Minute With Mallon: What Generosity Does To You!

Welcome to Minute with Mallon! 

Something I Taught:

I want to share an idea with you today that I hope inspires you. Maybe not to the extent of the man in this story, but enough to encourage you to do something a little differently this week.

I was working with a client recently whom I've known for more than ten years. He's also become a very good friend.

During our conversation, he told me about something that happened over a decade ago. He watched a man leave a waitress a $100 tip. He knew the man was financially successful, but the act itself stuck with him.

Years later, my friend decided that every time he and his wife go out to eat, he would leave at least a $20 tip no matter what the check total. 

Before making that commitment, he had an honest conversation with himself.

"Am I doing this to impress people? Is this the right thing to do?"

The answer was clear: no.

He was doing it for one reason: to practice generosity.

Now, here's what's interesting: my friend and his wife eat out almost every day. Many times, he'll also go out for lunch during the workday. Over time, this becomes a significant amount of money.

He always pays with a credit card, and at the bottom of the receipt he writes three simple words:

"Jesus loves you."

As he shared story after story about how servers had responded, I found myself getting emotional. I know this man very well. He is one of the least pretentious people I've ever met. He's not looking for recognition. He's simply practicing generosity.

And then he said something I'll never forget:

"Robert, it's changing me from the inside out."

There were a couple of moments during our conversation when we both teared up.

That's when I realized the greatest beneficiary of generosity may not be the person receiving it. It may be the person giving it.

We often think generosity is primarily about what it does for the other person.

But what if one of God's greatest gifts is what generosity does inside of us?

Scripture says:

"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." — Proverbs 11:25

I've found that to be true.

Generosity isn't just an event. It's a practice.

And like any practice, it changes us over time.

You may not be called to leave $20 tips every day. But perhaps you could write an encouraging note, buy someone's coffee, give away your time, make a phone call, or quietly meet a need that no one else knows about.

The amount isn't really the point.

The point is becoming the kind of person who naturally refreshes others.

What is one simple way you could begin practicing generosity this week—and what might it do inside of you if you did it consistently? 

You may end up blessing someone else. But don't be surprised if the person God changes the most... is you.

Something to Ponder:

 “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”

John Bunyan

Something I Learned:

Back in 2011, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman and economist Angus Deaton analyzed 450,000 Gallup surveys and concluded that emotional well-being plateaued once people earned about $75,000 a year. Adjusted for inflation, that's roughly $108,000 today.

Years later, researcher Matthew Killingsworth revisited the question using real-time data collected throughout people's days. He found that, for most people, well-being continued to rise with income.

But there was one important exception.

For roughly the unhappiest 20% of people, more money didn't make a difference. Why? Because they were carrying burdens money can't fix: grief, a broken relationship, health challenges, or emotional wounds that had never healed.

The plateau wasn't about income.

It was about pain.

I've coached enough leaders to know this is true. I've watched people achieve every financial goal they set, yet still feel empty. The issue wasn't their bank account. It was the conversation they kept avoiding—with a spouse, a doctor, a mirror, or God.

Here's my question for you this week:

If money isn't the ceiling on your joy, what is?

For most of us, it isn't a number. It's a conversation we haven't had yet.

Something I Saw:

Mary Whyte Watercolor at the Gibbes Art Museum. Don’t know why but this just stopped me in my tracks. Such talent!

Think this could help someone? Share the link: RobertMallon.com/Newsletter

👉 I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reply directly to me at: Robert@RobertMallon.com

Hope you have an incredible week! 

Robert