00:00:00 Thanks for joining us on Episode 521 of the inspired Stewardship Podcast, A special rebroadcast of Episode six Invest in others with Matt Ham. Hey, I'm Matt Ham, author of Redefine Rich and I challenge You to live richly by listening to the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott made her. If you watch enough of that stuff, I mean, you just go hot in a cave and we're not called the hiding caves were not called to be fearful. Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast.
00:00:52 If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in. The inspired Stewardship podcast will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world. In this week's interview, Matt and I dive deep into the second principle of living rich investing. In others, we talk about cultivating simple daily practices of generosity, being truly generous versus selfish, seeking out and having others pour into you and choosing gratitude.
00:01:44 So, you know, kind of moving out of this first principle. The second principle Matt mentions is invest in others. Matt, you know, how does finding ways to be generous and investing in others help us to live these whole rich lives that you're talking about? Yeah, the end of the day, man. It's not about you. It's not about me, right? It's not about us. Um, individually, it's about others. And that is that's something that I think we ever look far too often.
00:02:16 And at the end of the day, when our head lays down, we don't worry about our neighbor not having enough food to eat. We worry about our bank account. We worry about our job. We were about our health. We worry about our kids we were about, but whatever it is, you know, um, there's not this this we're not predisposed to be concerned with everybody else from the get go. And so we have to train ourselves to be others minded and and to understand that we have opportunities to influence people every single day.
00:02:46 And this isn't simple ways to, you know, um, it really and truly is it's not profound. It's not like you have to go out and buy people a meal. It's not like you have to go out and, you know, give everything away and, you know, sell everything give to the poor. And I think that we cartoon eyes this a lot, You know that we make it be like this. So I'm a minimalist. I live in a one bedroom shack in the woods, and I'm better than you because,
00:03:12 you know, I've given everything away. I have. No, that's not That's not the point of it, right? The point of it is understand that your position, your posture in life is to hold on to everything with open poems. Mmm. And And so that idea is that, um you know the generosity. The beautiful, beautiful part of that is when we choose to be generous, that we always win because generosity never fails. Generosity is, is when it's done with a pure heart, you know,
00:03:40 is always going to triumph over anything. And it will always lead to gratitude. And and that's Scripture. That's what Paul says in Second Corinthians, not 11. You've been made rich so that you can be generous and through us your generosity. Will result in Thanksgiving. And so, uh, that's why the second principle invest in others is about having that generosity mind set. Awesome, you know. So one of the things I really appreciate is in the book is when you talk about cultivating simple daily practices to help us become more generous and learn to invest in others.
00:04:16 Share with us if you would. Some of those practices and things that we should all do, Yeah. So this is what I was saying just second ago. It's It's a lot easier than we think. You know, we think it's this cumbersome thing and really and truly, it's stuff. A simple is like holding the door for somebody. Um, you know, if you see somebody drop a dollar bill or somebody drop a coin or whatever been down picking up, you know, pay attention to the people around you look,
00:04:42 and there will be opportunities everyday to invest, you know, at the coffee shop. If you see this lady sitting over there by herself and she's kind of quiet, spark up a conversation, you know, don't creep people and be, you know, awkward. You know, it's not that, but it means be genuine Bie rial, you know, and and listen, I get it. I'm a introvert. Don't talk to me. That's fine. I'm not gonna be up in your grill or whatever,
00:05:04 but I'm gonna say hello. You say good morning. I'm gonna ask you your name. You know, I'm a call you by name. If I see you again, I'm gonna practice really, really hard to remember your name. Um, because I think calling people by their name is huge. You know, that's why when I go to Starbucks, you know, I call them by their name, and I ask them how they're doing. Just a very simple thing. And and again, it provides opportunity.
00:05:27 One of the things I talk about in the book is this This idea of compound interest, right? When we invested dollar, we get a dollar in a penny. That's compound interest. And and when we do it, we live rich, that we've invested others, we get compound opportunities. Um, you know, in am I in my own speaking career, you know, there's a great story that just happened. I'll share briefly is you know, when you start out as a speaker, you really kind of got to take what comes.
00:05:51 People say, How do you start to speak or you speak anywhere, that somebody will let you speak right? And and so I had a guy who called me up and he was, Ah, Speaker and we knew each other through a mutual friend. He said, Hey, Matt, can you cover for me at a gig? I said, Yeah, what's the deal? And he said, Well, it's Ah, leadership group for Rotary, you know, club And it's about two hours away from you and it's on a Wednesday night and they're not paying anything.
00:06:13 And I was like, Okay, sweet. Sounds like the steel. Yeah, since I I will go.
00:06:19 Yes, I will pay money to go Speak and and But the reality is, is that when I went and spoke,
00:06:24 I got to meet people. Ah, so I sold more than enough books to cover the cost of the gas and all that.
00:06:32 But I get a phone call about a week later. Guy said, Hey, man, I want to buy 12 copies of the book for a graduating class at our church and and he did.
00:06:40 And he said, and by the way, I would like for you to come speak at our annual fundraising thing,
00:06:45 which would be a full fee event for you. And I said Okay. And then about another two weeks later,
00:06:50 I got the same call from that, that guy that I covered for and he said, Hey, man,
00:06:53 I heard you did a great job. You know that event thanks so much. I was in a bind,
00:06:57 he said, Actually got another situation coming up, he said, But this one is pretty good deal.
00:07:01 He said. You'd be flying to Boston and speak into a corporate group, and it was today the largest feed that I've ever received for my service is,
00:07:10 and so you know, the whole point is, Scott is I'm not telling you that that, you know,
00:07:14 go go drive two hours and speaking a rotary, it's automatic. We're gonna get you a full feet.
00:07:19 You know, that's not what I'm saying, right? I'm just saying, Be available, be available,
00:07:24 investing other people. When you do it will compound in your life in ways you can't even imagine. Um,
00:07:30 and that's the power of God. That's the power of God when we trust him right when we say,
00:07:37 Hey, all I have is yours and and and and provide those things happen. You know, those things happen because he's a kind father.
00:07:45 He loves us and any any lets us know that he's there, right? I know you and you kind of touched on this in that answer,
00:07:52 but I'd like to hear you expand on a little bit. You know, when you think about investing in others,
00:07:57 there's kind of ah, a cynical way of doing it. You know, I'm going to give you something,
00:08:01 so you give me something, and then there's the way you were just kind of talking about. So can you expand on that a little bit and help us understand the difference and and how to do it with that?
00:08:10 That right spirit. It's very simple. It's very simple. Give without expecting anything in return. Here,
00:08:18 you don't do not give and expect anything in return. Its expectations. You give from a place of generosity.
00:08:25 You don't give from a place of expectation. Awesome. Yeah, and that's sometimes really tough to do,
00:08:32 though it is, it is. But that is that's the best that that's generosity. It's not generosity.
00:08:40 If you're expecting something back right now, No, that's true. That's true. So you know, you go a little further in the book and you talk about flipping the principal So instead of,
00:08:51 you know, investing in other seeking the investment of others. So tell us, if you would, how investing in yourself and how investing in others.
00:09:01 How do those two things kind of intertwined and and linked together? Yeah. So I think that you have to allow others to invest in you as well.
00:09:09 Um, and and this is, uh, being open toe. Learn to grow, to say I need to grow.
00:09:17 There are people out there that can help me and and and b b a b a student be a learner,
00:09:24 right? That this investment in yourself and it never ends. It's not like a point says Okay, I've given five times today I'm hit my quota.
00:09:33 I'm good on. You know, it's It's just ongoing journey of being a learner, being a student,
00:09:40 letting people pour into you, and then you turn around and pour out. And so you know that that's really what that that is all about is is letting others invest in you as well.
00:09:53 And it has. It has two full points. Okay. What? What do you listening to you?
00:09:56 What do you watch it on TV? You know, I mean, you have a steady diet of CNBC and and fox News or whatever it is that you watch me watching all this stuff on the news and listen,
00:10:05 it's important, but good gracious. I mean, seriously, if you watch enough of that stuff I mean,
00:10:11 you just go hide in a cave and and we're not called the hiding caves were not called to be fearful.
00:10:17 Were not called thio, you know, to cower down. I mean, you know, we we were called to be confident,
00:10:22 be firm. And, um and and so I think you know what are you allowed to pour into?
00:10:27 Use number one and number two? Who are you around? Who were you around and the book? I talk about being around yours.
00:10:34 Um, there's a There's a I think the guy's name is Dustin Wax. I did. I did an article online that I found they talked about your versus Tigger and ah,
00:10:43 and E or courses like Hello, Pooh. And he was like If the day gets any worse, you notice the whole kind of thing.
00:10:51 I mean, but they're people like that in our wife. And only now why do we spend time around these people,
00:10:56 You know? I mean, it's like, Oh, my gosh, you were sucking the life out of me.
00:11:00 And And don't spend time around these people and then look in the mirror and please, for the love.
00:11:04 Don't be that person, right? You know, and and and so it's It's a mindset thing of who you're surrounding yourself with and what you're feeding yourself a ce faras it.
00:11:13 What's your mental diet? Well, you know that that's again. That's awesome. And I Yeah, I've not only been he or occasionally as much as I hate to admit it,
00:11:26 I know exactly what you're talking about. We all do it, you know. So the third principle is actually probably probably.
00:11:35 Actually, it's my favorite one, and again that's choosing gratitude. Actually, they're all my favorite at one time or another,
00:11:43 but tell us if you would about that principle of choosing gratitude and why that's important. So gratitude, we think,
00:11:51 is a feeling again, calmly forgiveness. It's like Okay, listen, it's beautiful outside. You know,
00:11:56 it's not raining. I'm thankful for today. But if we wake up in my O is Monday, I gotta go to work.
00:12:03 You know, it was raining is like a Monday. You know, we we let ourselves think things that lead us down these ugly rabbit trails.
00:12:13 And we wonder why we are depressed. I mean, seriously, like, we cannot allow ourselves to go there.
00:12:20 You have to set up this radar in your mind, and you have to. Okay, so imagine with me that your mind is like a fort,
00:12:29 like a fortress. Okay, um, for any Monty Python fans, Okay, you got a little guy standing up on top of the fort,
00:12:35 you know, in the seas, calling down and heckling the things that are trying to get in. Okay,
00:12:39 so your mind is this fort, this fortress and there's all of these things that are warring to get in.
00:12:45 You have to have that man that little radar. Who says no, you cannot enter, right? I'm not letting you come in ungrateful fault.
00:12:55 I am not letting you come in and you choose the gratitude side of that coin, right? and and so,
00:13:02 um, it's It's an active decision to focus on the thankful side of life instead of the things that were unthinkable for and and it's a choice,
00:13:17 it's not a feeling. It's It's a daily, minute by minute choice, right? And and that is where we have to realize and understand that we are as Christians,
00:13:28 we we have the Holy Spirit living in us in us. Enough says in Romans that same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you.
00:13:40 That that is Paul's on that for a second. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Is it working you?
00:13:49 If the Holy Spirit could raise Jesus from the dead, do you not think he could help you choose to be grateful?
00:13:56 Yes, yes. So embrace that. Embrace that. Pray for that dive into that. You know,
00:14:03 ask God to reveal what that looks like and and see those things with these things. Great. Full glasses.
00:14:10 Right, You know. Ah, in the book, I talk about three D goggles, right? When I was growing up in the eighties,
00:14:15 like the three D was just coming out and the shark would come off the screen and everyone's like, Oh,
00:14:19 you know. And here recently, three TV is is out three days, kind of making a little bit of rebirth.
00:14:25 But 33 d helps things jump out at you in the same is true when you choose to see with the lens of gratitude.
00:14:31 When you look at things from a grateful perspective, it's like you start weeping at a flower. I mean,
00:14:36 it's like holy cow like this. This is beautiful. This is a gift like this is This is precious,
00:14:42 you know? And we we look for these big, grand, you know, spectacles of gratitude. And there,
00:14:48 in the everyday singles simple moments I wrote yesterday, Scott, one of my favorite songs of all time is Sitting on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding.
00:14:59 I love it. It's a beautiful song, and and and it's just got such a great melody. But if you listen to the song,
00:15:05 it really is, it's It's the story of Otis Redding kind of searching for this this this stardom, you know,
00:15:13 and searching for this something and, you know, it's like I left my home in Georgia heading for Frisco Bay.
00:15:20 You got the whole song right? And so he's leaving Georgia. He's going to San Francisco and he says,
00:15:25 I've got nothing to live for. Looks like nothing's gonna come my way Like he's It's a downer song any and he gets to the dock of the bay and he sees the tide roll away and he says,
00:15:36 I'm sitting on the dock of the bay, Wasting time It's so for me. What that song's about is this young man who's on a journey to find these great things in life,
00:15:46 and he gets to this destination on this dock of the bay and he says, You know what? Maybe those great moments were found in the here and now.
00:15:54 Maybe those great moments. We're just sitting here watching the tide roll away, you know, and in the simplicity of that moment and the beautiful scenery and all those kinds of things,
00:16:02 that's what it means to me. You know, Otis Redding tragically died a couple of months after he wrote that song,
00:16:06 so we'll never know what it meant to him. But for me, that's what that song is about,
00:16:11 and and that's what life is about. It's about not looking for greatness and grandeur in and richness and spectacle in all of these moments,
00:16:20 it's finding the simplicity to be grateful in the everyday moment by moment experiences. And if we can be grateful there,
00:16:29 I promise you, you'll be grateful in the group and the big grand moments as well. Absolutely, Absolutely.
00:16:36 Now, you know, I'm not gonna talk for anybody else. I'm just gonna talk for myself here.
00:16:40 But, uh, sometimes whenever I've tried to choose gratitude, I think I've kind of really just ended up,
00:16:46 you know, being British and keeping a stiff upper lip. Right? So how can we choose gratitude without,
00:16:52 you know, kind of faking it till we make it so to speak? Sure. We've got a lot of song references in this interview.
00:16:57 Scott. We had very little a C D. C, though. Otis Redding. Um, but ah,
00:17:03 but yes. Oh, so you know, the thing about gratitude to me is that sometimes you know,
00:17:12 again, you think about the kid going to the grocery store, and, um, they want candy.
00:17:19 You're not gonna get candy. We got a basket full of food. You're gonna be thankful for what you have,
00:17:23 you know, and you say you be thankful for the things that you have and the kids liking and throwing a fit like that Kid's not grateful at all,
00:17:30 you know, or the person that get socks for Christmas. Like thanks for the socks, you know,
00:17:34 but But I think we have to understand, too, to choose gratitude in those moments when we might have a stiff upper lip as a way for us to truly understand what the grateful angle even looks like.
00:17:48 You know, I'm saying, like when we choose those moments, they might even be kind of likes cross and snored.
00:17:54 I'm not, you know, but it says. But that's the thing that you've got to get to the point where that brings you joy.
00:18:02 Yeah, that's where you gotta go. You got to get to the point where that brings you joy.
00:18:07 I understand that right now you might be doing it forcefully, but you do. You do it long enough,
00:18:13 you'll get to the point where you can see it. You can identify, you said. That's the thing that I need to be grateful for.
00:18:18 If I could be grateful for that, then I could be grateful for everything else. I think we think the gratitude is this carrot.
00:18:24 We chase it, and when I get here, then I'll be thankful. It's a facade. It's a facade.
00:18:30 It is an absolute lie. You will die still chasing that carrot. You have to learn to be grateful here and now.
00:18:40 You have to learn to be grateful here and now, because again, it's about expectation. We expect this,
00:18:46 you know, life of luxury and free of pain and you know, no trouble and all this kind of stuff,
00:18:53 and that's a it's It's a fallacy. And and I think that the enemy wages war on us, actively toe.
00:19:00 Let us believe that that's exactly what we should be expecting. And it's not true. Absolutely. So you can connect with Matt and learn more about these rich,
00:19:12 rich principles by following Matt on Twitter, He's at Matt Ham, s R Matt Ham, senior subscribe and Rita's Blawg over at matt hem dot com or join his whole life matters community on Facebook.
00:19:26 I'll have links to all of these on the fly, Matt. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
00:19:32 No. Scott, man, this has been enjoyed. It really talk just with you to dive into this stuff.
00:19:36 It's always a great kind of refresher to me toe look back and see what God's done. And so I hope that folks here today would just see this is a journey,
00:19:44 that vacant embrace and that they can live richly, that their lives can radiate these principles. They just have to kind of the understand them first and redefine them.
00:19:55 And that's really what this is about. So thanks, man, for letting me share. I'm happy to walk with anybody,
00:19:59 has any questions, and I think he gave my my sight in information out there. So look for to connecting with those who choose to thanks so much for joining us and listening to the inspired stewardship.
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