The Generosity Guy: Recent Episodes
Kieran Johnson
Join the Generosity Guy – Kieran Johnson, and delve in to all things generosity. Why it’s good for you, what it’s made up of and why it can be so challenging to live out.
Finding purpose can be a challenge, and it can shift as you journey through life.
For me, generosity is the foundation of purpose, even if I go through some dark places to get there.
How you think about someone is a gift. The way that you choose to see them can do wonders for your relationship.
Honesty is dangerous. It can cause hurt and pain and it is all to do with pearls and swine.
Having an honest conversation and sharing transparently about your life is a gift to other people.
It does come with risks though...
Serial entrepreneur, Tedx Speaker and Founder of Social Friday, Fikret Zendeli joins us for the podcast this week.
Not only is he reinventing Fridays and making them more meaningful, he is making Corporate Social Responsibility interesting.
Find out more about Social Friday here: Let’s reinvent Fridays! - Social Friday
See his Tedx talk here: Reinventing Fridays | Fikret Zendeli | TEDxZurich - YouTube
Connect with him on LinkedIn here: Fikret Zendeli | LinkedIn
Being an encourager to those around you is an incredible gift, but it doesn't just happen. Here are a few tips on how to do it.
When you think about those people that have really changed the world, perhaps someone who is a hero of yours, have you ever considered who was helping them along the way?
To wrap up this season, we talk about how to make a difference in our world and what it has to do with ancient military strategy, pilots and authors.
If you don't like what you are seeing in those around you, you can become the type of person that you want to reproduce.
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
It's surprising how helpful that could be to us now, but there is an even more extreme way to look at responding to how people treat us...
Do you have more of an internal locus, or an external locus of control?And yes, it does matter.
It's not that generous to tear people down and 'own' them with pithy zingers.
But what is the alternative?
Your generosity to others to help them succeed will, in turn, help you more than you know.
I wasted my first pay packet.
It took me a while to learn how to use my money wisely, but I can still learn from those living in poverty.
How much money does Australia actually give in Foreign Aid?
You will probably be surprised.
"Show me your bank account and I will show you what you care about."
"Charity begins at home"
Why this statement is wrong or at least misunderstood and why foreign aid is vital for Australia.
Yep, well I did read the comments and led to an uncomfortable place. But a good place to be.
Kids learn by osmosis. If you want your kids to be generous, guess what you need to do?
It's not often that stories about generosity make the news, but one where it cost so little? It doesn't make a great deal of sense...
You can learn from anyone.
That sounds great, but in reality, what does it take be to able to do that?
Where you are looking to gauge your progress is vital. Part of this is recognising what race you are running, and not comparing yourself to others who are running a different race.
5 Easy Steps:
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Find an alignment in purpose
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Work out what your impact will be and howyou will measure it
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Choose an organisation that will fit
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Create a plan with that organisation
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Stay Connected to it
Season 6 kicks off with a look at what happens when we lack - it becomes the only thing we can focus on. But when we get enough, anything is possible.
How to make your enemy really angry, or perhaps restore them into a relationship with you.
Spoiler Alert - You will die eventually, but what will you do with your death to make a difference?
Sometimes it is helpful to have some language you can use in your everyday life to encourage your generous thoughts. Here are three of the best.
Pride in your own creation is normal, even encouraged. But not for this thing we made...
Is it as good as we think it is? What should we look out for with crowd funding campaigns?
I encourage people to focus their generosity to things they are passionate about, but we can still care about other things.
I dream of the day when I am no longer needed. That is a day that world will celebrate.
Money won't make you happy, except for the times when it does, but those times are short and have a limit.
Sure, eating well and exercising can help, but being generous could be the secret ingredient for a long life.
There are so many needs in the world. How do we work out which is the most important to focus on right now?
Each industry has buzzwords that get overused and loose their meaning.
With that in mind, what does development actually mean then?
To finish season 4 of the Generosity Podcast, let's talk about being selfish, and what hope we can find if we realise that we are self centred...
The Generosity Guy exists because of my own selfishness.
Find out more at www.thegenerosityguy.com
When it comes to purpose, does it matter exactly what you are doing, or is it more about who you are when you are doing it?
Can it be both?
Things have changed dramatically in our world over the last 20 years. Yet, we get used to change so quickly...
It was common in years gone by, but not heard too much today. Were people swinging more cats in 1990's than they are now or is there another reason the saying has disappeared?
Take a moment and think about the things that you can do now. There was a time in your life when you weren't able to. You have learned and grown. So has our world.
There is power is saying I don't know, because it means more about the amount of options you have than it does about your ability to make a decision.
I thought my days of writing fiction was all behind me, but it turns out I still make up stories.
About people mostly, and their motives. The beauty is that I can still change the narrative.
Being a charity case sounds like a bad thing. We use it as a negative term, but who doesn't need a little help once in a while?
What does this fictional character from a Christmas movie have to teach us about generosity?
Great question - let's find out!
Of all the Seth’s in the world, he’s in my top 3. Up there with Seth Godin and Seth Green, but alphabetically he comes first – Seth Emery. A designer, musician, writer, missionary and lifelong learner…
He’s been struck by lightning, twice…and hit by a truck. These are just a couple of things that have happened in his life…
Some resource suggestions from Seth:
Rare Leadership: 4 Work Habits that Improve Focus, Engagement, and Productivity
The Other Half of Church – Jim Wilder, Michael Hendricks
The Bible Project Podcast
Practicing the Way Podcast – John Mark Comer
Connect with Seth:
Sethemery.com
Where were you born? Does that make a difference? Yes.
Should it? No.
What do we do with that?
More than just a fictional story that gets rolled out at Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge can have a significant impact for the good of us and those around us.
How do charities figure out where the greatest need is? With so many areas of need, the decision can be a difficult one...
Back for Season 4...
I have jealousy issues. A tough thing to admit to myself, but the impact that has on generosity in my life is too big to ignore.
In the final episode of season 3, we talk about charity fatigue, where does it come from, does it even exist and what should we do about it...
What do you want to be when you grow up? You may think you are already grown up but the question is still valid.
What gets you up in the morning?
Finding purpose can make the biggest difference in life - generosity is the key to that.
How much should we be asking about what charities spend and how much should we focus on the impact they are having?
Very few things are black and white, most have elements of grey. Poverty is complex but it can be overcome.
It is good business for charities to send you mail if you have donated before. But, if you don't want it, just tell them that.
You never know how someone will respond when you act generously, so it is it worth it if they don't take it the way you wanted?
Former Miss Arab USA, actor, peacekeeper in the Middle East, now a full time author, Suzanne has done it all - including suffering from postpartum depression.
Suzanne shares all about her story of becoming a mum, then at times wishing she hadn't, and trying to find a safe place to talk about that.
Check out her book - Postpardon Me: A fickle woman's spiral into postpartum depression and anxiety and how the hell she found her way out of it. (Sort of.) Other resources mentioned:
Joe Dispenza – Breaking the habit of being yourself
The Stormlight Achives
Radio Lab
Connect with Suzanne on Instagram and through her website.
There is nothing more universal than a love of a parent for their child.
Every parent wants what is best for their kids - no matter where they are from.
Comedian, Speaker, Consultant and Neurodiverse “Brain for Hire”, Ben Sorensen joins Kieran in the Generosity Podcast.
You may have seen him in the media, or heard his voice, or had him host your trivia event. When he's not being funny, he is helping companies create a culture or neurodiverse inclusion...although he can be funny at the same time.
Being diagnosed with Autism and ADHD in his 30's, Ben has truly journeyed through the challenges of what it means to operate in a world that doesn't fully understand the way he thinks.
Reading suggestions from Ben...
The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel
The Art of War – Sun Tzu
The Gutenberg Project
Contact Ben here...
https://www.bensorensen1.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bensorensen1
www.bensorensen1.com/autism
Living in poverty is a costly business and doing simple things can cause a significant financial burden.
Extreme poverty is considered to be anyone living on $2US or less a day, but could someone survive if they were frugal enough?
Season 3 starts with an explanation - I get all sorts of responses from people when I tell them I am the Generosity Guy - here is what it is all about.
Why do you the things that you do? It's a question I often ask myself, and here is a tool that you can use to help figure it out, and make a behavioural change.
When good development turns bad. It's awful when it happens (and it does happen), but not all is lost.
What's the difference between change and transformation? Does it matter?
Ask the butterfly...
Two of the greatest challenges we have as a world have to do with food. One is getting too much, the other is getting too little. What can we do about it?
It's a question that gets used to ensure that we are making wise decisions in the present that wont negatively impact those in the future.
It's also a waste of time.
This week we chat with Kabushka Ngemba, a proud Ngemba woman from New South Wales.
Kabushka is a professional artist and specialises in Indigenous Dot Art. She shares her experience of connecting with her creativity, her creative process and how art became so important in her life.
“I had my children when I was really young, life wasn’t so easy, art was a place to escape from everyday life at the time.” Kabushka
Check out her website for more information or to see her artwork - https://kabushkangemba.com/
Book recommendation from Kabushka - The Mumba Mentality: How I Play - Kobe Bryant - https://www.amazon.com/Mamba-Mentality-How-Play/dp/0374201234#:~:text=The%20Mamba%20Mentality%3A%20How%20I%20Play%20is%20Kobe%20Bryant's%20personal,late%20Los%20Angeles%20Laker%20superstar.
Netflix recommendation from Kabuska - The Defiant Ones
A spreadsheet can't possibly capture everything about a person and their life, so there is another method needed...
I often get asked what the best way to fundraise is - whilst there is no right way or wrong way, here are a couple of very helpful insights which will serve you.
Measuring potential is not an exact science, but we know we are missing out on what people can bring to our world. If only we could remove this one thing...
With so many resources naturally found on our planet, which is the greatest one?
Oil? Gas? Iron-ore? Ice cream?
It doesn't sound that great, but could there be something special about the sacrifice in giving?
With an ever growing global population, how are we going to find enough food to feed everyone?
What part does generosity play in that process?
Hungry?
What it means to have enough, too little or too much.
There is enough. The supply is not the issue.
Is Women's Empowerment a women's issue?
Things have changed since my first women's event, thank God for that.
Overcoming poverty is more than just a financial thing, it is psychological. Once someone's basic needs are met, only then can they become who they could be. Maslow was right.
Hospitals are a scary place. Think about that from the perspective of a 1 or 2 year old - they are confused, the don't know why they are there, why are these people coming in, are they going to hurt me?
Jason's organisation, Supertee, helps sick children in hospital find strength through imagination.
You can find out more about Supertee at www.supertee.org.au
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/TheSuperteeCharity
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_supertee_project/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/supertee/
The Denzel Washington video Jason referred to is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOlYmtPBSqE
How do you practice self generosity? How are you generous with your love for other people? What generous boundaries do you have in place for your children? Why don't you have a belly button??
These are some of the questions that Brandi K Harris answers in this weeks podcast.
Brandi is an experienced counsellor, author, speaker, teacher, and coach. Married with three children, Brandi has a wealth of insight and wisdom about generosity in every day life.
What Brandi is reading currently:
The Other Black Girl - https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-other-black-girl-zakiya-dalila-harris/book/9781526630384.html
The Great Sex Rescue - https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-great-sex-rescue-sheila-wray-gregoire/book/9781540900821.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgP6PBhDmARIsAPWMq6kos6wDfjtJX0_NVBsZsf_lftMJNtID3TE1lg5HdPNcyqqDsehs_mMaAmvsEALw_wcB
Sapiens - https://www.booktopia.com.au/sapiens-yuval-noah-harari/book/9781784873646.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgP6PBhDmARIsAPWMq6kbFm81KxZxxBvESulTExQ0V1SZxv1gbtxnhn7wcQWuV-9AYdr3FHQaAnNDEALw_wcB
You can find more information about her at www.ittakesabreath.com
Her books can be found here:
Grace for Parents - https://www.amazon.com.au/Grace-Parents-Brandi-K-Harris/dp/1312682205
Love Well - https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Well-Brandi-K-Harris-ebook/dp/B093X64P3J
The Truth About Holy Sex - Coming Soon
Follow Brandi on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brandik.harris/
Generosity is a mindset, it doesn't require a certain amount of wealth before it can happen.
Each time you participate in an act of generosity, you are taking a risk.
What happens if it gets rejected? Do we stop being generous?
With no price tag attached, how do we know how much money to give away?
Here are a couple of tips.
Fear can hold us back, and when it comes to generosity, fear can stop us from becoming the type of person that we want to be. In places like Australia, that fear is mostly unfounded.
There is no future time in which you will suddenly become more generous. Generosity starts now. Don't wait.
Usually people will say that being selfless is a good thing, but it actually gets in the way of true generosity.
There are certain times when we might want to give money away, and think we are doing a good thing, but God doesn't want it from us.
God's plan for our world does not rely upon whether I give or not. He is not restricted by my lack of generosity.
Instead, He invites us to be part of what He is doing through our Generosity.
People dream of winning the lottery and living the rest of their lives on easy street.
But what if we have already won?
Some call them reasons, I call them excuses. This episode highlights four of the most common reasons/excuses that people use to justify not giving to a charity.
Why do we give to what we give to? What is it that motivates us to support one charity over another, or no charities at all?
What do you do when the topic of money and generosity is sprung on you without warning?
Plus, some tips for intentional generosity.