Jolt! by Phil Cooke

Author:Phil Cooke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Published: 2011-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

» JOLT #14

THE POWER OF GENEROSITY

Getting More Out of Life by Giving It Away

When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self-giving is a personal power-releasing factor.

—NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

Generosity with strings is not generosity; it is a deal.

—MARYA MANNES, WRITER AND CRITIC

Early in my career, I produced an infomercial program for a client in Hollywood. In those days, infomercials were a new type of advertising and usually featured a thirty-minute program designed to sell products such as exercise machines, kitchen tools, or makeup. An old college friend recommended me, and since it was a new style of advertising, I was eager to be part of the project.

Until I met the client.

At first he seemed quite normal. His office was average, and he was located in a nice part of town. His secretary seemed nice enough, and everything about him appeared to indicate that he was a legitimate, effective producer.

But once we started working together, it didn’t take long to see that he held on to money with a vise-like grip. I was young and idealistic, so I ignored most of the warning signs, but as the project progressed, I saw that although he talked the talk, when it came to money, keeping it for himself was an obsession.

It’s one thing to negotiate better prices, but this guy would flatly refuse to pay any price he didn’t like. He would never pay for anything in advance, and once someone delivered, he would look for any reason to refuse to pay. In fact, when the entire project was over, he shortchanged me about five thousand dollars. When I asked for the money, he had his lawyers send a letter to intimidate me into walking away.

He was so tight, even his own partner called me later to apologize for his stingy and unprofessional behavior.

He has reaped what he sowed all those years ago. Not long ago, I heard that his clients had grown tired of being nickeled-and-dimed, film crews won’t work with him, and investors saw too much money going into his pocket and not enough going into the TV projects. His tight-fisted attitude toward money has finally cost him his career as a producer.

But I also noticed something else.

His stingy attitude toward money extended to everything else in his life. Because he refused to be generous with money, he wasn’t generous with his time, his relationships, or his business. As a result, he was a lonely man with few friends and a miserable life.

You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

—JOHN WOODEN, UCLA BASKETBAL COACH

The dictionary defines generosity as “liberality in giving” or a “willingness to give.” Most people think of generosity in terms of financial resources, such as giving to the poor or giving to church or charities. It is certainly that, but the most important thing you can learn about giving is that it’s a lifestyle.

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