All About Clean Giving
All About Clean Giving
A few years ago, we had office space to rent in a building in Port Moody. When Ryan and Kevin walked in and offered to take it, we thought we’d found the perfect tenants. They were smart, eager, and ready to move right in and be part of an incubator I was trying to put together for small business people. We were a marketing firm and we were looking for designers, event planners, pr people and tech people….and we’d all share resources and ideas. It was going to be great. Ryan and Kevin had loads of skills we were looking for and they loved the space. There was just one hitch – they had no money.
That might have been the end of things, but we kept talking and the more I heard, the more convinced I became that these two were what we needed for that space. They’d be a great fit for the incubator – and I could tell they’d make the most of the opportunity.
So, I gave it to them, rent-free. I told them to just take the office and then we’d see what happened.
Why I make seemingly foolish decisions
Why did I make such a seemingly foolish decision, when frankly, we really needed that rent money? That’s what Ryan and Kevin wanted to know. What was the catch?
There was no catch. I was about three years into my meditation training and I believed in the power of clean giving.
Clean giving means no expectations
Clean giving means sharing what you have with an open heart and with no expectation of anything in return. There is no quid pro quo. Clean giving involves absolutely no expectation of reimbursement or reciprocation and, yes, on the surface, it sounds absolutely crazy and goes against everything we’re taught in business. We’re told that everything should be win/win…but you should win a little bit more for yourself. You shouldn’t give anything away – not unless you get a charitable donation receipt for your taxes.
Clean giving isn’t charity – if anything, it’s something that comes closer to the philosophy of Karma. Clean giving is not only great for the recipient, but also for the giver. It just feels really, really good.
When you give something with no strings attached, you erase the stress of waiting to be paid back – either by the recipient or even simply by a grateful universe. You avoid the anxiety and disappointment that comes from unfulfilled expectations. Once the clean gift has been given, you enjoy a quick moment of joy and then move on.
Sometimes, great things happen
But, let me be clear. Sometimes great things come about – directly or indirectly – as the result of a gift cleanly given. Take Ryan and Kevin, for example. I gave them that office space without any expectations – no rent and no obligation to do anything for me. As it has turned out, however, that act of clean giving was the trigger point for a series of collaborations and joint projects that have taken us through our media company and have now landed us where we are today, partners in Tru Earth, our passion project. If I hadn’t given them that office space years ago – if I had said no and waited for someone who could pay– we would never have connected and there would be no Tru Earth.
We all know what it feels like to receive something that comes with strings tightly attached. We may be grateful for what we’ve received, but we’re tethered to the giver by the need to replace or repay as quickly as possible. The giver experiences the anxiety of waiting for repayment but the stress of the recipient is far greater and the focus of every day becomes the need to repay, rather than the pleasure at having received a gift.
It’s only when gifts are given cleanly that both giver and recipient benefit fully.
My question to you for today is this: Is there something you and your business can give cleanly today? You may find that, in the long run, you’ll be the biggest beneficiary.
I’ll love to connect with you so send me a message with your answer.