We spend a lot of time thinking about generosity as something we give. But there is another side of generosity that goes almost entirely unexamined: the capacity to receive.
Most of us are better givers than we are receivers. When someone offers us a genuine compliment, we deflect. When someone wants to help us, we insist we're fine. When life offers us something beautiful, we're mentally somewhere else. We have been taught that receiving is passive and that the virtuous path is always to give more.
But this gets it backwards. The inability to receive is its own kind of ingratitude. Generosity requires two people. One to give, and one who is willing to accept the gift with openness. When we dismiss what's offered, we don't just shortchange ourselves. We shortchange the giver.
The people who learn to receive deeply are almost always the most generous because they have genuinely experienced the exchange that generosity makes possible.
THIS WEEK: Pay attention to the moments this week when something is offered to you: a compliment, an act of help, a beautiful moment in your day. Instead of deflecting or moving past it quickly, practice receiving it fully. Let it land. Notice what comes up for you when you do, and what you might be in the habit of pushing away.
All the best,
Steve Lawson - Monk Manual Founder
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