I read a great book by Sean Dowdell and I thought I would start with his book’s ending.  Sean, if you’re not familiar with his name, is the self-made millionaire and owner of Club Tattoo.  He pretty much is responsible for changing his industry and making tattoos, not just more acceptable and upscale, but a recognized form of art and expression all over the world.  In his book, Tattooed Millionaire, Sean said that his biggest lesson was that money doesn’t buy you happiness but giving to others does.  He and his wife, Thora, give to charities locally and internationally.  They’ve literally driven to Mexico loaded up with donations in the back of their car.  They are hands-on philanthropists and love to do for others.  Material things no longer hold value to them but giving has become a huge part of their lives.

Here are 7 reasons everyone should give to charity:

1.      Give because you can:  The very first reason you should donate to charity is that you can.  No matter how little you think you have, there is always someone worse off than you.  There is no minimum amount of time or money that is required to give.  You just give what you can when you can.  Usually, the people who can’t really afford much are the ones who give the most, both with their time and their money.  There’s a story in the bible of a woman who had one coin and she gave that one coin as tithing.  Although a wealthy man gave his 10% tithing and it had a much higher denomination or value, God blessed her because she gave all she had.  I’m not saying go out there and give away all you’ve got, but once you start giving, your values change.  Things become less important and people become everything.  You begin to realize what has true value and what does not.

2.      It’s a great way to commemorate love:  Love is essential and, considering today’s world, it is a much-needed commodity.  Chances are if you have been on this planet for any amount of time, you have loved someone.  Whether or not they are still with us in the physical sense, you can commemorate a loved one with a donation.  When my mom died, she asked that people give to Gilda’s Club near her home.  When my dad died, we gave to the Hospice that cared for him.  You don’t have to wait for someone to die in order to give in their name, though.  You can give in anyone’s name at any time, which has been a bit of a controversy in the political arena lately.  Charity, however, is an avenue that shows a person you love that you really care about something they care about.

3.      It’s an opportunity to give back:  Charity is a wonderful and exciting opportunity to give back to the world some of what it has given us.  Charity can be given to your old school, your old neighborhood, or wherever your heart leads you to give.  It is also an indicator that you are grateful for your past and haven’t forgotten where you came from, so give to a person or organization that at one time in your life gave so generously to you.

4.      Charity boosts motivation:  Donating to charity can help you raise the level of your own personal motivation.  A large number of people all around the world work diligently towards charities of their own interest.  It makes them feel better about themselves and often drives them to work even harder so they can give even more.  When you give, you feel fulfilled and this adds to your own personal happiness.  Happiness is motivation enough for many of us.  People who donate become driven to donate more and therefore are motivated by the purpose of giving in itself.

5.      Charity helps you earn respect:  I’m going to use Sean, again, as an example here.  He talks about giving anonymously for the longest time until someone called him out as a greedy person who never gave.  Obviously, this irritated Sean to no end, so he began to be more open about his contributions to charity.  Giving “out loud,” as I call it, made a huge impact in his life.  He was finally given some respect in the community.  If you are or want to be any type of public figure, and that includes a small business owner in your community, you need to give out loud.  Not only will you gain the respect of the community around you, but you will inspire others to give, as well. 

6.      Giving is a way of showing gratitude:  There is no better way to show your appreciation for all that you have than to give to others.  It basically is a Hallmark Card to God that says, “Thank you, Lord, for all You give to me every day.  I appreciate everything so much.”

7.      Giving improves your self-worth:  When you give to charity, it adds to your self-worth. The opportunity to help your neighbor is always rewarding and incredibly fulfilling.  I feel as if I always receive more than I have given: it’s almost unfair.  “My cup runneth over,” as the verse says.  Don’t, however, donate because of your need for self-worth.  Instead, give out of a genuine desire to help someone in need.

First of all, even if you have no religious background, the psychology of giving impacts you in tremendous ways. It tells your mind that you have more than enough, so much so, that you are able to give "excess" in order to help improve others' life circumstances. The moment you do that, your subconscious kicks in and makes that part of your identity, part of your current reality. You can literally fool your brain into creating more because it already believes (and belief is all you need) you have "more than enough." Magic happens.

Now, if you have any kind of Christian upbringing, this statement is solidified by the Bible. There is only one time in the Bible when God welcomes you to test Him and that is when He is asking you to tithe or give 10% of what you earn to charity. He says, "Test me in this," and He will pour blessings down upon you. Malachi 3:10 says, "Test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Our priest offered up this test to our parishioners one year. He asked us to test God and take Him at His Word. We signed a book and promised to tithe 10% to any charity of our choice and see if God fulfilled His promise.  We took the challenge and the results were amazing. We increased our income by leaps and bounds and continued to tithe even after the "trial period" was over. I think everyone did.

Either way, because of God or because of psychology, tithing and giving to others works and will pour amazing blessings on you and yours.

I want you to consider yourself a philanthropist from now on, no matter how little or how much you can give at this moment.  I want you to begin the tradition of giving to others, not only at Christmas but continuously every month throughout the year.  Set a goal to "tithe" each and every payday.  It's who you are now.  You are a giver.  You always have more than you need because God has blessed you knowing that you give to others in return.  He will never forget to fill your house with blessings for that very reason.  

We started Mickey's House because we saw a need and wanted to fill it.  We know that the challenge we face is overwhelmingly big but we also know that we can create an organization that will fight this battle for as long as it takes to win, one homeless person at a time.  We hope that you will consider a monthly donation to us, no matter the size.  We are grateful for you and wish you God's blessings in abundance!

Michelle R Russell

© The Prosperity Process, LLC  

for Mickey's House Foundation