Give Generously
What does it mean to “give generously”?
Pausing, visualize and embody generosity. How does it feel, what is it? How do you hold generosity as a personal value? Although generosity as a value may vary for different people, it certainly involves an act of exchange, an act of giving, of receiving. When we are generous we are giving to others abundantly. We are performing acts of service, transmitting compassion, creating opportunities for ourselves and others. Giving with generosity is inherently reciprocal. When we give generously there is an authentic inspiration, rather than an obligation, to reciprocate.
After a hard day, a friend gives me some flowers with a small loving card, nothing that breaks the bank, and I feel safe and supported. Their monetary gesture was exponentially compounded through the mode that it was given. The mode of generosity expanded the love gesture. A talk and a hug could have alone been enough, but combined with this small gift I will be consoled for days to come with flowers on my kitchen counter, their note on my fridge. From this act of service, I am inspired to support this friend in the way they supported me. I am inspired to give back with the energy that this support creates in me on an ongoing basis.
What does it look like for you to give generously?
Many of us already do very well in being generous to our friends, family, and loved ones. These are people we love dearly, and giving comes easily. But what does generosity look like in business relationships?
Of course you won’t necessarily love all of the people you work with or do business with. However, it is important to us to view the transaction of energy, of material value, of money, the way we did with our best friend above: as a meaningful and generous exchange.
If you are an entrepreneur, generosity could look like paying people what might seem like a high price for a service, with the trust that doing so will inspire them to meaningfully devote their labor to you. Of course, not everyone deserves your money and not everyone will be willing to reciprocate in a meaningful way. When choosing who to do business with, consider: “What are they charging, and does it seem like they will intentionally devote their labor to me with this offering?”
When charging others for your own service, charging more does not make you greedy or fraudulent. With the intention of reciprocity, charging more allows us to give our service more generously, as our labor is more valued. We are inspired to saturate the time we devote to a client, serving them as best as we can. Charging more does not make you greedy, but can inspire us to really show up for a client or business partner.
Most importantly, charge what feels good, even better, charge what allows you to give generously and in alignment with your values.
Do not charge what other professionals or mentors tell you to charge. Do not charge what others are charging. Do not charge based on a past experience, conversation, or circumstance. Do not charge based on a mental strategy.
For example, if you reduce your prices to ‘get’ a client, then that relationship will be perhaps be tinged by neediness, scarcity, a lack of trust in your worth. If you increase prices based on the advice of someone else whose values of generosity do not align with your own, there is a chance you will be left questioning the validity of your values. If you are working in the domain of generosity and service, the amount and the way you charge is a crucial starting point.
If you are an employee working for other people, giving generously could look like asking for a raise. Being paid more generously might make you more willing to meaningfully devote time to your job. The generosity is reciprocal: you are given more, and you naturally give more back.
When what you charge or what you are paid is out of balance in either direction, giving or receiving too much or too little, there is a piece of your attention always devoted to the numbers that takes away from your attention to devoting service.
Continue to meditate on what generosity means in your life as a personal value. Be creative in the ways you can give generously in both your personal and professional life, because we shouldn’t have to compromise in either realm.
–Voices of Conscious Money