Giving and getting

Contribution is an intrinsic value rather than an extrinsic value. To see it as something I get instead of what I give is an inversion.
We are used to looking it as giving something rather than a compensation for me. This is especially true in the way we look at work. We think of ourselves as contributors to the company or team, and we see the remuneration for that as due returns.
This is a limiting thought.
When I give something and expect a return, it does not allow me to understand what I am truly worth. If I look at work as a contribution and think that I am getting something as a participant in the process, then work becomes worship and worship is intrinsically fulfiling.
Swami Vivekananda explains this perfectly. He says that in one worldview (of charity), giving is like daya. He tells us that we must flip the meaning of giving -- when we are giving, we are doing seva.

Contribution is therefore a philosophical standpoint. And the beneficiary is the individual himself and not (just) the organization. Therefore it is like Enlightened Self interest – which means that I am going to benefit myself through contribution.

Questions to think about
What is the difference between daya and seva?