What makes someone give you the shirt off their back before you even finish asking?

Are generous people born or made? Both. Which means hope and change lives in the middle.

Generosity is an opportunity for anyone.

Watch toddlers. Some naturally share their crackers. Others grip theirs like treasure. But even stingy kids can learn generosity when they see it modeled and experience how good it feels. (Generous kids can become hoarders if they’re taught the world is brutal.)

We’re born with a range of options, but we choose where we land within it.

Generous people see abundance differently. Where others see scarcity—”If I give this, I’ll have less”—they see selflessness and kindness, the hope and need to help others live well. They understand that holding tight creates stagnation and coldness, while giving creates flow and warmth. Their worldview isn’t “What can I protect?” but “What can I set in motion? How can I help and not harm?”

The person who gives experiences expansion. Each act of generosity reinforces their identity as someone who contributes, who matters, who makes things better.

The taker shrinks. Each manipulation requires justification. The internal narrative gets messier: “They deserved it. Everyone does it.” The conscience doesn’t go quiet—it just gets buried under heavier, greedier, and meaner stones.

The generous person makes one choice repeatedly: When in doubt, give and add value. Not because they’re saints, but because they’ve learned that the person they become through giving is someone they like, respect, and want to live with.

Even if you weren’t born generous, even if your family taught you to grab and guard—you can still practice generosity and become the person who gives freely.

Every act of generosity rewires you for positivity and gratitude.

You can’t rob yourself of what you freely give away. The shirt off your back returns as self-respect, trust, a reputation of honor and benevolence.

Giving doesn’t ever decrease you. Test it. Give it a try and see what happens.

How does giving empower you?

How does it meet the person you know you can be?

Thanks – Michael (he, him)

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This matters too – Giving Too Much By Choice.

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