When you discover the inherent joy of giving, you will shift your focus away from taking and set the stage for inner satisfaction, success and general win–win situations

Li Ka-Shing, a Chinese billionaire, was able to find inner peace and happiness this way. He was once asked in an interview about his business secrets for success. He said that one key was to always give his partners more than he took for himself. This made everyone want to be his partner, which helped him become so successful.

In short, he gave instead of taking. He made deals that other people benefited from, instead of aggressively trying to make gains for himself at their expense. This didn’t just improve his business – it also made him feel better about himself. He managed to become successful and bring joy to others at the same time.

Research backs up this approach. Carsten De Dreu, a Dutch psychologist, led a comprehensive analysis of 28 different negotiation simulations. He found that the most successful negotiators where those who used a cooperative approach that focused on meeting the needs of both parties. The people who tried to get the upper hand over each other were much less successful.