Every once in awhile you come across a piece of information, a book, an article, a movie, something that so alters your perception that you feel different having learned this new thing. That is how I feel about the book Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant.

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The premise of the book is that giving or being a “giver” is actually the most effective and meaningful path to success. It’s being successful in a way that benefits everyone because your success is built on helping others. But there are important caveats to avoid becoming depleted and being taken advantage of that were very insightful and different than one might think.

The book is very much in the vein of a Malcolm Gladwell or Daniel Pink in that it uses a lot of research to support it’s assertions but it also connects you to the concepts through well known public figures with eye-opening stories about both “givers” and “takers”. The author manages to weave the information together so that you feel drawn to the book as you would a novel rather than a piece of non-fiction.

I loved it, and though I don’t quite think of myself as a “taker” I definitely have some of the “matcher” tendencies described in the book. Reading this has given me the insight to move myself from being a “matcher” to a “giver”. I have to say that before I read this book I was feeling a little burnt out but reading it gave me a sense of all the ways I can help others and that in turn has given me more energy and enthusiasm than I’ve had in months. If it peaks your interest, give it a look, it’s well worth it.