Be More Generous in the New Year!

 

We all tend to have great dreams of the things we are going to accomplish in the new year. We are going to pray more, exercise more, and finally finish that craft work in progress that has been sitting in the closet for the last decade. There’s nothing wrong with new year’s resolutions, especially the ones that involve improving on our spiritual life, but all too often real life intervenes, and by the time mid-January roles around, we have given up, feeling like a failure because we couldn’t do whatever we set out to do.

The beautiful fact is that we don’t have to wait for a new year (or a new month) to start making changes. We can do something positive today, and then get up tomorrow and do another positive thing, and pretty soon we have a habit that is making a difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. One of those positive things we can do is be more generous.

Matthew Kelly has written an inspiring book, The Generosity Habit, that encourages us to be more generous every day. Kelly states, “The generosity habit is simple: Give something away every day.” If money is tight (as it is for so many right now), please rest assured that this doesn’t have to be money or a material item. “You don’t need money or material possessions to live a life of staggering generosity.” Even better, generosity has a ripple effect. Our small acts of generosity encourage others to also be generous. We have the power to change the world in small and not so small ways simply by giving. This is a gift all of us have to offer.

Kelly offers 101 ways to be generous. There is sure to be something on this list that you can do today. Think of this book as a generosity toolbox, providing you with ideas that you can use in different situations. Some of these ideas are to call or text someone you haven’t reached out to in a while, purchase an item from a small business, compliment a stranger, offer encouragement, pray for someone, pick up trash, write a positive book review online, and listen well to someone.

Each of these ways is accompanied by an inspiring quote. I have a chalkboard in my kitchen on which I write a quote to reflect on each week. I’m certain many of these quotes are going to make their way onto my board!

This is an easy book to read. One can read a page at a time and be inspired. It is perfect to keep on a nightstand or in your prayer corner. We can also use it as a jumping-off point to help our children be more generous. The Generosity Habit is a small book with an important message. May we all be more giving in this new year.