Have you ever noticed how many successful entrepreneurs invest time into giving back? They’re looking for ways to work their generosity muscle through mentorship, donations, charities, and more. But why?
They’re clearly aware of the benefits of being generous. Not only does generosity benefit the people your donations are serving, but the good deed usually bounces back to the giver in another form: happiness.
Here are 5 ways that giving can help you become a happier person:
1. IT PROMOTES SOCIAL CONNECTION AND COOPERATION
Helping others for the sake of helping others will develop your sense of connectedness to society. Whether it is strangers or people you know that you’re extending generosity towards, you develop a different perception of the people around you (including strangers). This tends to open your eyes to the magic of community.
2. IT ENCOURAGES GRATITUDE
There’s no getting around it: some people are worse off than you are — and we’re not just talking about money here. When you help someone out with their career, their relationships, their self-esteem, or their finances, this allows you to step back and look at what you have to give. This promotes feelings of gratitude, as you can appreciate what you have in your possession — whether that’s money, expertise, spare time, or something else — and can share with others.
3. IT ENHANCES YOUR SENSE OF PURPOSE
If you’re wondering why it is you are on this earth, then giving may help you find that out. Because you are helping others without expecting anything else in return, you are enhancing your sense of purpose. You are here to do more than just make money. You are here to experience life too.
4. INCREASES LIFE SATISFACTION
When you get in bed at night knowing you helped someone out that today, you’re sure to sleep a lot better. Being generous helps you feel fulfilled in a way that money sometimes doesn’t. Life satisfaction derived from being generous tends to bleed into all categories of one’s life, including family, romance, finances, friendships, and more.
5. INCREASES SELF-ESTEEM
There’s evidence out there that suggests that generous people have higher self-esteem. In a survey conducted by Motley Fool, high-generosity groups tend to have a lot more self-esteem than those in the low-generosity groups. Precisely 74% of the high-generosity group said yes when they were asked if they were proud of who they are. Among the low-generosity group, that dropped to 51%.
Being generous doesn’t mean it must consume your whole life nor do you need to always put other people’s needs in front of yours. What being generous means is helping others when you are in a position to do so and expecting nothing in return. That’s how you will reap the benefits we mentioned above.
This week, we challenge you to look for situations where you can help someone out by being generous. Help someone out and don’t expect nor ask for anything in return and see for yourself how it makes you feel.