Adam Grant

And the tree always says yes.

First it's apples.

Eventually it's wood to build a house.

So for me, the most fucked up part of the story is the ending where the tree is reduced to a literal stump and it says, and the tree was happy.

Yeah.

Like what the hell are you talking about?

The tree isn't happy.

The tree hardly exists anymore.

That's exactly right.

I mean, the boy is a huge taker, the worst.

And it's, I don't even know, people saying this is an allegory for maternal love.

No, it's an allegory for an abusive relationship.

Well said.

The tree has confused giving with self-sacrifice.

And it almost seems like the tree is the most extreme people pleaser you could possibly imagine.

I'm going to neglect whatever my own needs are in order to say yes to whatever this boy asks for.

And then you will believe how much I love you.

The Giving Tree illustrates a familiar problem in life and at work, the temptation to say yes to everyone and everything.

We think it makes us likable and promotable.

But if you want to build balanced relationships and achieve your goals, you need to master the art of saying no.