How Deeply Have You Given?

The Hotpot | November 2025 | By Lisanne

18.11

In ancient societies — the Aboriginals, for example — status was not measured by possessions or power.

It was about generosity.

About how much presence you could offer your people. How giving you were.

Not about outshining others, but about what you contributed to the whole.

That idea keeps circling back to me. In the modern world, presence is the rarest currency there is.

I think about it every time I write something — when I choose to pause instead of post, to craft instead of chase.

Not chasing the algorithm.
Not optimizing for reach.
But offering something that feels human, grounded, generous.

There are many examples of generous people. Look at Chris Anderson — co-founder of TED. He gave the world over 200,000 talks for free.

Or the women I admire like Jane Goodall and Oprah Winfrey — their value isn’t built on visibility, it’s built on contribution.

And that feels ancient — but also deeply necessary today.

Maybe we’ve been chasing the wrong kind of status all along.

Maybe the real question isn’t how much have you achieved?

But how deeply have you given?

Thanks for reading! The journal prompt of today:

In which area of your life are you the most giving?

Let me know in the comments!

Curious to see more reflections like this? Click through to see the rest of the series on success. I’d love to hear what resonates with you.