Why (And How) Giving More Will Make You Rich | The Go-Giver Book

2020. A year of uncertainty, fear, stress, and hostility. But, many kind and incredible things happened too. People are cooler and kinder than we sometimes give them credit for. A few years ago I read a book that really fits what is happening right now. Maybe it will impact you in the positive way it impacted me.

This book, The Go-Giver, changed me not just in some artificial and horribly intangible ways.

No. But, as is the case with very few books I’ve read, I’m seeing legitimate results.

I’m receiving opportunities I never thought were possible. And I’m even enjoying life and work more than ever before.

I know. I’m starting to sound a little bit sales-y. I don’t mean to. I just really love this book and want you to trust me when I say that it can change your life if you let it.

And letting it is far easier than you might think. Most books promise results… but only if you commit to their 12 intricate steps. This book isn’t like that. This book talks about a single thing: GIVING.

That’s the secret to growing your business and enjoying your life. But before I start sounding cliché (I already do, don’t I?), let me explain exactly what I mean and how the book describes it.

Five laws that this book teaches you:

1) The Law Of Value

Many businesses take more than they give. They try to overcharge for their services, refuse pay raises when employees deserve it, and question employee suggestions.

But all of that selfish nay-saying does a lot of damage. In fact, it doesn’t just do damage, it completely destroys your reputation and wrecks your future business. The alternative delivers far more positive results. Namely, giving more than you take increases your business’s worth and your self-worth.

Don’t believe me?

Think of the people you look up to. I’m willing to bet that they’re people who give more than they take — they give away free products and offer free advice to budding entrepreneurs. They meet for coffee to encourage a friend and they put aside work to spend time with family.

Why do you look up to this person? Because they are generous. And that generosity increases their value in your eyes.

The Go-Giver Quote:

“Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”

2) The Law Of Compensation

What if you could determine your own income? What if you, and no one else, made that decision?

Would you be excited? If you’re anything like me, the prospect of determining your income is akin to living in Hawaii, working remote and living most days surfing and meandering with the locals.

Well, you do determine your income. In fact, determining your income is remarkably simple. There are only two levers that have the power to increase or decrease your profitability.

The first is how much value you provide. Provide more value and your income increases. Provide less and it plummets.

The second is how many people you provide that value for. More people means a higher income. Less means a lower income.

It really is that simple.

If you don’t believe me, start testing it out for yourself. Provide more value to more people and see what happens.

The Go-Giver Quote:

“Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.”

3) The Law Of Influence

Have you ever wanted to have a larger influence in other people’s lives?

Who am I kidding? Of course, you have.

We all want to have a greater influence and make a greater impact. But many people who’re trying to make an impact end up floundering aimlessly in the sea indecisions and indirection. They post content, talk to people, and even try to encourage other at every opportunity.

But to no avail.

People still don’t seem to care about what they have to say. Why?

Well, it’s probably because they’re more focused on gaining influence than they are on caring about other people. In other words, they care more about themselves than they do other people.

Sadly, the path the influence is paved with selflessness. And those who try to get there any other way will never arrive. Or if they do, it will only be an artificial reality that won’t last long.

The Go-Giver Quote:

“Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.”

4) The Law Of Authenticity

Many people in our world are only focussed on rising to the top. That might be the top of their industry, the top of their individual business, or the top of their immediate community.

Whatever the case, they want to surpass their peers. Because of this, they fake it. They behave in certain ways that they wouldn’t normally behave simply to impress their boss or coworker.

The problem, though, is that you can exchange the most value with other people when what you offer them is yourself. In other words, you are your best asset. That sounds cheesy and cliché, but it’s true.

People like Gary Vaynerchuk and Grant Cardone and even our CEO, Trevor Mauch, are wildly successful, simply because they are authentic.

They’re okay with who they are and they recognize that they are the most valuable product they have to offer. Since everyone is faking it, people crave authenticity. And that authenticity will win.

The Go-Giver Quote:

“The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.”

5) The Law Of Receptivity

Now all of these tricks to giving are only any good if you’re willing to receive from other people.

I don’t mean to sound too Buddhist, but the reality of how life works is that the more you give, the more you will receive.

And if you’re doing a lot of giving but remain unwill to receive what other people offer you, all of that giving gets you nowhere practically. In other words, don’t get so caught up in giving that you forget to allow other people the chance to give back.

When someone offers, don’t be afraid to receive.

The Go-Giver Quote:

“The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.”

Give like crazy and just see what happens

You want to be more successful. You want a bigger paycheck, a bigger influence, and a more impactful business. But those things only come if you’re willing and able to initiate the cycle of giving. If you are, there are few things in this world that could stop your success.

If you aren’t, then the world would be a better place without your business. Whatever the case, choose one of these laws to apply every day for a week and see if it changes your life.

It did mine. Now go read The Go-Giver book for yourself.