Tag: Perfect

Nobody Wins

Published on by Kieran Johnson - The Generosity GuyLeave a comment

Pull the curtain back a little on anyone and you will see the truth. The show on the stage of their life may look amazing. It’s shiny, clean, tight and in sync. Boy, what a performance.

But behind the scenes it’s another story. What happens back of stage is vastly different from what is on show.

If something looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Like Father Richard Rohr said, “Nobody wins. We all pretend.”

Nobody has the perfect life. Nobody has the perfect family. Nobody has the perfect job. Nobody is happy all the time. We are all pretending.

This is great news because it allows you and me to be kind to ourselves when things are tough. When things aren’t perfect. When we fall short of our hopes. When we let ourselves down by not being who we wish we were. When we fail.

It also means that you don’t have to pretend. Be kind to yourself and embrace who you are right now, in this moment.

Also, what happens back of stage always seeps to the front of stage eventually. Our reality will overcome our pretend. So, we can stop (or at least slow down) the pretend and live more in the reality.

Two Generosity Tips for Christmas

Published on by Kieran Johnson - The Generosity GuyLeave a comment

I’ve been trying to get things tidy before Christmas comes, to get everything sorted before the end of the year.

Isn’t that often the experience that many of us have at this time of year, during the build up towards Christmas?

Too many things to do, not enough time.

So here are my two generosity tips to help you survive at this time of year:

Firstly, go easy on yourself, be generous to yourself.

“Perfect is the enemy of good”, we know that saying but I also think perfect is the enemy of joy.

Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect, the build-up doesn’t have to be perfect.

Find time to spend quality time with your friends and with your family and find time for joy. Perfect doesn’t necessarily always fit with Christmas.

Secondly, let people give you stuff. If they want to, let people give you presents.

We find joy when we give so maybe try not to avoid it, allow it to happen and let people express their generosity and gratitude towards you.

It’s a gift to them.

So go easy on yourself, be generous to yourself and let people give you presents, be generous to them at the same time.

And so from everyone at the Generosity Guy, which is me…

Merry Christmas!

It was always going to happen and it will happen again.

Published on by Kieran Johnson - The Generosity GuyLeave a comment

You made a mistake. You got it wrong. You forgot to do a thing. You didn’t think about all the possible outcomes. You acted hastily. You didn’t ask all the right questions. You assumed something that was wrong.

However it happened, you blew it. Now what?

Making a mistake is inevitable. It was always going to happen because you are not perfect. But it’s what you do with that mistake makes all the difference.

You could beat yourself up about it. Rake yourself over the coals, call yourself awful names that you wouldn’t dare utter to another person. You could replay it over and over again in your head focusing on the exact point where the mistake happened and wishing you could just go back and undo it. You could to that, but honestly, what a waste of time. It has already happened and there is nothing you can do about that now.

What is better is to own it. Say, ‘I got that wrong. Good. A chance to learn’, apologise to the people that it has impacted, share with them what you have learned and how you are not going to make the same mistake next time. Then move on to the next thing.

And when you make your next mistake (which you will) you will be ready to get the most out of it.