Letting Go of Greed

by Mary Hunt 

Dump your greed now. How? Here are four simple steps:

Develop personal compassion. Putting the situations of others' ahead of ourselves takes our eyes off of our selfish desires. It softens our heart and fills us with compassion for the needs of others.

Develop generosity. A heart filled with gratitude expresses itself with generosity. Generosity kills greed. As you acknowledge all that you have in light of the needs of those around you, you'll find yourself feeling genuinely grateful in ways you may have not experienced before. Generosity will become the natural outflowing of your grateful heart.

Put others' needs ahead of your wants. Take some of your wants and find someone who has a real need. Take the money you would have spent on those wants, and give it to the need instead.

Repeat. Make giving part of your personal money management program.

Can you imagine what could happen in our neighborhoods if every person reading this were to give some of what they have-money, time and talents-to meet the needs of others? We would start a revolution!  

Just imagine living in an environment that is void of greed. It can happen, I know, because I have experienced it. I've seen gratitude in operation in my own community, and I cannot describe the joy and contentment this brings.

Here's what I'm asking you to do, right now. Think of five friends you can share this column with. Then do it. Now.

Driving greed from your life will change your heart, and it just might do the same in theirs.

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com.