"You can easily judge the character of a person by how he or she treats those who can do nothing for them.”—Malcolm S. Forbes.

Givers seek out ways to be helpful and give to others without any deeper agenda

Matchers play “tit for tat”—they keep an eye on the social bank account and do favours for favours

Takers are focussed on getting as much as they can from situations, relationships, and people

If you are an introvert or highly sensitive person this is clearly going to be an issue you will think about. I have had emails from people who have lost sight of boundaries in relationships. Those who attract narcissists and energy vampires that have bled them dry and they don't know what to do. They have shut off, isolated themselves, and declared that they cannot afford to be givers any longer.

So how can you become a successful giver?

Well that's what I explore in this week's episode of the podcast.

Brenda Knowles wrote an article about this subject a while back and she picked out the three things we can do if we want to be givers who are successful and happy rather than the opposite option.

Spot the takers in your midst.

Engage in “five-minute favours”

Don't restrict your interactions to just givers

Brenda says "I am a selective giver, which could be construed as a matcher, but I am not strategic about giving.” We all have to make choices. We have finite resources. The key is what drives those choices. Is it a cold and calculating sense of what you can get, or a desire to give because that's what you are compelled to do?

Givers share praise. They encourage people. They say thank you and well done. They look people in the eye and smile. It doesn't cost much to extend your giver-heart.

Are you a giver, taker, or matcher? Is there anything that stops you from being a giver?