Givers Get Lucky
by Mr Fables (Founder of The Encouragement Manifesto)
Image by Extract Coffee at The DO Lectures
The central premise of The Encouragement Manifesto is essentially one of generosity.
To be ‘generous’ is to offer more than is expected. Perhaps it is also ‘to give with no expectation of reciprocation’.
When we created our Manifesto, we imagined sharing a few Instagram posts about it, perhaps writing a couple of articles now and then. As it turned out, when we (nervously) asked some folk we respect and admire to write about one of the principles that caught their imagination, they said "yes".
Now we have a collection of beautiful writing that represents the spirit of the Manifesto and the generosity of the writers who have contributed.
This week, we have been reflecting on that generosity.
We deliberately set out to find voices that were not being heard; interesting folk we happened to know whose views we were interested in. People we respected. The folk who seemed to live life inspired by the values that guide our ‘life well-lived’. Our nervousness in asking was due, in some measure, to a reluctance on our part to take up people’s time for ‘our project’. When people started to say “yes”, we started to realise that the project appealed for the very reason that it is not specifically ‘ours’. The words that people offer strike a chord with us, of course … but their importance is in the appeal they hold for others. They are the words that say the things folk need to hear; they say the things that others can’t put into words. They express feelings, describe experiences and share emotions. They are given freely - occasionally reluctantly; not least when they feel to the writer that they are deeply personal or ‘off-brand’.
The words are offered generously. Given with no expectation of anything in return. We have been blown away by the quality of the writing; generous - ‘to offer more than is expected’ … we have received way more than we expected.
Recently, we were offered the perfect embodiment of that generosity.
Writer Tanya Shadrick has been offering free mentoring to aspiring writers. Generously offering time, practical advice and encouragement. We had (very nervously) asked recently if she would write for the Manifesto. Nervous, in this particular case, because words are Tanya’s living; writing is what she does. And we are busy asking her for free words for ‘our thing’. Cheeky.
But generous folk see beyond the pressure they are placing on their own capacity. Generous people see opportunity to use their giving spirit to encourage others. The piece of writing that emerged from Tanya’s mentee Izzy Dignum is one we will treasure because it is the product of the ‘Be Generous’ value we captured over a year ago. It is the epitome of ‘generous’. That opportunity to create a piece of writing that would be enthusiastically brought to a fresh audience is the encouragement Tanya recognised was needed within the context of the mentoring she was offering. Generosity; offering more than was expected. Giving, and expecting nothing in return.
‘Be Generous’ is not just one of the 10 ‘values’, it is a spirit woven into the heart of The Encouragement Manifesto.
