Give First: The Power of Mentorship is now available in both physical and Kindle formats. BradTheBookSalesman says, “Don’t wait, buy it today!” And yes, someday it will be available as an audiobook.
As a bonus, my long-time friend Andy Sack’s book AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand is also launching today. BradTheBookSalesman says, “Buy Andy’s book also! Make it a two-fer.”
Ok – enough with the BradTheBookSalesman shit. In addition to my alter ego, BradTheBookSalesman, another alter ego, Spike Feld, will emerge in a few days with some more fun and games for everyone.
To clarify that Give First is a philosophy rather than a religion, let’s begin with its formal definition.
“Give First” means being willing to put energy into a relationship or a system without defining the transactional parameters. However, it’s not altruism. You can and should expect to get something back. But you don’t know when, from whom, in what form, or over what time frame.
If you know me, you’re aware that I’ve been living my life this way for a considerable time. While many of the things I do in life are transactional, and BradTheBookSalesman is amused by the irony of his role in this, many are also non-transactional.
Importantly, though, Give First is a philosophy, not a religion.
From my perspective as a Jewish atheist with Buddhist tendencies, a religion is something where, if you follow the rules, you will achieve salvation, spiritual fulfillment, or a closer relationship with the divine. Or, reincarnation and the opportunity to try it all over again. Or, lots of other things. I am not anti-religion, but I have my view about where religion fits in the pantheon of the human experience.
A philosophy is a set of perspectives that is a guide, not a set of rules. You build your worldview as a result of the philosophy you adopt. You incorporate it into your perspective, views, and values. You choose what is interesting to you and ignore the rest.
While this is not a rigorous definition of a philosophy, I think it’s sufficient for distinguishing between philosophy and religion. If you want Claude’s view, it’s a little more abstract and precise:
“Philosophy generally prioritizes intellectual exploration and accepts ambiguity, whereas religion offers comprehensive worldviews that integrate belief, practice, and community in ways that provide meaning and guidance for adherents’ entire lives.“
Rules have a place in our society. So does religion. So does philosophy. But they are different things.
Please don’t view Give First as a religion. A higher power will not judge you. You have no rules to follow. You are not trying to achieve salvation, enlightenment, or even success. Instead, Give First, along with my views on mentorship, is a set of ideas to consider. You get to decide what to incorporate, if any, into your worldview.
As with any philosophy, I learn more every day from my interaction with others. I run lots of experiments. I make lots of mistakes. I try to learn from these mistakes and run new experiments. When I figure out something that works, or feels right, or makes sense to me, I try to incorporate it and do more of it. When something goes wrong, I try to figure out what I did wrong and do it less often.
The philosophy of Give First has evolved for me over the past 25 years, since I first considered it in Len Fassler‘s kitchen in 1996. I didn’t have a definition or a phrase for it, only a feeling. Len and many people since have contributed to this philosophy, and I’ve learned an enormous amount about myself along the way.
Until the lights go out, I plan to never stop learning. And, when they do, I hope the philosophy of Give First endures long after I’m gone. For all that have contributed, and continue to contribute, to Give First, thank you.