To continue, so after the Broker learned about the 4Ts, what’s next? The Executive take the Broker for a drive to a place. The Broker still have a hard time believing the Executive. He remembered what was written in the column about the number of properties the Executive own. So he tried to validate the same to the Executive.
“I don’t own any of it,” the Executive responded.
“You’re kidding right? Who does then? Your stockholders? Investors? Venture capitalists? Your employees?”, the Broker asked
“He owns it all. God owns it all.”
Fast forward.....
The Executive went on, “Fortunately, knowing God doesn’t have all that much to do with going to churches, cathedrals, synagogues, or mosques. Knowing God takes place in the heart. I discovered a long time ago that if my heart was filled with greed and ambition, there was no room left for God. So I gave Him my heart, my possessions, my talents, and my time. Then He told me, ‘Since you’ve given it all to me, I know I can trust you to manage it.”
The Broker wonders. Oh, wow, God talks to you?
“Well, He doesn’t wake me up with a shout in the middle of the night and tell me what to do the next day but He does tell me through His Word through the Bible,” the Executive continued.
“That’s a tall order from an old book-one that’s written centuries before radio, television, computers, the Internet....”the Broker responded.
“It is a tall order, but it has lived up to all of my expectations. It has taught me that every good and perfect gift comes from God. In one place it says, ‘Wealth and honor come from you; You are the ruler of all things.’ It has taught me, too, that it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
The Broker was perplexed. “So what does this all mean?
“For me, it’s very simple,”the Executive explained. “If I have time on this earth, it’s a gift. If I have any talents, they are gifts too. Any money I have is a gift. And I don’t believe that gifts are only to be received. They are meant to be given to others. To be shared. But the beautiful thing about all of this is that the rewards I received outweigh anything I could ever give.”
“Rewards? What do you mean? Articles in newspapers? Praises? Bigger profits?”
“No, no, nothing like that. My rewards come in the form of smiles from children. Young people who are able to pursue their dreams. Team members who have a sense of fulfillment.”
The Broker remains skeptical and keep asking why?
So much to teach this young man, the Executive thought. “A generous person quickly discovers that each new day provides new opportunities to impact the lives of others. Every day we can find countless ways-great and small-to make someone’s life better.”
“Generosity isn’t about doing the minimum-simply doing the expected. Every day I look for opportunities to do something extra. I make it a part of my routine. Kind of a habit you might say. Generosity is an attitude. It has to be cultivated daily.”
“You see,” the Executive continued, “There’s a big difference between held values and operational values. Held values are what people say. Operational values are what people do. How many times have you been disappointed by someone who talked a good game-‘family values,’ for example-but whose personal life reflected an entirely different set of operational values?”
“Generosity is a key way to make certain that our held values and operational values matched.”
According to the Executive, the most important transition any human can make is the transition from childhood to adulthood. “Some people make the transition when they are 13, or 15, or 17. Some don’t make it until they are 49, or 57, or 72. Some never make the leap at all.” “Some achieve great success at 24, or 32, or 41. But they never realize true significance. There’s always something missing in their lives. There’s always a gap between who they are and who they could become. What I’m saying is that while many people can achieve success, it seems to me that few achieve significance.....”
The Executive summarize it this way:
Success (Wealth, Achievement, Status) versus Significance (Generosity, Service, Relationships)
“The success-motivated person tends to measure his or her life in terms of money, power, status, achievement, and recognition. The significant person places emphasis on a more spiritual view of life-generosity, empowerment of others, service, building up others, and helping them develop solid relationships.”
Fast forward to the revelation:
“A thankful heart tends to be a generous heart.”
“The only way to give is to give cheerfully.”
“Sometimes it’s more meaningful to give out of your scarcity-to share those things that are in the shortest supply.”
“No matter what your circumstances in life, there are things that you can give. Everybody can have an impact.”
“The truth is, I am not poor today. But money has nothing to do with it. Money isn’t what makes a person rich. The people I meet in the street make me rich.”
“Real generosity isn’t something that’s carefully calculated. It’s not something done for show. If it’s genuine, it comes from the heart.”
“It takes a HEART to be generous!”
*H stands for He owns it all
*E stands for Every day is an opportunity
*A stands for Action is required
*R stands for Remember your blessings
*T stands for Thank Him, the Giver of all things here and beyond.
😊😊 Well, there you go. I love the book! I hope you get to learn something as much I am learning. I would say, to this day I am still a work in progress. Good evening everyone and God bless! ❤️❤️❤️