Why those who give part of their wealth in charity get wealthier!

Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft increased his wealth by US $ 15.8 billion in 2013 and regained the title of world’s richest person, which he had lost to Mexican investor Carlson Slim in 2010, as per Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bill has given $ 28 billion in charity so far and he holds around $78.5 billion as his wealth!

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife donated US $992 million in charity in 2013; but his wealth increased by $12.4 billion during same period. Wealth of Warren Buffett, legendary US investor has shown increase by 13.3 billion in 2013, while he donated 2 billion for charity.

It is not that wealth of only top philanthropists keep increasing, while they increased their contribution for charity! I don’t believe that even a person with few hundred thousands of dollar income has to ever lament drop in his/her wealth after sharing it!

So, what is the secret? Is charity as a rule results in increased income?

Benefits of Benevolence!

Let us first understand how anything that you do, which is humble, generous, goodwill or compassionate impacts you. Here is what happens, when you do that:

  1. You experience enhanced degree of confidence.
  2. You get a larger perspective of life.
  3. You start to like openness.
  4. You become more dignified and graceful.
  5. You overcome greed.
  6. You are more at peace with self.
  7. You acquire empathy.

So, benevolence always acts as a booster!

When you do it right, success is bound to roar for you!

Take a step deeper to understand what getting wealthier actually means.

Being wealthy is a sign of success. And, success means what you are doing is right. Conversely, if you do your things right, you can’t remain poor in what you do. If you have a business and handle it right, your business and profits are bound to grow. If you are in research field and make right efforts, discoveries would necessarily come your way! So, getting success and becoming wealthier have nothing to do with your genes, stars or luck. You might argue if someone has inherited wealth, how about them? History shows, if such people had not done it right after inheritance, they have squandered it!

Now, an important threshold or turning point – when you get success and in turn, wealth or anything else, you start to crave for more of it. You begin to get hooked or attached to that. This is the threshold, immediately after which you come on crossroads and your story is just set to take a turn. It is like you are winning in a game and you become more confident. At one point, you tend to become over confident; that is when you run the risk of losing.

Hence, good has limits too!

When you come to crossroads

What you get as a result of your efforts, you would naturally like to keep it. This is perfectly right thing to do, until your basic needs are fulfilled. What is basic would vary from person to person. But there is one way to define it correctly – when you are making efforts to secure money, win, fame, love, comfort or any other parameter, these are driven initially by your thought “I need it”. This thought drives your dedication as shown in enclosed figure until you reach a stage, when that very thought changes to “I need more”.

You need to watch it; it does come to everyone’s mind. If you are sincere to yourself, you would be able to identify this change easily; otherwise, it would be harder. This very change of your thought is the threshold, when your basic needs deem to have fulfilled! At the same time, you come on the crossroads. You have 2 choices:

a. Get addicted or obsessed with what you possess now and vie for more. This is called “Attachment”.

b. Get dispassionate or disinterested with “whether you would get more or not”; but continue your efforts (in same field or for same parameter) out of your pure passion or to part with it at least partially. This is called “Detachment”.

If you opt for “a”, then what was swelling would start to shrink now. Phrase “What goes up comes down” comes true! Even when you make same degree of efforts, your success rate would come down incrementally as shown in attached figure.

But if you make choice “b”, whole perspective and dimension of your life would undergo a change! You get a new purpose and scale a new peak in your pursuit.

So, choice “b” is detachment, which is driven by pure passion or spirit of sharing. But remember, keeping pure passion is not easy! We would not have many Steve Jobs!!

Incidentally, more than 70% of people swing between attachment and detachment. It is precisely for this reason; they face bouts of successes and failures!

What you share surely swells!

It is not the charity, which by itself helps; it is the spirit of sharing which does! Therefore, you would come across several examples, where charity has not helped those who had hidden agenda.

So, when you reach your threshold, share! Once you have enough of wealth, wisdom, knowledge, love, ideas or other means, share!!

What you share would only swell and soar! It brings a new order; a new dimension to your life!

Comments

4 responses to “Why those who give part of their wealth in charity get wealthier!”

  1. Rudra Avatar
    Rudra

    Well, that’s a news for me!! :O

    Though I know that happiness upsurges if you share it! Same rule applies to wealth??

    But I think you’ve to take utmost ‘care’ while you ‘share’, otherwise your efforts can go in vain…

    Nice, novel and interesting post!! 🙂

    1. Murli Avatar

      Thanks for your views and feedback!

      Rules of sharing applies to every parameter – wisdom or wealth; happiness or hate!!

      I believe – there is no need for utmost care for sharing; what you need is just a correct spirit.

  2. Felicisimo Lim Pedraza Malinao Avatar
    Felicisimo Lim Pedraza Malinao

    Those who have less in life can share their time and skills.

    1. Murli Avatar

      Very aptly stated! Thanks a lot, Mr. Malinao!!

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