Sir John Templeton said, “If there’s any secret in it all, it is this: Do not try to be a go-getter. Try to be a go-giver.” That’s from an interview Tony Robbins did with him just before he died in 2008. It’s included in his book, Money: Master the Game, (See last blog post.) where Tony often says, “Add value.” I’ve heard that everywhere. “Add value.” “Create value.” “Give value.” Everyone says it’s so important, but what does it mean?
Fortunately, there’s a short, easy-to-read book that explains this concept, The Go-Giver. It’s just 176 pages, less than 3 hours in the audiobook. The teaching takes the form of a parable with “The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success.” Granted, it’s kind of a lame story. Some douchey guy gets rich by learning how to not be so douchey. It is more interesting than it sounds, and those laws make more sense after you’ve read the story.
I now feel like I understand how being a giver can make you wealthy without waiting on karma or some magical secret, and I’ve already had a chance to apply some of those laws in my own decision making. For a few bucks and a few hours, you can’t go wrong.
from a Welfare Federation poster by Jessie Willcox Smith, 1927.
Elwood J. Bergman 