly, we have a guide for how and where to practice generosity.
Plan ahead.
As with anything related to finances, budgeting and planning ahead are key. If you know what your salary will be for the year, it’s easy to plan around how much you want to donate to local nonprofits.
Do you want to donate 3% of your income this year? Or maybe a whole number, like $500? Set a goal that feels generous.
Not sure where to begin? Start small and see how you feel.
The same is also true when you’re generous with your time. If you’d like to volunteer for 2 hours/month, pick a day—say, the 3rd Saturday of the month—and stick to it.
It can always grow from there.
Ask your friends to join you.
When you wield your personal influence to amplify a cause, that’s generous.
Whether you’re sharing a local nonprofit story on social media or asking a friend to join you on a volunteer opportunity, you’re practicing generosity.
If everyone who cared about a cause talked to a small group of friends about it and gave them actionable steps to take, every donation and volunteer hour would be multiplied.
Consider starting a generosity practice. Like gratitude, generosity has the potential to change your life for the better.
