Mark S. Brown

Being generous is a character trait that we aspire to have, but most could develop further. Generosity is not just about money. Money is only one resource, and you have many. You can improve your life and the lives of others by being generous with your time, your energy, your thoughts, your hands, your head, and of course your money.

If you could donate more, what cause would you like to support? What effort or charity are you passionate about?

Here are some thoughts on generosity that might spark some action from you to grow your generosity.

1. Be thankful for what you have. Many times we don’t give to others because we do not see what we have. Count your blessings, and keep in perspective all the people that have less.

2. Help others in need. Give of yourself, not just money. Solutions come in many forms. Some people just need someone to listen.

3. Don’t let your desire for possessions control you. Are you always looking at the sale ads to see what you need to have? Think twice, and define for yourself the difference between needs and wants. Ease up on the wants and see what needs exist around you.

4. Money is only a resource. Money gives you options. Think of it as a resource and not a goal. Earning money gives you options for your life and for helping others.

5. Make giving a habit. You are not the neediest person on Earth. Give of yourself, every day, every week, every month. Make it a habit, and you will enjoy life’s journey so much more.

Hopefully some of those tips will touch you. Generosity is something that is done intentionally. You do not become generous by accident. Take a moment and reflect on how you are doing with your generosity, and how you may want to improve your actions.

 

Most of us don’t have a strategy to improve our potential. Some of us take actions to expand our abilities. Some of us do little to grow. But if you are one of the elite that want to focus on improving yourself, there are some strategies that will keep you on the best path.

The simple truth is you can maximize your potential by focusing on your strengths. Your natural talents are your best opportunity to grow. Find those areas, and continue to feed yourself knowledge, practice, and skill development to become an expert.

How are you spending your time? Compare yourself to this model. Spend 70% of your time developing your strengths. Spend 25% of your time learning new things, and only 5% of the time managing your weaknesses. Initially this may seem difficult. But you can find and develop strategies that will help you increase the time that you develop your strengths and learn.

To increase your focus on developing your potential, John Maxwell recommends the following:

1. Work on yourself. You are your greatest asset. If you ignore yourself, you can also be your biggest detriment.

2. Work at your priorities. Fight to get your priorities identified, and get them done.

3. Work on your strengths. This is the best path to increase your potential.

4. Work with your contemporaries. You can’t do everything alone. Finding other people with similar goals and strengths can stretch you beyond yourself. You do not need to be the best, you need to be the best you can be.

Take some time to reflect on how you are increasing your potential. Find a strategy to get started on improving your focus, and growing your knowledge.

Communication is a subject with many facets, and the subject of study for many. We all need to communicate and most of us can benefit from improving our speaking ability. Let’s look at four things to consider in improving your communication.

1. Be Your Message. For people to listen to your message you must have credibility. If you don’t, people will not tune it. So you must be viewed as your message. You must walk the talk. You must be the example for the message you want to convey.

2. Say It Plain. You don’t need complex words or descriptions. Say it clearly. Say it simply. Say it plainly. Your message will be absorbed more the faster people can grasp the words.

3. Know Your Audience. It is not just about the message, but about delivering the message to a target group of people. So you must know those people. How can you deliver a message that is important to them.

4. Get A Response. You are delivering this message for a reason. Make sure your audience responds appropriately. If it is a call for action, confirm they get started. If you are delivering knowledge, make sure they understand by practicing. It is not just about delivering the message, but eliciting a response.

Follow these tips to make your communication more effective. People will listen and take action when directed from credible source with a simple message and a defined expectation.

I like John C. Maxwell’s idea about character. He says, “Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” There are many things in life in which we have no control. But our character is completely within our control.

Character is built. You don’t create your character instantly, but it develops as you make choices in life. You define your character with your words, your decisions, your actions, and even your thoughts.

Character is you, and you know the person you are striving to be. However, character is also what others see of you. Others can not understand your intent or your thoughts, so their view of your character is based on your actions and words.

You can improve your character, and even repair and rebuild your character. Follow the following steps to make improvements:

1. Reflect on your actions over the last month. Where have you cut corners, or made decisions that may have hurt others? How could you have done things differently? Where do you have weaknesses? When do you consistently put yourself ahead of others?

2. Fix your errors. Recognize where your actions have not matched the character you want to be. Make a list of people you have hurt. Take time to apologize and rebuild your character in the eyes of those people.

3. Look to the future. Decide to live and be the character you want to be. Look in the mirror and define where you need to change to prevent mistakes you have made in the past. Challenge yourself to ALWAYS put others before you.

Character is a choice! Choose to be the person you deserve to be.