Generosity is Generative

I didn't set out to become an entrepreneur.

When I began coaching, I was finding my way out of burnout. I was trying to figure out what it might look like to live into my calling with integrity, to do meaningful work without losing myself in the process. Somewhere along the way, that work became a coaching practice, and the coaching practice became a small business.

So, here I am: an entrepreneur.

One of the things I've found most surprising about building a small business is how quickly a mindset of scarcity can creep in. You can get stuck believing that there are only so many clients, contracts, and opportunities.

When you believe there isn't enough, it's easy to start looking sideways, wondering, Did they get the opportunity I wanted? How do I make sure I get the next one? What if someone else is doing the same thing I'm doing?

But there's another way: generosity. There are people who make introductions, recommend colleagues, and celebrate the success of others without needing to make it smaller. There are people who will say, I'm not the right person for this, but I know someone who might be.

Over time, I've begun to notice that generosity is generative.

When someone recommends me for an opportunity they could have pursued themselves, they're not simply giving something away. They're creating connection. When I refer someone else to a person who needs what they offer, I'm not losing a client. I'm strengthening a relationship. When we celebrate one another's work, we create a culture where good work can be seen. When we share what we've learned, more people become equipped to do meaningful work.

Generosity doesn't diminish what we have. It multiplies what is possible.

Making Room

This is harder when we're afraid. Fear about scarcity makes us hold on tightly.

It tells us that someone else's success might threaten our own, that if we don't take this opportunity someone else will, and that we have to protect what we've built because there may not be another chance.

Sometimes that fear is grounded in reality. There really are limits. Money is finite. Time is finite. Capacity is finite.

But scarcity doesn't have to be the only story we tell about those limits.

We can be ambitious and generous. We can care deeply about our work and make room for someone else's. We can pursue an opportunity without believing we have to win every opportunity. We can say, This isn't mine, and trust that doesn't mean there will be nothing left for us.

I've been lucky to experience this kind of generosity from people I admire, and I've noticed that it changes me. It makes me want to be generous, too. Not because I expect something in return, but because I want to be part of a way of working where we make more room for one another rather than less.

Some of the most meaningful things in my work have come through people who were willing to make room for me. And the most faithful response is to make room for someone else: to share the name, make the introduction, celebrate the win, pass along the opportunity, or simply tell someone, I think you would be really good at this.

Generosity is generative.