Tag: challenge

We All Lose

Published on by Kieran Johnson - The Generosity GuyLeave a comment

If you line up ten people and ask them to tell a story about the worst thing that has ever happened to them, you will notice two things…

  1. Some people go through some incredibly heavy stuff
  2. Everyone has lost something or someone, or had something or someone taken from them

If you have gone through something traumatic, firstly, I’m really sorry that has happened to you, but also you are not unique. We all have some level of trauma in life eventually and it’s a waste of time trying to compare who has had the most trauma or the hardest life, because whilst someone else may have technically had a harder time, it does not diminish the challenges you have faced. Life is hard.

The real key is what you do with those challenges. Do you let them overwhelm you and break you down, or do you use them as fuel to grow in spite of the obstacles? Sounds simple, but certainly not easy.

There is the phenomenon of Post Traumatic Growth which can occur. Unfortunately, for it to happen there needs to be trauma, and then a heck of a lot of work to turn it into something beautiful. But loss and tragedy don’t automatically mean things will stay negative and bad in life. Sometimes they can be the catalyst for the greatest things.

We all lose something, and/or have something taken away from us. It is how we live in and through that tragedy that creates what type of life we have.

Doormat

Published on by Kieran Johnson - The Generosity Guy1 Comment

Being generous is considered to be a ‘good’ thing…generally. But what if you want to achieve greatness, or do difficult things, or have hard conversations? There must be a time to put generosity aside to live in the real world, right?

How do you avoid getting pushed around and becoming a doormat for people because you are generous?

To start with, generosity is borne from a love of people. Here’s part of what that looks like:

Generosity Creates Boundaries

There is a time when simply giving something to someone, be that money, time, freedom, will cause that person harm. It can enable them to continue down a destructive path, or to hurt themselves or others. It is a special act of generosity to create boundaries which protect others and yourself from harm. Just because someone asks you for something it doesn’t mean you have to say yes.

Saying yes to something means saying no to something else. Be intentional about what you say yes to.

Generosity Has Challenging Conversations

Being generous to people means calling them out and inviting them into growth opportunities. It drives someone to embrace the discomfort of a challenging conversation because, by doing that, it has the ability to help someone else grow.

“I love you too much to not see you grow in your humanity” Derwin Gray, former NFL Player, Pastor at Transformation Church.

Generosity Trains

Generosity creates opportunities for people to grow, develop and improve their lives. It encourages people to change, giving them options.

It is not generous to keep people trapped in a cycle of need, dependence and ignorance.

Generosity doesn’t make you a doormat. Generosity empowers you to empower others on their own journey.

It’s Hard To Do in Your Own Home

Published on by Kieran Johnson - The Generosity GuyLeave a comment

Every year in February there is the Random Acts of Kindness Day, during which we are encouraged to show small acts of kindness to strangers that we encounter, to make kindness the norm. I love this idea and am encouraged by the movement. As with all parts of generosity, the science behind it proves that it is good for everyone involved, so get on it.

The challenge that I am putting to people (mostly me) this year is, alongside your random acts of kindness to total strangers on February 17, find small random kind things that you can do to your own household.

For some reason, when thinking about participating in random acts of kindness I automatically assume that it will be for someone I have never met before because that’s exciting. To imagine their surprise and delight when I gift them with something makes me happy. I find it harder to think of creating the same experience for those in my family. Perhaps I’m just a terrible person, but it seems to be a more challenging project.

Maybe the difference is the expectation. If I do a random thing once a year to someone I don’t know, then on February 18 no one is waiting expectantly to be surprised and delighted. It’s a ‘no pressure’ type of kindness. Kind of like the ‘one night stand’ version.

If I create a kindness experience for my family, those that I see every day, that see me every day and know me the best, if I have a bad day when I am ‘not as kind’, then they can rightfully ask where my kindness went. I’m not sure if I want to face that sort of scrutiny. Which is crazy because I know that if I can be kind at random intervals to them then it will serve my family well and deepen our love for each other.

So here’s to random acts of kindness everywhere but also in my household on February 17, and hopefully more to come after as it becomes the norm.