Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam M. Grant

Selfless giving, in the absence of self-preservation instincts, easily becomes overwhelming.  Being otherish means being willing to give more than you receive, but still keeping your own interests in sight, using them as a guide for choosing when, where, how, and to whom you give.

This was a very interesting and thought-provoking read.  I had always thought of concern for self and others as opposite poles of a single continuum.  As the table above illustrates, concern for self and others can be conceived as two interrelated axes.  The provocation of the book is the assertion that a strong dose of self interest is healthy.  It was very helpful to me in understanding why so often the best of intentions lead to burn-out.  And, more importantly, how to minimize burn-out in the future.