Author: Kieran Johnson - The Generosity Guy

Hi there! My names is Kieran and I am your Generosity Guy-de, to assist you to find your purpose. In a charity saturated world, I am the one that will walk beside you to help you navigate through the overwhelming noise and create the kind of change that you want to see. I started out my working life in banking. I found myself in Melbourne selling financial products to financial planners. After countless meetings in which I was told how many millions of dollars they each had in funds under management, I realised I didn’t care about that. Creating more wealth for the wealthy did not motivate me. So, I decided to find what did. Through a journey of community radio and some time with World Vision promoting 40 Hour Famine and partnering with philanthropists whilst working with Opportunity International Australia, I realised that what motivates me is to inspire individuals and businesses in Australia to discover their purpose in generosity. And that through their generosity they can ending poverty, one family and one community at a time, through the power of a small loan. Providing small loans and other financial services allows families in India and Indonesia to build their own small businesses and earn reliable incomes, giving them the tools they need to break free from the poverty cycle. I am married to Ash and father to Molly, Jethro, Harvey & Willow. Life is good.

“I just have to say this…” Nope, no you don’t.

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Sometimes you don’t need to say it out loud.

I know, you can see the problem. It’s as clear as day. It’s like a giant red flashing light.

But the real question is, are you trying to help another person or are you just trying to prove that you are right, smart, of better than someone else?

James Clear said, “Leaving something unsaid can be a form of generosity. You don’t always need the last word.”

So, maybe it’s time to place your ego aside and contemplate the impact your words have on other people, even if you have the ‘right’ answer.

I’m reminded of the quote from Brian O’Driscoll, “Knowledge is knowing that tomatoes are a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put them in a fruit salad.”

In the same way, knowledge is knowing the right answer to a problem. Wisdom is knowing when, how and if to say it out loud.

So, let’s strive to reach for knowledge and wisdom, and find ways to be generous to those around us, even if it means saying nothing at all.

“I think you have the wrong meeting”

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My greatest fear is turning up to a Zoom call meeting early only to discover that the previous meeting hasn’t finished, or that my meeting has been shifted to another room, or – worst case scenario – I have the wrong day. There is nothing like the complete humiliation of many faces popping up on a screen as you enter, they stop talking awkwardly, and then suggest ‘Uh, I think you have the wrong meeting’, to which I reply, ‘Sorry folks. I’ll jump out.’

I then leave the meeting and spend the rest of the day emotionally recovering from looking so stupid. If it happens first thing in the morning, I’m not kidding, the whole day is a write off.

This has happened to me a number of times and I can remember each and every one of them, viscerally.

The other end of the spectrum is when you turn up to a video call early and the other person is late, so you end up staring at yourself on the screen contemplating what you are doing with your life whilst trying to check yourself out from different angles. (If you have two screens you can genuinely see what you look like from the side – it’s pretty fun). I prefer this one over gatecrashing someone else’s meeting, because, after checking a handful of times to make sure I have the right time and place, I can make sure that I am ready to go as soon as they jump on. (Plus there is always the hope that the meeting will get cancelled and I can do something else…)

The people I work with know that I will be two minutes early for every meeting and I will hold space and wait if they get caught up with something. This is a gift to other people, that costs me nothing (and can be done without becoming a doormat)

“Being early can be a form of generosity. You wait, so they don’t have to.” – James Clear

I don’t crash too many meetings anymore because technology has changed a little, but even if it did happen whilst I was attempting to arrive early as an act of generosity, it’s worth the risk.

Why Read?

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I really enjoy reading. Over the last 15 years it has become a central part of my life and my journey.

Not every genre though, as I am sure you understand. Not everyone likes the same things. But as a I look back at the things that have really held my attention during that time, there appears to be 2 reasons why I enjoy reading something

Firstly, I read something because it will make me smarter, either in reality, or just in my perception. I really like learning about things that interest me, be that in the realm of psychology, philosophy, self-leadership and a small amount of economics*. Sometimes I genuinely increase my understanding and intellect about a topic through reading, and sometimes I just feel smarter because I finished reading a challenging book (often by Nassim Taleb), even though my general intelligence hasn’t improved.

Secondly, I read something that tells a hell of a story. I am addicted to story. Once a story loop starts in my head, I really, really want it to be closed off. But I am choosy about what I let get started, which means I don’t pick up any random novel. There is a high barrier to entry, and even then if I finish a book and the story wasn’t up to scratch, I will think unhelpful thoughts towards the author. It has to be a great story, a good one won’t cut it.

This is not just for me though. When creating for people, generally they will consume it if it makes them smarter (real or perceived) or it’s a hell of a story. Ideally it’s both.

*Honestly, I’m not sure I understand economics, or most things written by Nassim Taleb to be fair.

The Journey Must be Good

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“I just need to get to the end of this week.”

How many times have I said that?

How many times have you?

The need to get through the week, or this month, or this year, until payday, this debt has gone or this season has changed, can be strong because no one enjoys being in a difficult or uncomfortable position. We just want it to go away and until that happens it is hard to focus on or enjoy other things.

 So, we wait for the good times to come, impatiently. The things which we think create good times are the new things we collect, be they big ticket items or everyday things.

But once we have the new things they rarely hold our attention or bring the joy that we thought they might have.

As Pliny the Younger said, “An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.”

You’re telling me that if life is uncomfortable or challenging now, the things that I am looking forward to in the future won’t help? Thanks Pliny, I feel much better now.

What is left for us is the journey from now until then. We get to choose the path we take, who we take that path with and how we can enjoy that path together.

Also, I think there is a way to find joy and purpose without going after things, but that is more a philosophical/spiritual journey.

Responding to Hate with Kindness: Lessons in Courageous Leadership

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It’s the kind of leadership I respond to and think is strong and courageous. I don’t see it in too many people anymore. But Martin Luther King Jnr. had it in spades.

His quote continues to rattle around my head.

“Hate begets hate…”

From hate, more hate is birthed. It grows and overwhelms every person it touches.

“…violence begets violence…”

From violence, more violence is birthed. It grows and overwhelms every person it touches.

Hate filled violence is a scourge on our world. We think it’s strength. We think it’s righteous. We think hurting someone who hurt us is the way it is supposed to be. A justified action. But it only creates more hatred and violence at the ones who have been affected by it that will bubble up and take down whomever they think is responsible for their hurt.

We can track wars back to small acts that ‘required’ responses which then, in turn, required responses and grew into millions fighting and dying for something someone else started.

Somewhere, someone has to put a stop to it. To look past the wrong that has been done to them, and to express grace and forgiveness, and not retaliate with a ‘justifiable’ response. Someone has to say ‘enough’.

I can think of one man that did that. Wrongly accused and sentenced to death. Innocent and yet still violently murdered. But even as it happened he urged love and forgiveness for those who committed the violence.

“Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing”. Jesus.

They didn’t know that violence wouldn’t provide them the peace they are after. Hatred wouldn’t solve the inner turmoil and hurt they were feeling. Only love can do that.

“We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love”.

What does love look like in the face of hate?

Mostly, it’s a refusal to treat others the way you have been treated. But more than not treating someone badly, it is a proactive treating others how you would like to be treated.

If you want to be loved, then love.

It you want to not be on the end of a violent act, don’t act violently towards others.

If you want to be the recipient of kindness, then be kind.

If you want to be the recipient of generosity, then be generous.

Or, to appease my desire to not sound too self-centred:

If you want your family to be loved by others, then love.

If you want your family to not be on the end of violent acts, then don’t act violently towards others.

If you want your family to be the recipients of kindness, then be kind.

If you want your family to be the recipients of generosity, then be generous.

Sure, there is never a guarantee that you what you put out into the world will come back directly to you or your family, but it is much better to err on the side of love, non-violence, kindness and generosity.

If I ever get accused of being too much of something, I hope that it’s because I was too much of those things.

I also note that I use the word ‘hate’ too often. It is not lost on me that, even whilst sharing thoughts on generosity, I still manage to add to the hate…I’m working on that.

‘My Life My Rules’ and other selfish life philosophies

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“New Rule, I get to do whatever I like.”  Ellenor Shellstrop, The Good Place

There are a number of ways to view this world which may sound appealing but in reality the lead to pain and suffering. Let’s look at a few.

“I can do whatever I want to do.”

This is totally true, you can do whatever you want, but you reap what you sow. You sow chaos, you reap chaos. You sow selfishness, you reap selfishness. You sow generosity, you reap generosity. There are always consequences for your actions. They may not line up exactly but generally you get back what you give out.

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

I totally agree. As an adult, no one can tell you what to do. You can do anything you like. There is nothing stopping you. But if no one has the chance to speak into your life you miss out on all sorts of wisdom. Also, if you live life without boundaries or restrictions, with nothing off limits, you hurt the people around you and you hurt yourself.

“That sounds like a ‘You’ problem.”

At one level, this appears to create healthy boundaries and at the same time it encourages personal responsibility, but it is born from a lack of empathy and a disconnect from other people’s life and emotions. Essentially it is a way of saying “I don’t care about you and what is happening in your life”. You could say that instead, it would certainly take care of any pesky ‘friendships’ you may have.

“I don’t owe anyone anything”

It sounds like independence, but it is filled with arrogance and self-centredness. It also completely misses the interconnectedness that we have with each other. No one on the planet got where they are without the help of a large amount of people. We owe it to each other to give back to others.

“My life, my rules.”

This one encapsulates a few different one’s together. Again, this almost sounds great and encouraging to hear people living their own life, but being part of a community, any community, requires living by other people’s rules sometimes because of the broader benefit to the wider group. Think of speed limits, or anti-corruption laws, or the general understanding that you whisper when you are in the local library. There are a number of times when it would be to your personal benefit to ignore those rules, but we have a wider responsibility to the people around us. That understanding is the foundation of generosity.

Plus, as Steve Maraboli said,

“Selfish people tend to only be good to themselves…then are surprised when they are alone”

It’s best to not be alone.

Is Kindness Really Free? The Hidden Cost Most People Ignore

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“Kindness is costless but also priceless” Warren Buffett

True kindness does cost you something, but not necessarily money. Perhaps that’s just how Warren Buffet sees the world, through a zero-sum game of whether something costs you money or not.

Because I know that kindness costs time, energy, mental space, the opportunity to do something else and sometimes, yes, even money.

But the impact of a kind act is so much more valuable.

Warren is right about the money with this point, it is priceless.

You cannot calculate the dollar value of a genuine kind act from one person to another because it would fall short.

Some things are not able to be bought and therefore there is no space for kindness and generosity within the financial economy. For those that focus solely on dollars and cents, this makes no sense, or cents, so it isn’t something they get involved in.

In this, Warren Buffet is an anomaly. One of the richest men on the planet still has a philosophy of kindness.

He knows that some things are worth more than money.

Is generosity just for good people?

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“Have you met me?” I asked a close friend.

They has just said something weird and seemed worried about sharing something with me, because I might judge them for not having their life altogether.

They had seen me go through some of life’s craziest twists and turns, and at no point could I claim that I had it all together. Yet, they feared me judging them? Holy cow. I have no right to do that – I may not be the worst person on earth, but I am far from 100% good.

But my friend, they are a really good person, even though they just shared about some pretty tough things they were involved in.

Life is messy and challenging and I think that anyone who can even be a little bit good in amongst that it outstanding.

In this dichotomy of mess and bits of good, we find an interesting reality – people can act generously without being totally good. Generosity is an outworking of the good we have within us, somewhere. Even if it is a tiny amount of good.

You don’t have to be considered good to act generously to other people.

Also, generosity grows that tiny bit of good within us and makes it a little bigger.

Top 5 Books of 2025

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A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.” Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer

As it turns out, my reading this year was skewed to power and politics. I know, I’m as surprised as you are, but it was a fascinating year of reading, also devastatingly troubling. But I have found one of my all-time new favourite books. You will see below.

TOP 5 NON-FICTION

The Chancellor: The remarkable odyssey of Angela Merkel – Kati Marton

Angela Merkel is a unique and brilliant women, born in a unique time, in a unique place. Some would say just the right time and just the right place. She could have chosen to go into academia and make a significant impact there, instead she chose public service. With an interest and skillset for global affairs, when East Germany opened up it allowed her to continue her journey which eventually led to the role of Chancellor of Germany, and one of the best leaders the world has seen in recent times. Humble to the point of still doing her own shopping at the local supermarket, and private to the point that her staff never saw inside her small home. This book is an incredible insight into who she is, how she thinks and the legacy she left. It’s an unofficial biography of course, because Angela would never sell her story, but still is a very full telling of her story nonetheless.

The Fifth Risk – Michael Lewis

Classic Michael Lewis – running through the biggest risks to America and diving deeper into the fifth one, being the risk of the failure of complex government functions due to incompetence/ignorance and poor management.

Michael spent time with people who worked in some of the most unknown and misunderstood elements of the essential government operations, his conversations with those people shine a very scary light on what happens when the transition into a new government is not handled well, or in some cases, doesn’t happen at all.

Lost Connections: Uncovering the real causes of depression – and the unexpected solutions – Johann Hari

As only Johann Hari can, through his journalistic approach he takes a deep look at depression through first hand experiences as well as in depth conversation with experts across the board. Not taking the general medical advice on face value, he asks some challenging questions which are helpful to anyone who is struggling with depression, or know someone who is. A quick overview: medical interventions can be helpful in the depression journey, but they are not the only thing that can help – there is more to be done.

***TOP BOOK OF 2025*** Corruptible: Who gets power and how it changes us – Brian Klaas

Brian Klass answers the age-old question, does power corrupt or do corrupt people seek power? One that I have been trying to work out for a while but have never come to a satisfactory answer, until reading this book. Brian notes that those who stay in power for a long time are generally attuned to do what needs to be done to stay there, meaning that most have flexible morals as those who would not corrupt themselves for the sake of position and power have already opted out. Who is left over is a diminished field of leaders.

At the same time, the systems of accountability in place in power structures also have an impact how people behave.

If you combine those two elements together, we find ourselves with the world we live in. Perhaps we might want to change how we think about what makes a good leader.

Careless People – Sarah Wynn-Williams

Maybe it was just a year of freaking myself out or letting myself get disappointed with the people we let have some authority over us, but this book added to my sense of bewilderment. Sarah was at Facebook from early days and journeyed with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Samberg through the growth period of Facebook and how they attempted to deal with political powers in order to keep that growth going, no matter the cost.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Facebook before reading this, now, wow. Reading this after finishing Corruptible, certainly helped me understand how this kind of thing happens but it didn’t make me feel any better about the shady people who say they are for making the world a better place but are only chasing growth and profit.

TOP 5 FICTION

Boy Swallows Universe – Trent Dalton

I am sure many have read this already, but Trent Dalton can write a story. I loved reading this book. Not just a story about a family living in Brisbane in the 80’s, it’s deals with organised crime, poverty, magic and kids growing up. The Netflix series did a great job of capturing all of that on the screen.

Everything Lost, Everything Found – Matthew Hooton

Brand new book alert!

Matthew Hooton lives in Adelaide and this book was one of the stories that gripped the most this year. From the rubber-tree plantations in the Brazilian Amazon to the heart of Michigan’s rust belt, the story follows Jack through his life of family tragedy, age and loss. I was truly sad when I finished this book because it was over, but I am very happy to be able to read it again.

The Overstory – Richard Powers

I had no idea what this was when I picked it up. It was a random podcast recommendation. I read the first section and thought it was a book of short stories. The first one, if it was a just a short story, was the best one I have ever read. But, the stories interconnect over time as the Overstory interacts with the main characters and the trees, although it could be said that the trees are the main characters. (That may not make any sense to you, my wife didn’t get it either when I tried describing it to her). Although I didn’t thoroughly enjoy how it ended, it was a very good read.

The Stranger in the Lifeboat – Mitch Albom

From the author of Tuesday’s with Morrie, Mitch Albom has shown himself to be an excellent fiction writer as well. (Other people may know that already, I am just discovering it). After a boating accident, survivors end up on a lifeboat, with a stranger that just seemed to appear. Through the challenge of survival in the middle of the ocean, the survivors seek to learn about the stranger but end up learning more about themselves, and death. Many of them die. Don’t let that put you off, it is a great book.

Steelheart – Bandon Sanderson

Apparently I read Young Adult fiction now. This is the first in Brandon Sanderson’s series about the Reckoners. I read the whole series this year, that’s how good this book was.

It’s a superhero thing, but not how you would imagine.

Why We Struggle to Trust Ourselves (And How to Fix It)

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“I’ve always gone for the ‘bad boy’ in my relationships, and it has never worked out. I want to find a healthy relationship and settle down”.

“Good for her!” I thought. Self-awareness is the key to helping us create the life that we want.

I rarely watch reality tv. I have caught glimpses over the years, but I never thought that anything about it was actually real, until one day I happened upon a bachelorette type franchise where a well-known female was the object of many a male’s affection. Not groundbreaking by any stretch.

What did stand out was this insight she had about herself.

Fast forward to the end of the series and the final two males that she could choose from represented her two options in life. Choose the new, unknown, probably healthy relationship with a nice guy who cared for her, or the same relationship she has had over and over, which she said she didn’t want.

She chose the second option, the ‘bad boy’ she said she didn’t want, and a few months later it all fell apart, like it always did.

I couldn’t believe it, she had happiness and contentment right in front of her and she threw it aside to chase after something that seemed fun but in the end was damaging. Why would she do that?

But when you think about it, we all do that. We all have some idea about what is good for us, what is healthy, what will probably make us happy, when faced with a choice between those things and what looks fun in the moment, how many times do we choose the thing that will hurt us in the long term? Why can’t we just make good, healthy decisions?

It’s one thing to know what is good for us, what we need, and what will create the best scenario for us down the track, it’s another thing to do it.

Generosity is like that. We could give some money away, or some time, or do something thoughtful for someone else, or we could buy another pair of shoes, or start the next episode of whatever we are streaming at the moment. I know which of those things will make me happier long term, but often I choose the other things.

What on earth do we do? Be generous to yourself and know that this isn’t how it always has to be. You can make a change, by starting small. Take $5, 5 minutes or 5 messages and use them to act generously towards others. Then go back to your shoes and shows. If you do this consistently, over time you will require less shoes and shows and enjoy more generosity and more of life.

Who knows, you may even find yourself making more good, healthy decisions in other areas of your life too.