Generosity and Purpose
At the deepest level of all of us is the desire to live with purpose and meaning, the desire to know that our life matters and has significance. I believe a key to finding purpose is generosity. In my experience the journey to purpose should not be a lonely one, but it should be populated with people. Our work plays a key part in our purpose story. When we spend so much time in the workplace, finding purpose in business just makes sense.
“Your purpose is not the thing you do. It is the thing that happens in others when you do what you do.”
In Jewish tradition there are eight levels to the concept of generosity. As we move through the scale the benefactor moves from being ourselves, to other people. The highest form of generosity is recognized as equipping someone else with the ability to succeed at something, particularly in business. This goal calls upon the help of mentoring and discipleship and has significant impact on a company and indeed it’s legacy. Biblically, the principle of generosity has the ability to open and unlock greater potential. I have found this to be true in my own business:
“The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 MSG
Time to Level Up
This principle works at the lowest level you can imagine. Sometimes we fall into the trap that we don’t have anything to offer someone else. The truth is that there is no better time than now to level up and start living at this higher level of generosity. The highest level of generosity can be seen in parenting, coaching and even coming alongside someone else to achieve a project. Teams, committees and groups have the ability to thrive at this principle. When we pursue this kind of generous living we build trusting relationships and recognize the contributions of time, effort, and insight.
My business looks different because we try to exercise this level of generosity. We take time to invest in people. People are the engine that run our organizations. We can invest in computers, software, tools, etc. but why would we not invest in the people that run them? It is hard to find a consistently solid return on investment but the growth and success of my company shows a remarkable correlation to the growth and success of the people that work here. It is time to level up, how can you equip someone else today to succeed?
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