8 Characteristics of a Generous Person

1. Altruism

As we mentioned, it’s hard to define a generous person, because people are not identical. We can agree, though, that there’s one characteristic every generous person shares. We’re talking about altruism, of course. You know that being altruistic means showing a selfless concern about the well-being of others. Although personal gain might be present when doing good deeds, it’s not a motivating factor for generous people. They give and expect nothing in return.

It might sound strange but giving and sharing requires practice. The more you do that, the more joy you feel. The joyfulness only grows in time, so you become more motivated to continue with generous activities. Worrying about the welfare of others should come from the purest of feelings – love. Generous people love humanity and want to make the world a better place. That’s why their altruism is truly genuine.

2. Enthusiasm

Generous people are usually very enthusiastic. They have a lot of energy, so they’re always on the move. The excitement about doing good deeds is what keeps them going. Often they encourage others and motivate them to participate in charitable activities. If you’ve ever been part of a group activity led by a very generous person, you know how contagious their enthusiasm is. The passion for the cause gives them so much energy, so you’ll see them working on a goal more than anyone else. It takes a lot of effort and strength to be excited and thrilled about something all the time, but they manage to do it because they know it will be beneficial in the long run.

3. Gratefulness

When you devote your life to making other people happy, you broaden your horizons. You start to notice all the misfortunes people encounter in their life journey. Then you realize how lucky you are for all the good things in your life. This is the process that all generous people go through and they end up being very grateful.

Gratitude is a personality trait, a mood, and an emotion. While we may feel grateful on certain occasions (e. g. Thanksgiving), generous people are grateful. They don’t need a reminder to reflect on good things in their life. Counting blessings in your own life might encourage you to share them with others, so let grateful and generous people be your role models.

4. Humbleness

The virtue of humility might be the most important one for generous people. You shouldn’t take pride in doing generous acts because that way, you devoid them of meaning. If you’re wondering what does it mean to be generous, think about it in correlation with humility. Doing good deeds and expecting nothing in return means you’ll put yourself aside and won’t ask for a reward. Even if someone offers you a reward for your actions, you should probably refuse to receive it. With impressing others you’re just satisfying your ego. A truly generous person is humble and will always fight narcissistic tendencies that every human has. He/she knows that giving and sharing is not about buying someone’s love and gratitude. It’s about being modest and doing things out of your heart’s kindness.

5. Leadership

There are different types of generosity and generous people. Some choose to lead by example, while others “work from the shadows”. Most generous people are not afraid to take the lead while fighting for the cause they believe in. Is there anything more honorable than that? Being the first in line to fight doesn’t mean taking credits after the job is done. In fact, the best leaders are the most humble ones. When they take the microphone to speak, they don’t brag about themselves and previous accomplishments. It’s just the opposite. They speak of new things left to be done, and they try to inspire people to follow them and take action. They put their heart and soul into activity, no matter how big or small it is. This doesn’t mean that every generous person is a natural leader. It just means he/she is capable of taking initiative and doing something right away.

6. Optimism

If you are fighting for a cause or just trying to make the world a better place, you need to believe you’ll succeed. You must have hope that your actions will affect and help others. If you don’t, there’s no point in fighting at all. This is why most generous people are optimists. They are confident and hopeful about succeeding in making a difference.

Optimists believe in a better future and they are idealistic in their nature. They picture a utopistic world and strive to achieve that image. We know that the world isn’t perfect and we usually give up on trying to change it.  Optimists (or generous persons), on the other hand, never stop giving their time (and often money), and they sacrifice everything to make the world a better place.

7. Patience

Generous people are patient. They have no problem waiting to see the results of their action. Even if they don’t immediately see all the fruits of their labor, they just move on to the next great thing knowing they did well. They can endure all the problems and suffering they face without becoming anxious. The world can’t be changed overnight, so there’s no point in stressing about it.

Love is patient and it takes time. Sometimes people in need are ashamed and don’t accept your acts of generosity. In those moments it’s crucial to be patient, so you can help the best you can. Generous people know this, so they nurture the virtue of patience.

8. Trust

The trust is crucial for acts of generosity. You can’t help anyone if you don’t believe in the rightness of your actions. If you don’t believe in people or in yourself, it’s hard to make a difference. We know that having a total belief in something isn’t easy at all. It implies lowering your guards and being vulnerable. However, if you trust someone, you think that person is reliable and you have confidence in him/her. When you trust someone, it’s more likely you can become trustworthy yourself. Once you’ve earned people’s trust and put your trust in them and the cause, real change can happen. Your giving is an investment in a better future. If you don’t trust people or the cause you’re fighting for, is there a point in being generous at all?

Frequently asked questions about the characteristics of a generous person

We hope that our list of characteristics answered most of your questions. Still, there are a lot of questions you might still be curious about. We singled out some of them:

8. Is generosity a character trait?

Yes, generosity, as well as characteristics mentioned in the article, is a learned character trait. It is both an attitude, an action, and a virtue, and it means liberality in giving and sharing for the benefit of others.

7. Can generosity be inherited?

Biologically no, but you can teach your kid how to be more generous. If you are a generous person, you’re setting a great example for your kid, so it’s more likely he/she will grow up to be a generous person too.

6. What are the 10 Characteristics of a generous person?

A generous person has a lot of different traits, not only 10. As you can see in this article, we chose to show you the most common ones.

5. Is generous and kind the same thing?

Generosity is the quality of selfless giving, while kindness implies sympathy or understanding. For example, complimenting a stranger is an act of kindness and donating money to charity is a generous action.

4. What causes generosity?

Generosity is usually caused by someone’s personality. Some people have a tendency to help others, and some don’t.

3. What are the benefits of being generous?

Generous persons have more self-confidence, normal blood pressure, sleep better and don’t stress as much as people who are not participating in generous activities.

2. How does generosity affect happiness?

Giving to others actually makes you happier. Scientists have linked donations to charity and areas of the brain associated with pleasure and trust. They also think that giving releases endorphins, hormones that boost happiness and reduce stress.

1. What is the art of giving?

The art of giving is defined as giving from the bottom of the heart without any expectation. True generosity comes from the soul.

Conclusion

Think about the mentioned characteristics of a generous person. Do you think they are helping him/her to make a difference in the world? We think they do. That’s why generous people have found a purpose in their lives. They hear life’s calling and understand “the bigger picture”. In the grand scheme of things, everyone has their place and generous people have embraced theirs. They don’t expect anything and give all they have. The knowledge that they’re doing their best to improve the world is the only award generous people need.

We hope you feel a little bit more inspired to start nurturing some of these traits, so you can become a more generous person. If you are and trying to figure out ways to show generosity to others, we’ve got you covered. We’ve been researching a lot about generosity activities for adults and generosity in general so don’t miss checking this topic out!