Sometimes I think that learning to allow generosity to control the mind is what it is all about. In those moments of fear, doubt, trepidation, wariness – the mind contracts and argues that nothing is possible. And it is in exactly those moments that we most need to let the heart rule. A healthy portion of caution can be a good thing, but to allow only the contraction or the fear allows the mind and the subconscious to have control and that is rarely a good thing. While things need to be thought about, the mind cannot rule, it must be the heart. So in this vein, it is perhaps that we must allow our generosity control our minds and not our minds control our generosity.

I speak from my experience today, when something someone did upset me. I had to recognize the need to be more generous, the need to not allow my mind to take over, not allow my thoughts to dominate, but to be generous of spirit. When I could see the fear, acknowledge its uselessness and be generous towards this person and their actions, the pain, frustration and anger all melted away immediately.

When I take this concept into the area of personal finance, I find the same principles apply. The Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan once said: “Whatever goes out of you will create a situation that will be either positive or negative…. Your mind tells you not to give such-and-such amount, because you will be poor, but the moment to think that, you are poor.” Very often our first impulse – our intuitive response – is the correct one and, surprisingly, the most generous. We may intuitively want to write a check for a certain amount, and then talk ourselves out of it. But then we might end up spending more on something later that does not serve us half as well; or we may intuitively want to do something, and then our minds take over and before we know it, the time has lapsed, the opportunity is gone and we have done nothing at all.

Tithing is a golden opportunity to trust ourselves, trust our intuition and enhance our ability to allow generosity to guide our minds and consequently our actions. It is a wonderful experience of heart. It is one of the greatest exercises in ridding ourselves of fear.