“Be frugal and generous.”

“Be frugal and generous.”

—Laszlo Bock, author of Work Rules

Image from Amazon

The pandemic and its economic repercussions have caused many a family and business to tighten their belts. Being mindful of diminishing or scarce resources has created levels of frugality not seen since the Great Depression.

At the same time, this shared experience has spurred many to extraordinary acts of generosity and selflessness to support those in need.

What examples of frugality and generosity have you observed in your personal and professional communities? Where have you been both frugal and generous at the same time?

EXERCISE:

What life lessons have you learned this past year regarding the virtues of frugality and generosity?

Please reply to this post to share your own stories and insights.

“Even Socrates, who lived a very …”

“Even Socrates, who lived a very frugal and simple life, loved to go to the market. When his students asked about this, he replied, ‘I love to go and see all the things I am happy without.’”

— Jack Kornfield, American author and Buddhist teacher

Photo from Flickr by Carlos Blanco

Photo from Flickr by Carlos Blanco

Nearly three years ago I began writing the Quotable Coach series. Six hundred and eighty-three posts later, I recall one of the very first quotes I selected: “The Best Things in Life are not Things.”

Consider exploring the nugget of wisdom by Jack Kornfield to examine the happiness Socrates found from leading a simple life.

EXERCISE:

What are your current sources of happiness? How might traveling lighter and living without some things make you even happier in the year ahead?