The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World
By Kim Dinan, 2017
Before Kim Dinan and her husband quit their jobs, sold their home and left everything behind to travel the world, they were given a yellow envelope with a check inside and instructions to give the money away to people they meet. From Ecuador to India, what transpires is a global journey about the power of giving and purpose. The yellow envelope becomes a symbol of how giving to others transforms our outlook on our own lives and happiness. Readers will be inspired to reevaluate the things they value and find a renewed sense of intentional living.
Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything
By Julia Baird, 2024
According to this book, the concept of grace can be hard to define, but it can often be found when we create a connection with one another. This means being kinder, bigger and better for those around us. The author uses stories from around the world, personal anecdotes and literary references to highlight how being our best selves by allowing for mistakes and forgiving those who need forgiveness is the way to a happier world.
Good People: Stories from the Best of Humanity
By Gabriel Reilich & Lucia Knell, 2024
From the popular Instagram community, Upworthy, comes a collection of 101 stories filled with heart and compassion. Each story speaks to the best of humanity by showcasing acts of kindness, the resilience of the human spirit and human decency. After reading this book, even the most skeptical reader will be reminded that goodness is everywhere in the world if you just take the time to notice.
The Simple Difference: How Every Small Kindness Makes a Big Impact
By Becky Keife, 2021
The world can feel full of large problems with no easy solutions, so how can one person make a difference? This book seeks a simple answer: kindness. Rather than doing more, it asks readers to slow down and see more by embracing the power of small acts of kindness every day. Through stories of personal experience and guiding prompts, this book shows that the smallest, simplest gestures are what can make the most meaningful impact on the world around us.
The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving
By Jenny Santi, 2015
The outcomes of the act of giving usually focus on how giving benefits those in need. However, giving to others, whether through time, money or expertise, may be the key to personal fulfillment as well. Drawing from inspiring real-life stories to new scientific research on how the selfless care of others activates the brain’s pleasure centers, readers will learn that the answer to their own happiness, healing and purpose for a thriving life lies in doing more for others.
The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose
By Christian Smith & Hilary Davidson, 2014
This book is the result of an extensive, first-of-its-kind, five-year study called the “Science of Generosity Initiative”. Pulling from surveys, interviews and analysis of visual materials, the evidence of the study suggests that giving to others actually enhances our well-being. By consistently practicing generosity, not just random acts of kindness, people will experience positive health benefits like fewer illnesses and injuries as well as fewer depressive episodes. Making the effort to be more generous is the way to a happier, more purpose driven life.
