“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
While it feels good to be served or to be on the receiving end of someone else’s generosity, can it be rewarding to be a giver?
Helping others can make you feel rewarded, fulfilled and empowered and helps one show up for others in every sense!
Today is also Giving Tuesday – November 29, 2022 – so what better way to celebrate than talk about the value of giving to others and to yourself.
An article on Upworthy’s website lists the following benefits to giving / helping others:
- People who give to others are more likely to be happier people: According to a book entitled “The Paradox of Generosity“, Americans who describe themselves as “very happy” volunteer for an average of 5.8 hours every month. Those who donate more than 10% of their incomes also exhibited lower rates of depression than those who didn’t.
- Helping others releases oxytocin, which results in the feeling of happiness: this is because oxytocin triggers the release of another chemical, called nitric oxide, which reduces blood pressure.
- Helping others could help reduce chronic pain: Studies have shown that people with chronic pain reported feeling less discomfort after helping others with the same ailment.
- Oxytocin also reduces levels of free radicals in our bodies, which contribute to aging and sometimes cancer, so, in a way, helpfulness can actually slow aging!
- Helpfulness increases productivity: Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist who encourages us to give more and act like an original, has become a leading researcher in organizational psychology based on his projects that show employees are exponentially more productive when they have direct interactions with the people who benefit from their work.
All of these are good points, especially personally, but how does it apply to showing up in business or the working world?
According to an article on the website for Harvard Business Review, generosity is a characteristic not usually sought when hiring someone, especially leaders. Unfortunately, it is more frequently an afterthought or a by-product, even just a “nice-to-have” quality.
People tend to gravitate toward others who are kind and generous because kind people pay attention and the happiness and well-being of others are on their mind. While they respect personal boundaries, they support and celebrate what serves your higher good. They want to know how your day is, how your family is, and that others in your life are treating you well. If a manager or leader is generous, they’ll probably be well-liked. Even more than that, it is believed that generosity can contribute to general success (or showing up) in your career.
Here are a few ways listed in an article on the Forbes website to help you show up and implement generosity or giving in the workplace:
- Share your knowledge
- Share your resources
- Make others aware of opportunities
- Give transparent feedback
- Be a brand advocate
- Make introductions
- Volunteer your time
- Recognize others for valuable contributions
I believe sharing knowledge and resources is a duty that we all should fulfill, especially in manufacturing . There is an abundance of knowledge to share and as I often say – Sign Up Suit Up #ShowUP.
I recently interviewed Bob Burg on #ShowUP with GailNow. He is the co-author of the international bestseller, “The Go-Giver”. This literary work is centered around the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success:
- The Law of Value – “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”
- The Law of Compensation – “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.”
- The Law of Influence – “Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.”
- The Law of Authenticity – “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.”
- The Law of Receptivity – “The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.”
The biggest idea behind this book is that shifting our focus from getting to giving (constantly and consistently providing value to others) is not only a fulfilling way to live life and conduct business, but the most profitable way, as well.
According to the Go-Giver website, businesses large and small, schools, churches and hospitals to law firms and information technology companies, individuals and groups around the world have applied the book’s Five Laws of Stratospheric Success within their organizations and businesses, relationships and personal lives. This giving mindset has been adopted so widely that it has grown into a worldwide movement.
During the interview, Bob shared that relationships and the pursuit of them are key to success. He said that, “…the golden rule of sales, of business, of networking (including on LinkedIn), is simply that all things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like and trust. What I don’t say is that they do business with and refer business to those computers, they know, like and trust. So I think it’s really important to understand that the same basic principles that apply in person, IRL, right in real life, also apply online.”
He went on to say that, “…while you wouldn’t think of just meeting someone, and just boom, going right after the sale, well, the same is true online, it’s still that relationship that you’re developing, and even more so online, where people are just bombarded so often with people who, who connect with them, and then all of a sudden, just, you know, go for the sale, I think we need to realize it’s still all about the value we can provide to another human being.”
He shared that he believes that it is important to note that giving and receiving are not opposite concepts; that they are simply two sides of the very same coin and that they work in tandem. So, that means that a person is not either a giver or a receiver, but that you’re a giver and a receiver.
Something that Bob emphasized that is well-known by the human race is that the giving comes first. This is universal law: laws of nature, human nature and physical nature. We have to plant before we harvest before we reap, so we give value before we receive. “The key is that when doing so, and understanding that you have that when you’re giving correctly, to a lot of people, placing their interests first and coming from your true authentic core, you have created the benevolent context for your success.”, said Burg.
He also shared that when prosperity comes to you, you’ve got to be able to willingly and lovingly, and with gratitude, receive it.
That is the key to giving: allowing yourself to also receive!
As was expressed in the book and is the underlying concept of The Go-Giver, “The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.”
I believe when one effectively gives, by remaining open to receiving, we can wholeheartedly show up for others, as well as ourselves; thereby living our lives to the fullest!
Transcript: ShowUp with GailNow Live with guest Bob Burg
Link to YouTube Show: https://youtu.be/W7uxu6o3U5w
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