Why Generosity Will Make You Rich, Happy, and Hot

The Bible says ‘be generous’, science says it’s right

Read time: 7 minutes

When I was 23, I was convinced I was going to retire in 10 years. 

I had been devouring blogs about retiring early, and the math was simple. 

If we could figure out how to save 70% of our income, we could build a nest egg big enough to quit our jobs for good.

We’d be living simply, but we’d be free.

There was just one problem.

Our tithe.

It glared out at me like a 2-ton elephant in our budget, keeping us from reaching the crazy savings rates the non-Christians I was reading about were able to achieve.

“They’re so lucky,” I moaned, “If we didn’t have this huge expense we could grow our wealth so much faster.”

Hmph.

Unfair.

Truthfully, I didn’t see how unfair generosity really is.

Only unfair to my own benefit.

In fact, new research has been proving that when Jesus said “it is more blessed to give than to receive”, boy was he right.

Here are 4 surprising ways generosity gives you an advantage over others.

In today’s issue:

• Why generous people become wealthier

• Why generous people are happier

• Why generous people are healthier

• Why generous people are hotter

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here

Generous people become wealthier

Whoa whoa whoa. This doesn’t make any sense.

If I give away money, I wind up with even more money than if I had kept it and invested it?

Yup.

A study in 2018 showed that generous people grow their incomes faster than the selfish, and they wind up having more money in the long run too.

Why is this?

There are three obvious reasons.

1) Stronger social networks

Here’s an idea that won’t shock you - generous people are more fun to be around.

And that likeability leads generous people to have more friends.

And more friends, means more job and business opportunities.

We see this exact principle in Jesus’ parable in Luke 16.

A dishonest accountant was about to get fired by his boss.

But before he’s thrown out, he uses his remaining leverage and money to do big favors for some of his former clients.

When his boss finds out what he’s done, he praises the quick thinking accountant for using money to strengthen his relationships.

Once he’s unemployed, the accountant will have a group of people who remember his generosity that he can fall back on.

2) More likely to be given raises and promotions

Who would you rather promote? 

The guy who took credit for your idea while you were both junior employees to look good to the boss, or the girl who stayed overtime to help you with a project when you were overwhelmed?

It’s obvious, isn’t it?

Generosity makes people like you, and over time, that will show up in your paycheck.

So even if you start off behind by giving away time and money you could have used for yourself, over time you’ll catch up and pass the selfish jerks who only thought about themselves.

So don’t worry so much about being taken advantage of. Worry about providing incredible value to your employer and let time and your reputation bring you to the top.

3) Abundance mindset

At the core of selfishness is a poverty mentality - thinking money is a zero-sum game.

If I give money to you, that means I’ve lost it.

And more importantly, I’m afraid I won’t get more.

But an abundance mindset believes there’s plenty of money out there for everyone.

If I give you my money now, more will be coming to replace it, and just because you win doesn’t mean I lose.

People with this mindset have their eyes open for bigger opportunities because they believe life’s options are limitless.

And because their fists aren’t clenched around what they have, they’re also open to receive more.

Imagine two people approaching an airline counter.

One of them is angry about the seat they’ve been assigned, and immediately begins demanding the gate agent change them to an aisle seat.

The agent tries to explain there are no more aisle seats left and there’s nothing he can do, but the customer isn’t having it. He has status. This needs to be fixed NOW.

The second customer, waiting patiently behind the first, sees what’s going on and has compassion on the gate agent.

“I have an aisle seat” she says. “Here, you can have my spot.”

“Okay, deal.”

The first customer gets their aisle seat, and believes that by throwing a fit they got their way.

But what do you think the grateful gate agent does for the second customer?

They bump her up to first class.

That’s the difference of what can happen from a generous, abundance mindset instead of a selfish, poverty one.

Generosity opens doors for bigger things to happen.

Generous people are happier

Something amazing happens the moment you decide to you help others.

Your brain is flooded with feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

These chemicals make you feel warm and fuzzy in the moment, and even bleed over to improve every other aspect of your life too. And science proves it.

The Motley Fool performed a study with over 1,000 participants. Here’s what they found.

Highly generous people are:

• Happier at work

• More likely to work out and eat healthier

• More likely to have a best friend

• More satisfied with their careers, income, and lifestyle

• More likely to believe that life is meaningful, be optimistic, and be proud of who they are

• Less likely to be depressed, anxious, hopeless, or disinterested

• Three times more likely to be extremely happy every day

• Twice as likely to be very satisfied with their relationships

In fact, there wasn’t one factor of life where generous people didn’t come out ahead of selfish ones.

God made us to be like Him. So if He is generous, it makes sense that we feel most fulfilled when we are generous too.

So the next time you’re tempted to indulge in a little “retail therapy” when you’re having a bad day, try giving back to someone else instead.

Generous people are healthier

Generosity is so powerful a force in our lives, it literally impacts your health.

One of the top hospitals in the country, the Cleveland Clinic, reports on the incredible effects of generosity on the body.

• Generosity boosts your immune system.

• Giving to others can lower your blood pressure as much as eating a healthy diet and exercise.

• This study found that on days you volunteer, your cortisol hormones go down and you feel less stress and anxiety.

• Elderly people who volunteer are 60% less likely to die than those that don’t.

• Rates of depression go down among those that are generous.

Now I’m not saying you can live on only Cheetos and RedBull if you volunteer at the food pantry, but read into those studies what you will.

And the great thing is, effects were noticed with big gifts and small, when gifting money or volunteering, and even when doing free things like writing a thank you card.

Generous people are hotter

Bow-chicka-bow-wow! Here comes the smoke show!

Did you know the easiest way to be seen as more attractive is to be generous?

It’s one of the first things I noticed about my wife before we dated, and boy did it make my little heart flutter.

And while the ‘bad boy’ image is the cliche that gets all the girls, the truth is that when others watch you be generous, they get interested.

Generous people make others feel good, and that’s an EXTREMELY attractive quality in a partner.

When others feel noticed and cared for, they will notice you.

This somehow is visible even if no one sees your generosity.

Incredibly, when shown only pictures of people they had never met, survey participants regularly rated generous people as more attractive than others, without being told who was generous and who wasn’t.

The generosity seems to ooze off of you in ways our subconscious can pick up on.

So maybe before you buy a designer shirt for your next date, spend that money buying someone lunch instead?  

And if your crush falls madly in love with you because of this, be generous and invite me to the wedding. ;)

Putting it into practice

The great thing about generosity is, just like a muscle, you can train it.

The more you do it, the stronger your giving muscle will become.

And when others see you give, they tend to catch the fire too.

On average, each act of giving spreads three degrees outwards from you like a small chain of dominos toppling over.

That means if we all start challenging ourselves in our giving, we can make a large impact on the world, one chain reaction at a time.

Here are a few ways to begin growing your generosity muscles today.

• Start small. Get a few quick easy wins under your belt to build momentum.

• Put it in your budget. It’s a lot easier to give when you don’t feel like you’re ruining your budget every time you do. Make it a priority, put it in the plan.

• Set giving goals. My wife and I just implemented this for 2024. We have always had savings goals. Now we’ve added a giving goal for the year we’re trying to reach.

• Track your giving. It’s hard to improve something if you don’t track it. Instead of only tracking your net worth, start tracking your lifetime giving. It will become exciting watching it go up.

• Challenge a friend. Try to outdo one another. Egg each other on. Push each other to see who can do more. It’s not vain to share your giving with a friend for mutual encouragement - it’s inspiring.

Keep growing,

What’d you think of this week’s newsletter? Hit reply to let me know!

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here