When we think about generosity, many people think of giving to charity. Or serving up big meals to family or friends. Or offering snacks to other people’s kids. Sometimes, when we think about being generous, we think of buying some extravagant gift.
How to Be Generous for Free
But the truth is, the most generous things we can do often do not require us to spend any money at all.
In fact, as we grow older, we begin to appreciate that expensive acts of generosity are often not the most valued. Other types of giving mean so much more.
And there are so many ways to give to one another, at no cost.
Here are some things we can all afford to give to one another:
- Time.
- Attention.
- Interest.
- Tolerance.
- Patience.
- Support.
- Encouragement.
- Friendship.
- Acceptance.
- Love.
- Kindness.
- Respect.
- Energy.
- Effort.
- Elbow Grease.
- Praise.
- Approval.
- Affirmation.
- Sincere compliments.
- Consideration.
- Eye Contact.
- A smile.
- Appreciation.
- Support.
- Affection.
Other way to demonstrate generosity include:
- We can keep a secret.
- When someone smiles at us, we can smile back.
- If others are speaking, we can actively listen.
- We can lend a hand when we notice someone is struggling.
- When others are sharing their thoughts, we can be patient and let them express themselves fully.
- We can let others know when we appreciate good service and good works.
- As often as possible, we can give others the benefit of the doubt.
Do you have suggestions to add to these lists? Please comment and share your ideas.
Thank you as always for reading.
If you haven’t yet subscribed, please visit KindCompassCoach and enter your email address so you never miss a post.
As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. We may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) for purchases made through links in this post.
Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a health care executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant. The common thread through Joan’s professional life has been a commitment to lead, mentor and coach current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach provides information and advice grounded in Joan’s personal experience; however, all articles are backed by research and provide facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan also serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.
One Response
Loved reading this! Suggestions of mine would be
Give someone a cuddle
Try to uplift someone e.g. laughing
Volunteer to babysit for somebody
Volunteer in general
Its surprising how tricky it was to find generous acts that didnt involve £££. Thanks for the challenge!
Xxx