In the course of helping teams achieve peak performance, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. Leaders who have given the most of themselves to their teams have received the most from members in terms of performance and effort. Mutual giving brings a higher level of engagement and learning, which means that giving yields an exponential degree of receiving. There is a powerful psychological principle at work here that underlies the psychology of giving. When we experience ourselves as givers, we receive a deep and enduring affirmation of our value to others. In transcending the self, we obtain the most profound experience of self ...

Our daily activities in the gymnasium of life can strengthen our best inclinations or our worst ones. Unwittingly, when we set our daily calendar, we lay a blueprint for our development. What we do shapes who we become. When we give and give and give, we experience ourselves as special.  In receiving those loving looks and paws on the face, we in turn find the muscles of generosity strengthened, allowing us to engage the rest of life with our best inclinations.

Read the full article about the psychology of giving by Brett Steenbarger at Forbes.