Talk of generosity is on the rise. All the indie kids are singing about it in their basements. Like Donald Trump on a good day, we can’t spend our generosity quickly enough. We’ve more generosity than we know what to do with. Generosity lining our pockets, spilling from our cars; we’re up to our ears in the stuff. We’re saturated. Our cups runneth over. Generosity here, there, everywhere. We’re generillionositaires. We eat generosity for breakfast.

There’s so much potential for generosity.

The challenging aspect of generosity is that it almost always asks us to repeat. Again and again. Once we’ve seen generosity work (it almost always does), we can’t help but start to notice other opportunities to be generous. Once our eyes have been opened, it’s a crime to choose to be blind. You can’t listen to just one song off of The Suburbs. You’ve got to listen to the entire album. Consistency means time and time again. If we invest in consistent generosity, in doing the right thing as often as possible, than we’re stuck giving ourselves away for, well, a lifetime.

Have you ever been stuck following someone into a building? You’re a bit behind but getting that first door for you is no problem. No problem at all. Their pleasure. It’s the generous thing to do. Most people will wait, even smile. The second door, really, isn’t too much of a hassle, either. By the third door, however, most door holders not getting paid to do so start increasing speed to avoid that hurry-up-I’m-tired-of-holding-this-door-for-you awkwardness. By that third door most people have forgotten you even exist. If you’re lucky they’ll punch the handicap button as they run away.

It’s the same way with generosity. That first time is awesome. People are rocking the boat, hands in the air, breaking a sweat; real change is coming. We feed a hungry guy a few times a year, go on an annual “missions trip” to some impoverished country, strike up a conversation with our lonely neighbor every few months and think we’re pretty generous. We’re releasing some of our extra, saved up generosity. Jesus is smiling down upon us. Dalai lama is secretly jealous, Gandhi is so proud, and Mother Teresa will probably greet us in the afterlife.

But what would happen if generosity was our life as opposed to a defined, sectioned off, weekend getaway to the hood? What would happen if we began molding our lives in such a way so as to center them around caring for others in need. What would happen if we composed our lives and careers and churches and hobbies and organizations in order to allow ourselves the most freedom to live generously, full time. What would happen if love was the ultimate motivator for absolutely every decision we made?

{If you live in Indy, definitely don’t go here to get more info. Also, I would stay away from these people if you’re looking to be influenced by some truly generous folks. I warned you.}

I have started doing more in depth research when it comes to shopping for running shoes.  I suppose I could blame it on the economy…why not? Yesterday I knew exactly where I could get a pair of last seasons Mizuno’s for $95, quite a discount considering that I originally bought these shoes for $125 nearly a year ago.  So, I went to the shop, picked out my size, went to the check-out line, signaled for my wife; and we started talking.  We started talking about, of all things, money, and how we were going to accomplish everything we wanted to accomplish over the next 7 months on what we were currently making.  It wasn’t a discouraging conversation, money is not something we usually spend a lot of time worrying about regardless if we have a lot or a little, but there was a sort of tension associated with our words.  At that very moment, a young woman jumped into our conversation and changed the direction of our words.  She approached us from behind and very quickly proceeded to hold out her hand which contained a piece of slightly crumpled, white paper.  She asked us if our shoes were going to cost us more then $45, and after we responded, “yes”, proceeded to hand us the small piece of paper.  Before we even had time to look her in the eye and respond, she was gone.  I honestly didn’t even see what she looked like.  The piece of paper she handed us was a discount coupon for $25 off of any purchase greater then $45.  I wound up getting my $125 originally priced shoes for only $75.  

I will remember that young lady for the absolute rest of my life not because she was beautiful (although she may have been), not because she was exceedingly smart (although she may have been), and not because she was overwhelmingly wealthy (although she may have been) .  I will never forget her because of one reason, she chose to give.  She could have walked out of that store with coupon in hand, never helping anyone, never inducing a lasting connection, never making a difference.  It would have been easier to not have approached us, to not have started an awkward conversation, and to not have given anything away.  But, she chose to take a slightly more challenging path, a path of interaction, of care and of giving; and because of her choice she changed my life.

Times are changing, but much of what is important in life is staying the same.  One foundational aspect of life which I believe will never change is that it doesn’t matter how much you are able to keep for yourself, rather; it matters only how much you are willing to freely and genuinely give away.  I believe that history will adamantly remember those that willingly and joyfully gave away all that they possibly could, those that chose to  go out of their way to reach out a giving hand to another.

Today, I run with a smile.

The deeper aspiration of this site is to create visionaries.

Where would we be without those who took a deeper look into life as we know it and simply yet boldly said, “I think that can be done better.”  One of the most fundamental aspects of being a visionary is the desire, not necessarily the ability, to observe life and purposefully seek out areas of need within a community, a city, a state, a country and possibly, eventually, even the world.  In our path to becoming visionaries, take time every day to see the needs of the people around you.  Not only will this make you more aware of someone other than yourself, but it will also open your mind to creative solutions that could go a long way towards making a huge difference where you are.  This is applicable to all motives.  For example, the entrepreneur looking for his first baby step forward.  The pastor wondering how he can more effectively reach out to his church’s community.  The small business owner looking for a better way to give back.  The woman walking down the street asking how she can make a difference to her children.  The student asking how he can impact those in his dorm.  Here are some steps you can take to improve vision:

1. Observe life boldy today
2. Look for the needs of those around you today
3. Begin to formulate a plan as to how you can begin to meet those needs today
4. And, as always, start small yet back the idea with big thinking