Praise for The Giving Way to Happiness
With expertise, passion, and captivating real-life stories that keep you at the edge of your seat, Jenny Santi reminds us of the life-changing power of givingit is essential to our well-being as individuals, families, and communities. The Giving Way to Happiness is an important book for people of every generation who want to be fully alive in the world.
T ARA S TILES , FOUNDER AND CEO OF S TRALA Y OGA
This is an inspirational book, which addresses both philosophical and practical questions. Santis perceptive account is uplifting and insightful. The book is packed with heartwarming stories, fascinating research, personal revelations, useful tips, and timely advice. The Giving Way to Happiness explores the very real connection between helping others and helping ourselves.
I LIAN M IHOV , DEAN , INSEAD
An enlightening read, filled with open, honest glimpses into the lives of inspirational personalities from different walks of life... This book is a friendly, approachable yet sharply written narrative packed with ideas youll want to immediately start applying to your life.
M ALVINDER M OHAN S INGH , EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF F ORTIS H EALTHCARE L TD .
The Giving Way to Happiness will change the way you approach giving, shifting the focus from charity to empathy, from a one-way transfer to a mutually beneficial act, from guilt and obligation to pleasure and happiness. Jenny Santi, through her well-researched, eloquent, and insightful book, teaches us how we can help ourselves by helping others.
C AR L L IEDERMAN , FORMER CEO OF O NE Y OUNG W ORLD , AND FOUNDE R AND CEO OF LIEDERSHIP
As Jenny Santi so eloquently shows, to give is not just better than to receive; to give is to receive. The people in this book are from all walks of lifea dolphin captor who comes to regret his work, the grieving mother of a 9/11 victim, a Bangladeshi economist doubtful that what hes teaching really matters, an entrepreneur struggling with ALS, and many othersbut they share a passion for giving that changes them in profound ways. Their stories are a testament to the fact that when we give of ourselves, we not only improve the lives of others, but we find genuine happiness and deeper meaning in our own.
B RANDT G OLDSTEIN , VISITING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT N EW Y OR K L AW S CHOOL AND AUT HOR OF S TORMING THE C OURT
A wonderful book for a new generation of individuals who not only want to make a difference but also want to live exciting, fulfilling, and happy lives. Packed with inspiring stories of people from different walks of life and with lessons directly applicable to your own. Just pick it up and youll be hooked!
K ATHERINE L ORENZ , PRESID ENT OF THE C YNTHIA A ND G EORGE M ITCHELL F OUNDATION
Given the growing inequity on our planet, what is the solution? Santi shows us that a culture of giving can change the world around us while fulfilling each of our lives at the deepest level. Impressive, inspiring, and full of wisdom!
S HIV K HEMK A , VICE CHAIRMAN OF SUN G ROUP
Jenny Santi has succeeded in crafting a compelling blend of moving stories, powerful insights, and practical advice on how each of us can find the giving way to happiness. This book demonstrates that each of us can feel the impact and spiritual rewards of giving if we choose to make the journey. Her efforts and personal experiences will be an inspiration to many.
A LEX C HARLTON , P RESIDENT OF C AVENDIS H G LOBAL
Authentic, candid, and insightful, The Giving Way to Happiness masterfully interweaves touching and often surprising stories into the analysis of how people live lives full of meaning, purpose, and happiness. This is an important book that sends a wonderful message that is so simple at its core but that is unfortunately too often overlookedthat the act of giving creates a multiplier effect, adding something to the life of those in need but also intrinsically rewarding the giver too, making him or her happier as well. Altruistic or notthe effect is positive. Santis book is filled with lessons youll want to immediately start applying to your life.
B ORIS FJ C OLLARDI , CEO OF J ULIUS B AER
This book presents a groundbreaking new perspective on happiness. Through her exciting career as a philanthropy advisor to some of the worlds most generous individuals, Jenny Santi offers us a view into the principles that have made them not only successful but truly happy.
J AYESH P AREKH , COFOUND ER OF S ONY E NTERTAIN MENT T ELEVISION AND MANAGING PARTNER OF J UNGLE V ENTURES
In a very readable and compelling way, Jenny Santi weaves together science and strategy that will inspire anyone who is looking to build more strategic purpose into philanthropy, gain insights into volunteering, or better understand their purpose. A must-read!
J OHN R. H ART , VICE CHAIRMAN OF N EW Y OR K P RIVATE B ANK & T RUST
JEREMY P. TARCHER/PENGUIN
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Copyright 2015 by Jennifer Rose W. Santi
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Santi, Jenny.
The giving way to happiness: stories and science behind the life-changing power of giving / Jenny Santi ; foreword by Deepak Chopra.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-698-19856-2
1. Happiness. 2. Generosity. 3. Self-actualization (Psychology) I. Title.
BF575.H27S3436 2015
179.9dc23
Version_1
To Mama
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
Clues to the Mystery of Giving
If you ask people why they give, the readiest answers offer clues to the mystery. God wants me to. I feel better about myself. Others need, and I have. I want to share. Its only right. A hazy halo encircles these good-hearted answers, and if we bring it into focus, the following seems true: Giving takes you out of yourself. You expand beyond your limitations. The founder of CharityFocus, a volunteer-run organization that has delivered millions of dollars of web-related services to the nonprofit world for free, declares that its impossible to create a better world without inner change that results from selfless service. Others might argue that inner change precedes selfless service, but no matter. Selfless