The sad fact is, without using judgment and discernment, friends and family can end up taking advantage of you. They usually don't set out to "screw you over" by taking a "loan" and not paying it back. Some of them think you can afford it, or they end up resenting your "help."
The thing is to choose wisely who you invest in. You can be generous without being enabling. Most of the time, when we say generosity, it's really just enabling. It's not generous to bail out a financially irresponsible person, it's actually enabling. I know this because I've learned this lesson the hard way, multiple times. And it's not their fault for "screwing me over" it's my own fault for being an enabler.
True generosity needs no reciprocation - because if you do, what you're really doing is manipulation. You want to do something "generous" but you want something in return (reciprocation).
So if you give, just give... and if you can't, don't beat yourself for it. It's not your responsibility to save others... even if you have the capability to bail them out. Never put your livelihood at risk. Have boundaries.
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