acting on generous impulses in 2026

2026-01-04

This year, I am giving myself only 1 resolution that I really want to focus on, "acting on the impulse of generosity". It comes from one of my favorite books I read last year called Four Thousand Weeks. A good friend not only recommended this book, he modeled this idea spot on by buying me the book when I told him I wanted to read it. Just without hesitation or any warning just tells me the book arrives tomorrow.

In the past I've caught myself thinking about nice things to do for people but often never act on it for various reasons:

  1. Forgot
  2. Thinking too big, give up
  3. Scarcity mindset

I've been very slowly getting better at ever since reading the book but this year I really want to take it to the next level, also for various reasons:

  1. Model kind behavior for my rapidly growing daughter
  2. Connect with more people
  3. Improve my personal well-being
  4. Strengthen current relationships

This idea also plays into a core theme in the book of creating more sense of urgency for the things you really care about. Instead of stashing them away in the back of your mind or a todo list, you take try to take action asap. Combine that with thoughts of kindness and I really believe you have a recipe for a more fulfilling life. My friend probably doesn't know this but I pickup the book and always remember how it was given to me. It feels nice, I hope I can do that for more people in 2026.