Whether you inherit a fortune or earn it, sometimes it can be both a blessing and a curse. For many, giving it away was the best thing they could do for themselves and in turn for others. Sometimes amassing riches becomes an illness or an obsession. Often times tremendous wealth causes stress and the mishandling of funds and one may find they have squandered millions and are worse off than before the wealth. So giving it away can be the best therapy.

Some wealthy individuals are truly moved by the human condition and want to make a difference in the lives of others. Paying for college tuition, encouraging another entrepreneur to follow their dream, helping with medical bills or like one frugal millionaire, leaving the entire fortune to the City of New York to plant daffodils in remembrance of those who died Sept. 11, 2001 and to update nearby parks for the enjoyment of others.

Many millionaires fund charities that give back to those who have been affected by the ravages of life. One such person invested all but $15,000 of their entire large fortune in a charity for the homeless all based on a relationship of one homeless girl who she casually helped in her youth.  Others have given substantial amounts to the prevention of diseases and another to a charity for individuals with disabilities and the giving doesn’t stop there. Millionaire, Zell Kravinsky, donated a kidney to a complete stranger, saying that his compulsive giving brings him serenity.

You don’t have to be tremendously wealthy to make a difference in someone’s life or to achieve serenity by giving to others. You can pay it forward in smaller ways that will still make a huge difference in the lives of many.