Today, I immersed myself in reading completely the book entitled, “The Generosity Factor” by K. Blanchard & S. T. Cathy.
Please allow me to share this beautiful book. I cannot for sure capture the fullness of this book with a single post but I can always post another one for the other parts. Enjoy reading guys😊😊😊.
This is the intertwined story of the Broker, the Driver, the Reporter & the Executive.
These four key players have their own story to tell. They have their personal share of ups and downs. The book showed the attitude of these players in the face of adversities.
To cut the story short, the book was dominated by the encounter between the Broker and the Executive which encounter was prompted by a column in a newspaper written by the Reporter featuring the Executive. The column went on saying that the Executive claimed that the greatest joy in his life was his ability to give to others. To him, generosity is the answer to the question, “What is the Meaning of Life?”
The Broker cannot believed what he’d read so he began calling the Reporter who in return gave the contact number of the Executive for affirmation. The Broker ended calling the Executive.
Allow me to quote bits and pieces of their conversations.
.....”Why do you do it? Why do you give so much of your hard-earned money? Wouldn’t you rather leave it to your heirs or something?” Broker asked.
“Oh, I’ve provided for my heirs. But I have thousands of other special friends who need my help?”
“I don’t understand. Can you explain?”
“Afraid I can’t.” ......”I can’t explain all of this in words. I don’t think you’d really understand. In your head maybe, but not in your heart. I’d have to show you.” The Executive paused to rethink his answer. “Truth is, I couldn’t even show you. You’d have to follow me around for a day and see for yourself. That’s the only way you’d ever understand.”
The Broker & the Executive agreed to meet up. When they met up, the Broker confronted the Executive on his belief that giving is one of the most important things he does.
“True, I believe giving is so important that I’ve developed a plan that actually makes it a tremendous pleasure to give. I call it ‘the Generosity Factor,’ and I use every opportunity I can to share the plan with others.”
“Tremendous pleasure in giving?” the Broker wondered around. “That certainly doesn’t fit with the way most people give. Usually giving is done out of guilt. Or a sense of obligation. Or to be a subject of a write-up in the newspaper.”
“You forgot one,” the Executive added. “Some give to reduce taxable income.”
The Broker chuckled. “That’s the big one for most of the people I know.”
“We’ve been talking about money here, but there are actually four things you can give, and in my mind, they are all of equal significance.” The Executive stated.
The Executive paused, walked over to the window overlooking a beautiful stand of trees on his expansive property, and gazed toward the mountains as if he were reflecting on all the moments, large and small, that were woven together into the tapestry of his life.
The Broker began to get a bit impatient. He wanted to keep the conversation moving. After all, he had a life waiting for him back in New York. He fiddled with his palmtop computer and scrolled through his list of prepared questions.
“Here they are,” the Executive finally said as he turned away from the window. He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he were expecting the Broker to take notes on his little electronic device. “TIME. TALENT. TREASURE. TOUCH. Nothing more than these four. The beauty of it is, there are so many ways to give them. The tragedy is that so few people discover ways to give even one-let alone four.”
The Broker thought about this for a moment. “I can understand how someone in your position could give treasure, but I can’t understand giving anything beyond that. You and I are overextended business people with responsibilities to our employees and costumers. I know that in my position, I could never give time or talent. How is it that you can?”
It seemed as though the Executive had somehow anticipated the question and was ready with his answer. I’ve lived many years and enjoyed so many blessings. And I believe that because much has been given to me, I owe much in return. I also believe that we can all find time to do the things we enjoy. I enjoy discovering ways to meet the needs of others, so I make the time for that.”
Is all this talk, or does he actually invest his time? The Broker wondered.
The Executive interrupted his thoughts. “You’re wondering if I actually do that.”
“Well, yes. How did you know?”
“A lot of folks say they care about people, but they don’t actually do anything about it. Generosity is all about caring about the needs of others, then acting to meet those needs. TIME meets a certain kind of need. TALENT meets another. TREASURE still another, and TOUCH meets its own set of needs. Generosity is about balance-about making all of one’s resources available.”
.......”Generosity is very important. It’s vital to those to whom you give, of course. But it’s a life-changer for you.”
GIVING IS A LIFE-CHANGER FOR ME AND IT REMAINS TRUE TODAY
