Here we are at the end of your introduction to the Generosity Gameplan. Now is the time to take a step back and look at the big picture again. Step 7 is to reflect on your results. As you continue down this path of engaged generosity, you’ll come back to this step often, reassessing and refining your plan as you see the effects of your efforts in the world.
Have you heard the starfish story? There’s a version popular in philanthropic circles that goes like this.
An old man was walking along the beach and came upon a young girl darting about in the sand. When he asked what she was doing, she pointed to the starfish lying stranded and said, “The tide is going out. If I don’t throw these starfish back in the water, they’ll die in the sun.”
The man looked at the expanse of beach, all the starfish littering the sand, and said, “There are too many. You can’t possibly make a difference.”
The girl bent down to pick up a starfish and threw it back into the ocean with a splash. “I made a difference to that one,” she said.
The idea is that, regardless of how extensive the problem, making a difference for even one person is still making a difference.
But a lot of us want to do more. We want to save the whole beach by making sure the starfish never get stranded again.
Giving upstream is a way of multiplying the value of your currencies by increasing the reach of your gifts. Here’s what it looks like when you give upstream:
- Look for the root causes of the problem as far upstream as you can go.
- Spend your currencies on addressing those root causes rather than just treating the symptoms downstream.
As you reflect on the results of your giving, you’ll get a chance to celebrate your efforts and make changes where needed. In this step, you’ll answer the question: “How do my results align with my heart’s desire?”
Exercise: Reflection
Over the last two weeks, I’ve given you a glimpse of what it’s like to create a Generosity Gameplan. Now I’d like you to reflect on the results of reading, thinking, writing, and taking action on generosity. Ask yourself questions like these:
- Have my feelings about generosity changed?
- Has there been a change in my thoughts and ideas about giving?
- How am I acting differently in the world?
- Having done these mini-steps, do I want to go deeper?
I hope you’ve found these concepts and prompts enlightening. This series of emails and exercises was just a taste of the full seven-step Generosity Gameplan process. If you see the value in this work and want to take it to the next level, I’m happy to help. You’ll find a complete exploration of these concepts and steps in my book, Connected for Good: A Gameplan for a Generous Life.
John Stanley