When motivational author Tony Robbins interviewed Coach Wooden he asked: "Coach I have met and interviewed many famous and rich people but some of them do not seem to be very happy. What advice would you give them?"

Coach replied: "They should find somebody they can help."

The fundamental truth that there is great joy in giving without expectation is aptly reflected by two other quotes Coach liked to refer to:

There is a wonderful, mystical law of nature that the three things man craves the most in life – happiness, freedom, and peace of mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else. (Peyton Conway)

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

As a practical matter, these key ideas in today’s network driven, social environment are even more important.

I Googled character traits of a great networker and reviewed the results on four different websites from which I got the following four results:

1. Be generous and have a giving spirit. Don’t think ‘what’s in it for me’ but rather ‘what’s in it for you?’

2. Give good referrals without expectation.

3. Have a sincere desire to help others

4. Always be prepared to help others regardless of who they are.

The joys and surprises of giving without expectation extend beyond people.

They are, as Peyton Conway stated: a wonderful, mystical law of nature.