I consider myself a “giver” — I find it deeply gratifying to help other people. A lot of my friends are givers. Being a giver not only feels good, it also creates room for serendipity.
And I follow the “less than 5 minutes” rule: If doing something for someone else (e.g. an introduction, a quick comment, you name it) takes less than five minutes of my time I will always do it.
Try it out. You not only will feel good about yourself and help others but make our community a bit better with each act of giving.
P.S. One of our fellow Heretics pointed this out to me recently and I highly recommend it: Adam Grant’s book “Give and Take” provides much more in-depth information on the subject and is an amazing read.