Planting seeds
tl;dr • Many wealthy people contend tithing is the key to prosperity • Giving regularly brings joy and helps one become more financially responsible • It's prudent not to blindly reject ancient wisdom
I remember quite vividly, many years ago, when I was told a story about this really prosperous guy I know who once helped his sister sell one of her properties. Although she was pleased with the deal, she couldn’t hide her annoyance when her brother insisted that thirty percent of the proceeds should be donated to charity. In her mind thirty percent was quite a lot, but she reluctantly ended up following his advice. This guy is one of the many people I know who credits his prosperity to his habit of tithing.
tithe /taɪð/ (n) a fixed amount of money or goods that is given regularly in order to support a church, a priest, or a charity. (Collins Cobuild Dictionary)
I confess that back then this idea didn’t quite resonate with me. I used to be very judgmental of wealthy people who made such claims, and although I had the intention of eventually increasing the amount of money I gave to charity, I was convinced that such people could only give consistently because they were already rich. It was nonsense to think that it could be the other way around.
Eventually, however, I had an epiphany: I was obviously in no position to challenge the guy’s conviction. First of all, I had not yet tried his practice myself. Second, if I were to compare my track record to his, it was crystal clear which of us was in a more qualified place to give advice on building wealth, and – spoiler alert – it was definitely not me! Thus, with the then newly acquired humility, I began to experiment with tithing and selected charities to give a portion of my income to every month. Since then and much to my surprise, I watched my life transform in ways I could only dream…
Where the physical and the spiritual worlds meet
The concept of tithing is emphasized by many spiritual traditions. The idea that whatever one sows, that will he also reap has been taught since time immemorial all over the globe. In Eastern traditions this is known as the Law of Karma, which I like to refer to as the spiritual counterpart to Isaac Newton's third law – to every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.
The key to harness the power of this law is to understand that whatever one wants to receive – prosperity, love, health, knowledge, etc. – that's what they first need to give. Thus, as one continuously helps other people become more prosperous, so he or she becomes entitled to greater prosperity.
“The Law of Karma is not fatalistic. It is a spiritual technology that allows you to create and navigate your future.” – Master Choa Kok Sui
The fruits
A practical benefit I noticed when I began was that I immediately became more organized with tracking my finances. In order to meet the 10% I allocated for tithing, I had to have a reasonable way to record exactly how much I was making and how much I was donating (more at Know thyself: keeping track of your finances). Also, I had to get better at living within my means to make sure I would have enough to give every month. Becoming more fiscally responsible ended up being of tremendous help for me to get better at saving as well.
A more interesting thing that happened, however, was that I undeniably started to become “luckier”. Somehow, money was flowing to me more easily and abundantly than ever, in the form of gifts, investment returns and especially career opportunities. When I look at the evolution of my net worth through the years, it's very clear that the curve began to change as I started to tithe. Can I prove beyond reasonable doubt that this correlation is actually causation? Of course not. But the data from my personal experience continues to remind me never to stop!
Last, but not least, the act of going above and beyond to help fellow human beings opens my heart in a way that is hard to explain, bringing me a kind of joy I don’t get with anything else.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Sir Winston Churchill
“The secret to living is giving.” – Tony Robbins
All in all, you should try it for yourself and make your own conclusions, especially if you are new to tithing or if you are still skeptical about its benefits. It’s always good to remind ourselves that rejecting an idea without validating is often just as unscientific as believing things blindly.
A few recommendations
As a rule of thumb, my teacher recommends that one should aim to tithe at least 10% of their income, while saving and investing 30%. Jim Rohn, an outstanding personal development author and speaker, also suggests allocating 10% for charitable giving (his audiobooks are fabulous!).
Choose your charities wisely to ensure most of the funds are actually being destined to help the people you intend to. I personally like to check them on Charity Navigator, a charitable organization on its own which rates all 501(c)(3) charities in the U.S..
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach is a great personal finance book I cannot recommend highly enough. It teaches simple and effective principles to help one become more prosperous and live a more meaningful life. Towards the end of the book, Bach makes the case for tithing, pointing out that this habit too should be made automatic (more at Automate your way to prosperity).
Bottom line
From ancient spiritual teachings, to best-selling authors, businessmen and multimillionaires: With so many sources highlighting the importance of consistently giving money to charity, I reckoned it was probably a good idea to challenge my preconceived beliefs and humbly open up to trying their formula. My only regret is that I didn't start earlier!
Disclaimer
I may receive compensation when you click on links that I share.
This is not financial advice. I am not a certified financial planner or advisor, just an ordinary guy trying to sort out his own finances, sharing his perspective with no guarantees. Use the information provided at your own discretion. You are highly encouraged to do your own research before making any personal finance decision.