Review of Purpose
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Heather Knapp
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Review of Purpose
[Following is a volunteer review of "Purpose" by Gina Bianchini.]
It will be hard to resist filling this book review of “Purpose,” by Gina Bianchini, with quotes and nuggets of wisdom from the book, as there are so many of them. Still, if you are someone looking to discover your purpose, form or join a community of people with similar goals to yours, or just need some plain old encouragement or a shot of optimism, I hope to inspire you to pick up this book so you can read them all for yourself.
As the book was written by a CEO in the tech industry, I thought I would learn a few things from it, but wondered if I would be able to relate to the author. I needn’t have worried. She is relatable, down-to-earth, and relentlessly encouraging and optimistic (as mentioned). She is also intelligent, thoughtful, funny, kind, and well-qualified to teach on the subject of purpose. Gina has discovered her own purpose, and that is to help the rest of us find our own purpose (actually purposes, as we all have more than one purpose) as well. But that’s not all. Just as essential to the author’s mission is convincing us to form communities around our purposes, which she believes will help us all to achieve much more than we ever could alone, and make the world a better place. It might be possible at times to do this locally, depending on where we live. But Gina believes that the more specific the purposes and challenges that a community’s members share, the greater the benefits for its members. And so, to find the people who truly share our very specific purposes and visions and are at the same place in their walk as us, the best place to look is in the entire world, via the internet. And of course, that is where the community will then exist.
Gina explains why social media sites are not the appropriate meeting places for these types of interactions, and she offers a viable alternative. It’s called “cultural software,” and Gina happens to run a cultural software company called Mighty Networks. The third and last section of the book, called “Take Your Purpose Digital,” teaches from a “Community Design” course that she runs on her site, that walks you through ways to create a successful online community on a platform like hers. On this note, while there clearly must be some intention by the author to draw you to her site, you never feel like you are being pitched to. Instead, reading the book makes you feel like you are having an extremely informative conversation with a good friend who cares about you. Kudos to the author and the editors for pulling that off so well.
The first two sections are called “Finding Your Purpose,” and “Turn Your Purpose Into Action”. These sections are filled with detailed methods to guide you in discovering your own unique purposes and then pursuing them - in community, of course. It all starts with a 30-day writing exercise that helps you realize what is most important to you. Based on that you write your “Future Story,” the way you imagine your life will be down the road if you had no limitations, which helps crystalize your purposes. You then create a community around your central purpose, and you’re on your way to becoming your own hero by living with the intention and focus needed to improve your life. You are aided and inspired by the like-minded people you have connected with, as you aid and inspire them. Gina gives tons of ideas, inspiration and examples to help you each step of the way. The ultimate goal is to help you along your journey until you move from hero to mentor, who, she explains, is the true hero. Of course, you will have to put in the work, but she convinces you that it’s possible and worth it (have I mentioned she’s encouraging and optimistic?).
Gina also shares about her interesting life and her own journeys, as well as tidbits about people she has worked with over the years. It’s clear she’s helped a huge cross-section of people in her career, and truly understands and cares about them, giving her authenticity as a mentor. Her view on the modern internet age is one that many people will agree with but haven’t been able to express. I was most encouraged when she shared that, while current iterations of social media might feel “inevitable,” there are many smart people out there envisioning and creating entirely different and healthier ways for us to use the internet. In fact, a different online world is part of Gina’s own personal “Future Story” that she shares, and it feels really good to know that she is working on that!
Gina also teaches you what it means to be a good host, and gives you questions, and formulas for creating questions, that will help you connect with others and make you a better conversationalist. She coaches you to live and interact with people with intention. Everything she teaches is methodical, tested, and thoroughly explained while leaving lots of space for creativity, adjustments, and growth.
The 30-day challenge is one that I may actually do; I really feel I might learn something about myself if I try it. I am not as sure as Gina that I should start my own community, that might be our only disagreement, but now I know where to look for one to join when I discover my purpose. I am thrilled to know about these communities, and heartened by Gina’s encouraging (yep, that word again) and hopeful views and her belief that we can all live more fulfilling lives if we can discover our purposes and actually move towards them by uniting with others who are on the same journey as us. Her arguments are persuasive and at least some of her ideas are guaranteed to stick with you.
I highly recommend this well-written, well-edited book to anyone interested in self-help and self-discovery, and those interested in the idea of community. It would also be great for anyone interested in starting an online community as a business or wanting to move an existing business of that type away from social media, as it is filled with information on how to host such communities successfully and profitably on sites like the author's. Lastly, for those discouraged by the current state of the internet and/or the world, you may be cheered and inspired by Gina’s hopeful outlook on the future. The world could use more people like her in it! I enthusiastically rate it a 5 out of 5 stars.
******
Purpose
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
It will be hard to resist filling this book review of “Purpose,” by Gina Bianchini, with quotes and nuggets of wisdom from the book, as there are so many of them. Still, if you are someone looking to discover your purpose, form or join a community of people with similar goals to yours, or just need some plain old encouragement or a shot of optimism, I hope to inspire you to pick up this book so you can read them all for yourself.
As the book was written by a CEO in the tech industry, I thought I would learn a few things from it, but wondered if I would be able to relate to the author. I needn’t have worried. She is relatable, down-to-earth, and relentlessly encouraging and optimistic (as mentioned). She is also intelligent, thoughtful, funny, kind, and well-qualified to teach on the subject of purpose. Gina has discovered her own purpose, and that is to help the rest of us find our own purpose (actually purposes, as we all have more than one purpose) as well. But that’s not all. Just as essential to the author’s mission is convincing us to form communities around our purposes, which she believes will help us all to achieve much more than we ever could alone, and make the world a better place. It might be possible at times to do this locally, depending on where we live. But Gina believes that the more specific the purposes and challenges that a community’s members share, the greater the benefits for its members. And so, to find the people who truly share our very specific purposes and visions and are at the same place in their walk as us, the best place to look is in the entire world, via the internet. And of course, that is where the community will then exist.
Gina explains why social media sites are not the appropriate meeting places for these types of interactions, and she offers a viable alternative. It’s called “cultural software,” and Gina happens to run a cultural software company called Mighty Networks. The third and last section of the book, called “Take Your Purpose Digital,” teaches from a “Community Design” course that she runs on her site, that walks you through ways to create a successful online community on a platform like hers. On this note, while there clearly must be some intention by the author to draw you to her site, you never feel like you are being pitched to. Instead, reading the book makes you feel like you are having an extremely informative conversation with a good friend who cares about you. Kudos to the author and the editors for pulling that off so well.
The first two sections are called “Finding Your Purpose,” and “Turn Your Purpose Into Action”. These sections are filled with detailed methods to guide you in discovering your own unique purposes and then pursuing them - in community, of course. It all starts with a 30-day writing exercise that helps you realize what is most important to you. Based on that you write your “Future Story,” the way you imagine your life will be down the road if you had no limitations, which helps crystalize your purposes. You then create a community around your central purpose, and you’re on your way to becoming your own hero by living with the intention and focus needed to improve your life. You are aided and inspired by the like-minded people you have connected with, as you aid and inspire them. Gina gives tons of ideas, inspiration and examples to help you each step of the way. The ultimate goal is to help you along your journey until you move from hero to mentor, who, she explains, is the true hero. Of course, you will have to put in the work, but she convinces you that it’s possible and worth it (have I mentioned she’s encouraging and optimistic?).
Gina also shares about her interesting life and her own journeys, as well as tidbits about people she has worked with over the years. It’s clear she’s helped a huge cross-section of people in her career, and truly understands and cares about them, giving her authenticity as a mentor. Her view on the modern internet age is one that many people will agree with but haven’t been able to express. I was most encouraged when she shared that, while current iterations of social media might feel “inevitable,” there are many smart people out there envisioning and creating entirely different and healthier ways for us to use the internet. In fact, a different online world is part of Gina’s own personal “Future Story” that she shares, and it feels really good to know that she is working on that!
Gina also teaches you what it means to be a good host, and gives you questions, and formulas for creating questions, that will help you connect with others and make you a better conversationalist. She coaches you to live and interact with people with intention. Everything she teaches is methodical, tested, and thoroughly explained while leaving lots of space for creativity, adjustments, and growth.
The 30-day challenge is one that I may actually do; I really feel I might learn something about myself if I try it. I am not as sure as Gina that I should start my own community, that might be our only disagreement, but now I know where to look for one to join when I discover my purpose. I am thrilled to know about these communities, and heartened by Gina’s encouraging (yep, that word again) and hopeful views and her belief that we can all live more fulfilling lives if we can discover our purposes and actually move towards them by uniting with others who are on the same journey as us. Her arguments are persuasive and at least some of her ideas are guaranteed to stick with you.
I highly recommend this well-written, well-edited book to anyone interested in self-help and self-discovery, and those interested in the idea of community. It would also be great for anyone interested in starting an online community as a business or wanting to move an existing business of that type away from social media, as it is filled with information on how to host such communities successfully and profitably on sites like the author's. Lastly, for those discouraged by the current state of the internet and/or the world, you may be cheered and inspired by Gina’s hopeful outlook on the future. The world could use more people like her in it! I enthusiastically rate it a 5 out of 5 stars.
******
Purpose
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
