When suggesting that shifting one’s focus from getting to giving is not only a nice way to live life and conduct business but a financially profitable way, as well, my The Go-Giver coauthor, John David Mann and I are often asked if that simply means we believe in “giving to get.”
Our answer is, not at all! You give to give; you give because you truly enjoy adding value to other people’s lives. In fact, to slightly paraphrase Ernesto, one of the characters in the book, “You give because you love to. It’s not a strategy, it’s a way of life.”
He added, “And when you do, then very, very profitable things begin to happen.”
But, lest one think this is due to some esoteric, other-worldly reason, the reason is actually quite logical. When you give of yourself – truly give of yourself for the sake of providing value to another human being, they appreciate it. Do they all? No, but the vast majority do. And, the chances are good that, should they have the opportunity to add value to your life, they probably will.
No, you are not “emotionally attached” to this happening. And, if it never happens with that person, that’s fine, as well. But, it often does. And those who live their lives this way understand this as a fact of life, not a fairy tale that sounds good but doesn’t happen in the “real world.”
In Part Two, we’ll see an example of this from a great book I finally had the opportunity to read that demonstrates exactly how and why it works.
Meanwhile, make it a terrific day!
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True love, and giving, has no motive; they just are. We love because we first receive love. We give out of the abundance of our gifts, and it just feels good! The song “Mr. Tanner” by the late Harry Chapin speaks nicely to the principle of the Go-Giver… “And he sang (Gave) from his heart and he sang (Gave) from his soul… he did not know how well he sang (Gave), it just made him whole”. Thank you for your work Mr. Burg.
Thanks , Bob! I *do* think that many are out there trying to give give give with thoughts only of what they’ll get in return. Very sad! I also think giving – in this post and throughout your book – can be interchanged with the word caring.
Looking forward to your review of Trust Agents. 🙂
For those that really want to blow their mind and explore this deeper, read “The Virtue of Selfishness” by Ayn Rand. It explores how if everyone would give for purely selfish reasons, the world would actually be a much better place. It’s great food for thought.
-RG
I love reading blog posts/articles that totally reflect how I feel on a subject thanks Bob, it gives me a great boost of confidence that what I’m doing is the best thing to do- beneficial for me & those I interact with 🙂