Bill Hewlett, the co-founder of technology giant Hewlett-Packard, lived by a simple motto: “Never stifle a generous impulse.” He gave of his time, his talents, and his money as he helped grow both a company and hundreds of the people who worked within it.
I’ve had many “generous impulses” along that way that I never acted upon. It would be nice to make dinner for a widowed neighbor but cooking is not my forté. It would be generous to volunteer to help at an event but I’m busy with other things. I should call a friend to check on her but I put that off until “later.”
When I really think about it, there have been too many times when I have been generous only when it was convenient to do so. Hewlett’s motto resonated with me as I thought of how much joy I could have brought others if I had just acted on the impulses I had.
So, I’m working hard to adopt his motto as my own. Will you join me?
