{"id":9571,"date":"2019-10-21T07:34:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T14:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nebulous-oyster.flywheelsites.com\/?p=9571"},"modified":"2023-03-03T07:13:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T15:13:54","slug":"50-50-generosity-vibrant-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/50-50-generosity-vibrant-life\/","title":{"rendered":"50 at 50: Generosity for a Vibrant Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s kind of a big deal to turn 50.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifty years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Half a century.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the good folks who run <\/span>Growing Bolder<\/span><\/a> say, don\u2019t feel bad about <\/span>getting older<\/span><\/a>. So many people <\/span>don\u2019t get the chance<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

I felt kind of relieved to be turning 50. I guess I was ready to say <\/span>goodbye to my 40s<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I wanted to mark my 50th birthday in a special, generous way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peer-reviewed science shows altruism makes humans happy<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve read some fascinating <\/span>peer-reviewed science<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>research <\/span><\/a>that shows that generosity given to others makes people happier than generosity received. <\/span>Doing things for other people provides you with more lasting happiness than when people do things for you.<\/b><\/p>\n

We all want to be happy. We all want to feel good. But you can read all the self-help books<\/a> in the world and still feel disconnected and lonely. As obsessed as we all have a tendency to be with ourselves, <\/span>more and more scientific evidence tells us that the key to vibrant living is more about connecting with others. <\/span><\/i>It\u2019s something I\u2019m thinking and writing about more these days<\/span>, something I call The Best Fit. You can read more about that in coming posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of which is to say, I decided that in honor of my 50th birthday I\u2019d give 50 gifts<\/strong> to friends, family, and strangers this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

I made some generosity rules for myself:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The gift has to be something special. Not just something I could easily give away, but something I love and didn\u2019t necessarily want to part with! Or something I purchased for someone else.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. The gift had to be out of the blue, not for someone\u2019s birthday, or not to someone I always gift things to.<\/li>\n
  3. I want each gift to be meaningful<\/a>, to the receiver and to me.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"My

    My friend Lynn does so much for other people. Her favorite animal is a horse so I made her this painting as a gift to her for MY 50th birthday<\/p><\/div>\n

    50 gifts of generosity for 50 people in honor of my 50th birthday<\/b><\/h3>\n

    So I gave away one of my favorite necklaces, a gorgeous one that I wore all the time, to my dear friend Jade, because she admired it.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I spent hours making a blue horse for my friend Lynn, painting love and gratitude<\/a> into every (imperfect) stroke. (Horses are Lynn\u2019s favorite animal and blue is her favorite color.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    I gave away my last signed copies of several of my books<\/a>, sending them with love to addresses around the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And I gave away plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I love my houseplants.\u00a0 There are many scientific reasons to have them<\/a>. Besides, they filter the air and make my home feel like an oasis where things can grow and thrive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"My

    My dear friend Laura with one of my favorite houseplants. Try giving away the things you love the most. This plant was hard to part with but the joy it is bringing to my friend brings me so much happiness<\/p><\/div>\n

    The one in the picture above was one of my favorite plants. I gifted it to my friend Laura. I can\u2019t lie. It wasn\u2019t easy to give away. But seeing the smile on Laura\u2019s face opened my heart. It makes me smile to think about how my plant will bring her joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    My 50th birthday was at the end of July and I\u2019ve almost reached my goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I feel blessed to have so much to give.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"I

    I gave this painting of a purple giraffe to my co-author Dr. Paul Thomas’s wife, Maiya, as part of the 50 gifts I have been giving away for my 50th birthday<\/p><\/div>\n

    \"I

    I sent dozens of books to Facebook friends and followers as part of my generosity campaign to give 50 gifts away for my 50th birthday<\/p><\/div>\n

    \"My

    My friend Michele showing off her copy of my book The Addiction Spectrum. It’s more fun to give than to receive, and makes you feel better about everything! So my generosity campaign for my 50th birthday has been to give OTHER PEOPLE 50 gifts<\/p><\/div>\n

    Posts Related to Generosity and Gift-Giving<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    44 Thoughts About Turning 44<\/a>
    \n    11 Perfect Gifts for an 11 Year Old<\/a>
    \n    The Keys to the Sex Kingdom: How to Improve Your Married Sex Life<\/a><\/p>\n

    Last update: March 3, 2023<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It\u2019s kind of a big deal to turn 50. Fifty years. Half a century. As the good folks who run Growing Bolder say, don\u2019t feel bad about getting older. So many people don\u2019t get the chance. I felt kind of relieved to be turning 50. I guess I was ready to say goodbye to my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[8162],"tags":[8206,8204,8227,8202,8205,8168],"yoast_head":"\n50 at 50: Generosity for a Vibrant Life — Jennifer Margulis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research shows that generosity\u2014doing things for other people\u2014provides you with more lasting happiness than when people do things for you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/50-50-generosity-vibrant-life\/\" \/>\n<meta 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