Two surprisingly powerful ways to start living big now

Generosity has been in my thoughts lately, and I’ve noticed how it’s been showing up in conversations with my clients.

I am also thinking about the close link between gratitude — about which I wrote a chapter in my book — and generosity, and how bringing a focus to both of these can have a positive impact on our lives when we aim to live big.

But let me begin with some context.

My book, Live Big: A MAnifesto for a Creative Life, is organized in two important sections, as I will share below. With clarity about that structure, I can better talk about generosity and the connection I see to gratitude.

Why to think about the BEING of living big

On my journey to shifting my professional life to coaching and helping accomplished women — and people everywhere — to live big, I became keenly aware of two ways we can live our best lives.

The foundation is what I came to call “the being of living big.”

With a solid base for who we need to BE to live the big lives we want, we can begin to focus on the things to DO, and make amazing change happen.

While doing helps us live big in exciting ways, starting with a focus on being powerfully supports the doing.

The being chapters in my book include slowing down and being still, living in the present, loving more and living without fear, cultivating patience, feeling free, being grateful, seeing wonder, aligning with your purpose and being true to your heart. Not surprisingly, many of the chapter topics in the first half of the book pair well.

If I write a second edition to the book, I’ll have new chapters to add, and generosity is one I will add to the being section. Generosity pairs beautifully with gratitude.

Why being generous helps you to live big

When you bring a focus of generosity to your daily life — which can include cultivating a generous, kind spirit; giving to others in need; giving others the benefit of the doubt rather than judging them; giving your energy to causes that are important to you; and more — you will reap wonderful benefits.

You will likely build a more optimistic frame of mind, trust more, and feel a deeper connection to your heart.

You may reap health benefits — both physical and mental — and feel more energetic.

Generous people are observed to be happier and feel more fulfilled, and often report being more productive.

And I invite you to consider that there are small, lovely ways to focus on being more generous that you may not have considered.

While it is great to volunteer or make a charitable donation, when you give someone a compliment or positive feedback, or offer to share knowledge, or write a positive review for a restaurant you enjoyed or a book you read, or share a photo of an especially beautiful place, or mail someone a hand-wrtten note, you are being generous in ways that can have a great impact on the wellbeing of others.

In return, you are likely to get a boost of several feel-good hormones. What a gift we give ourselves by engaging generously with the world around us!

Generosity and gratitude go together like peanut butter and chocolate

Ok, so that flavor combination may not be your favorite, but think of cookies and milk, or bacon and eggs, or any other flavor combination that is more special because of the two parts together.

When you focus on ways you can be more generous — and I suggest considering ways to be generous to yourself, as well as with others! — and then create a gratitude practice to use each day, you get bigger, better results.

The emotional impact you will likely experience when being generous in more ways and more often, will make it easy to feel full of gratitude about your life.

There is a wealth of data about the benefits of gratitude. If you are interested in learning more, and seeing 3 exercises I offer to help you cultivate gratitude, check out the chapter on page 50 in my book.

And the more grateful you are, the more easily and naturally generosity will flow.

This dynamic duo can set the stage for many wonderful shifts in your life.

Your enhanced state of being will make it much easier to focus on the doing of living big

The second half of Live Big offers you 10 wonderful ways to choose from (as you need them) to live big.

You may want to be bolder, embrace change, create expressively, learn to listen to your intuition, tap your passion, play with ease, be resilient, cope with confusion, and passionately move into your future each day.

All of this is possible for you.

I learned these lessons on my journey, and help other people to bring these practices into their lives, to create the futures they truly desire. My book is a great way to be supported on your journey — whether you are just embarking or well on your way.

If you have stories to share about generosity, gratitude, or the way these work in tandem in your life, I would be happy to hear from you. Reach out and let me know, or leave a comment below.

Stay safe and well, and keep creating.