Recently, I downloaded a copy of Feel the Feelings and the Money Will Follow: 33 Good Feelings Meditations to Attract and Grow Money. In it, the author, Christine Ellis, takes thirty-three different positive feelings, reflects upon them, and provides examples of things that elicit those feelings. It’s a very feel-good book. It left me wondering what I could write to help create positive feelings. Here’s my first attempt.
Generosity
Imagine you’ve been given a million dollars to give away. You aren’t allowed to spend any of it on yourself. Your job is to give it to other people or spend it on other people.
Think of all the people you’d like to give gifts. Maybe your big brother needs a new couch, so you take him shopping for a new couch, no price limit.
Your sister-in-law has been dreaming of a nice dining set, so you take her shopping too and purchase the dining set of her dreams.
Perhaps your niece needs money for college. You pay all her tuition for the next four years. You look forward to seeing what she will do with her education.
You’ve always loved to give to your church. $100,000 should do it. After all, you believe in tithing.
The local food bank always needs donations. You go to the grocery store and spend $2000 on non-perishable items to donate: mac & cheese, Spaghettios, pasta sauce, pasta, Cheerios, Shredded Mini-Wheats, Raisin Bran, canned vegetables, rice, canned fruit, black beans, lentils, chickpeas—the list goes on and on. You can hardly fit it all in your trunk.
There’s a women’s shelter nearby that asks for toiletries. You go all out, getting everything they could possibly need, enough to last a couple months.
There’s a free health clinic that serves those that can’t afford healthcare. They certainly deserve a substantial donation, at least $50,000. It feels good to think of all the people whose needs will be met through your donation.
You think it would be fun to get a bunch of $100 bills and just hand them out to strangers. You go to the bank and get one hundred $100 bills. You go downtown and stand at a corner giving them out until they’re gone. The people you hand them to look surprised and happy, so grateful for the gift.
That’s worth doing again. You get another one hundred $100 bills, but this time you give them to people who help you, the waitress at the restaurant you go to for lunch, the cashier at the bank, the cashier at the gas station, the mechanic who changes your oil, your hairdresser, the cleaning lady, the receptionist at the gym, the receptionists at your doctor’s office and dentist’s office, the carry out at the grocery store, the baker at your favorite bakery, several of the farmers at farmers market, the neighbor girl who mows your lawn, your babysitter, your kids’ teachers, their bus driver, and more. Every business you frequent, you find someone to give $100 bill. It feels so good to give.
You hear that the school band and orchestra are looking for donations to send kids to music camp. You give freely. You enjoy thinking of all the fun the kids will have at camp and how much it will enrich their lives.
You buy a homeless man lunch.
You go searching the city streets for beggars and buskers and give them $100 each. You feel like you’re really helping people.
You start thinking of friends that could use some cash and give them as much as they need to pay the electric bill, the house payment, health insurance, student loans, etc.
Sally needs a new car, you buy her one. She can’t get over your generosity.
Your alma mater calls to ask for donations to their scholarship fund. That’s a cause you feel good about.
It doesn’t take long to give away the entire million dollars. And being generous feels so good you just can’t stop giving. You decide that you will give ten percent of your paycheck to your church and five percent to charities that mean something to you. And then, on top of that, as often as you can, you’ll pick up the check when you go out for lunch with a friend or family member. You make sure you give generous tips at restaurants and to other service providers. Giving feels great.
And you find other ways to give, besides money. When your friend at work needs a listening ear, you give her your full attention. You volunteer at the local food bank. You involve your whole family in serving meals to the homeless. You’re always patient in lines at the grocery store and checking in at the gym. You do your best to be kind and courteous to everyone you meet, especially the people who seem disagreeable. When you reach a stop sign at a street corner, you always let the pedestrians and bikers cross before you.
You make it your goal to give, give, and give some more. And you start noticing other people’s little acts of kindness. You notice when your mom gives a waitress a generous tip. You’re grateful when a good friend cooks you a lovely meal. You notice the staff member at the gym who’s always willing to answer questions and offer a helping hand.
The more you give, the more you notice people giving, in small and big ways. You read in the newspaper or online about gigantic corporate donations to schools and hospitals. You pay attention to all the foundations that are making a difference in this world, helping those in need, supporting the arts, and supporting research to heal chronic diseases.
As you go about your days giving generously and noticing the generosity of others, you realize that generosity is everywhere and kindness can be found anywhere. Your heart opens, and you smile in gratitude for all the giving in the world.
