Like a lot of kids, I grew up watching my parents struggle financially.

Our family had immigrated to the United States from Lebanon when I was eleven. We had escaped the Lebanese civil war, where my mother and I had sought refuge in a convent for seven years, living with only the barest necessities. As we created our new life in the US, my parents worked day and night to support us, often going without necessities themselves, so that my brother and I would have enough to eat.

I came to believe struggle was a necessary part of life. I grew up and began to pursue a career in music, but I’d bought into the idea of the “starving artist,” believing that only hard times brought success. I struggled for several years.

Then one day I got quiet and contemplated where I wanted the Universe to guide me in my work. I began to realize that I had to create the kinds of thoughts and feelings that naturally attract abundance—to transcend the old energy blocks—so that I could pursue my dreams without struggle.

I also saw that I’d never recognized money as spiritual energy that it’s all about giving and receiving. I began to see money as part of our spiritual existence, and a positive force in the world. I worked hard to discover prosperity principles and methods, and was then able to develop the tools necessary to prosper.

These have empowered me to not only create prosperity for myself, but to assist many others in creating their prosperity, which has been one of my greatest desires.

To help people open their energies to prosperity, I’ve developed five core foundations that are outlined in my book Easy Breezy Prosperity. Each foundation includes everyday prosperity processes. Like tools in a magical toolbox, these processes are fun and simple to do.

Here’s one amazing tool I’ve tapped into: the power of generosity.

Over the years, I’ve observed well-known prosperous people, and discovered that one of the most powerful ingredients in their success is generosity. Renowned philanthropists such as Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson long ago discovered the importance of giving. Not an “occasional donation” kind of giving, but a daily living-and-breathing generosity that’s both a life philosophy and a spiritual practice.

Curious to see if steady giving would prosper the average person, I decided to try it for myself. I began what I called the Radical Generosity Experiment.

For one month, I volunteered once a week at the local homeless shelter, cooking healthy food and spending quality time with those who were homeless. I regularly paid for the groceries or coffee of the person behind me in line. I walked my elderly neighbor’s dogs and mowed her lawn for her. I randomly tucked note cards under people’s windshield wipers in parking lots, telling them how amazing they were, and including enough money in the envelope for a nice dinner for two. I began posting inspiring social media posts daily.

I soon began to view generosity as a natural part of my day.

About 11 days into my Radical Generosity Experiment, I started to attract many of the things I had always wanted in life: better relationships, a deep inner contentment, more clarity about my life work—and even greater opportunities to prosper!

Everything seemed to just naturally flow to me, without my having to struggle.

At one point, I decided to pause the Radical Generosity Experiment for one week, just to see the results of not giving. Within just three days, I noticed things weren’t flowing as easily as they had been during the experiment. I also found myself having many thoughts rooted in lack and fear.

I immediately dove back into practicing generosity again! I was suddenly returned to where I was thriving, not just surviving. I moved generosity to the top of my daily to-do list.

I’ve found generosity and compassion to be vital for anyone’s prosperity, whether we give of our abilities, money, or time.

Over the years, I’ve realized the incredible power of generosity. It’s one of the key components to creating a happy, fulfilling, abundant life, and just one of the powerful prosperity processes that I love sharing with others.

Emmanuel Dagher

Emmanuel Dagher is an internationally recognized humanitarian, transformation specialist, energy healer, teacher, and bestselling author. His new book Easy Breezy Prosperity just came out this Tuesday, and we highly recommend you check out http://www.easybreezyprosperity.com to learn more about how you can be prospering now!