Things That Work / Generosity

 

Neil Thomas

Just in time for Christmas

Christmastime is a time of generosity. Giving is always way up at this time of year. Afterall the weeks leading up to Christmas are reminders of the Hope, Peace, Love and Joy promised by the prophets. 

Vocabulary.com defines generosity as a quality that's a lot like unselfishness. Someone showing generosity is happy to give time, money, food, or kindness to people in need. Generosity is a quality — like honesty and patience — that we all probably wish we had more of.

Generosityforlife.org points out generosity can be actualized through various forms of giving. Generous activities include: monetary donations, volunteering, political action, blood donation, estate giving, lending possessions, sustainability giving, [and] relational generosity.”

What are the characteristics that define a generous person? 

5 Qualities of Generous People

• Altruism. First and foremost, generous people are altruistic. ...
• Optimism. Generous people are idealists. ...
• Trust. Trust is a major quality amongst the most generous people. ...
• Energy. When you think of people being generous, energy is one of the first things that come to mind. ...
• Ability to lead.

The Ability to Lead

“The single most important attribute of leadership is generosity.” – Jack Welch

As a generous leader give of your time rather than just money, and seek out the opportunity to fuel the success of others. -johneads for learnloft.com

The other thing you should know, generosity is a year round thing, not just for the holidays. 

Generosity starts with our own generosity. Think about it. We cannot control the generosity of others. We have no control over what they do, but we can lead by example. 

I found this at restavekfreedom.org, generosity begets generosity, meaning that it is contagious and easily caught. Having generous friends and neighbors can rub off and inspire you to be more generous. Likewise, being a generous community member will impact not only those who receive, but increase the nature of generosity in your circles of influence.

It worked in all those radio fund drives I participated in. One call would lead to other calls, and at times, a cascade of calls. Those of us on the receiving end needed to make sure we showed our gratitude. And we were thankful for the first call and all the calls that followed. The acknowledgement of support, is as important as the act of giving.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

President Barack Obama

Christmas Music Bonanza

All Christmas All the Time

You've heard those stations that play Christmas Music non-stop, right? Does it seem like they start earlier every year? I avoid them. I would rather take my commercial Christmas music in small doses. It is true that the music can make me nostalgic. I guess it's all about a longing for home. Perhaps, a longing for safer and more secure days in my childhood.  But, I can't go there non-stop.

Apparently others can and do. It's a ratings bonanza for the radio stations that play all Christmas Music, and that translates into revenue.

Marketplace has a report...

That all-Christmas music station makes money. Lots of it

If you're like me and find the commercialism disconcerting, fear not.  Charles Schultz got it right.

The symbolism of the evergreen is the hope it represents that we will emerge from the bleak midwinter and be renewed like the earth with the coming of spring.

Working Christmas

Christmas With Jim Glynn

Back in the day...I used to work on all the holidays. It was a part my job as Music Director for WUWM. I was responsible for scheduling music programming including on-air staff. Most of the music shifts were filled by volunteers and students. Full-time staff would fill-in as needed and, around the holidays we were needed. We did the work but, all of us would rather have been with our families.

The most memorable came around Christmas. To be sure, I didn't want to be there. But, something changed for me when filling in as board operator for Jim Glynn. Jim was a musician and one of our jazz announcers. His shift was on Friday nights. The music reflected his tastes and Jim as an individual. His music was mellow as was his conversation. I enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere he created. Jim preferred to be in the control room with the operator for better interaction so, the conversation between stopsets flowed freely and the topics were broad and always interesting.   

Christmas fell on the Friday and Saturday in successive years. Both years I brought refreshments; oranges, chocolate and tea. The music, conversation and treats were shared freely. I truly enjoyed the interaction with Jim. It was a great combination. Good Music - Good Food - Good Conversation. The flavors, music and the conversation made for memorable evenings. It's a Christmas experience I will always remember. Thanks, Jim and Merry Christmas!