In this book, I found that it exposed several things to me as how I identify myself, and although I am not my career, I am not my hobby, I am not what I own, and I am not my past experiences...I can honestly say that I am a child of God and need a healthy reminder of this every day and Daniel's message in this book helped me open my mind and my heart into identifying these traits in myself.

While I am nearing 70 and probably not the prime audience for this book, I found it to be well written and researched. The information conveyed was somewhat an eye opener for me. I would recommend this book to friends and family, young or in their senior years.

Daniel Im has hit the nail on the head with You Are What You Do! He has astutely recognized seven lies our society tells us about our identity and worth, and addressed them with Scripture, logic, and experience. He delves deeply into current societal trends to define one's worth by what we do, what we experience, who we know, what we know, what we own, and by our children or our past. All of these are deluded deceptions that leave us empty, unsatisfied, and wanting more. They feed isolation and/or pride, causing us to think too little or too much of our own self. Im helps us see and observe the way this "gig economy," as he calls it, is "all around us, sharing the way we approach work, life, and love in more ways than we might realize." And he is so right! His book helps us counter this new norm with the wisdom and insights of the Bible and personal learning that is helpful, self-deprecating, and encouraging. For me, the book was all about living out Romans 12:1-2, "not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind." In this, You Are What You Do..." is a powerful reminder and corrective that our identity is found is SomeOne, not SomeThing. If you are struggling with identity or worth issues, or have had someone tell you "you're no good," or "you're not worth anything," then I highly recommend this book! It will help you to overcome the obstacles the world puts in front of you, and enable you to see yourself as your Creator made you--a precious and unique, valued child of God.

There is definitely a sense of freedom in knowing who and what you are not.

This book speaks truth and focuses on Truth, living the way God sees you.

10/10 would recommend.

Daniel Im had it all, and then it came crashing down. Im was asked to be a pastor in a church of 50,000 people in South Korea, moved his family there from Canada, and was loving his job. Before long, he was asked to leave. He came back to Canada with broken dreams and an empty heart. This sounds much like what has happened to many of us. We get a new job and it's everything we've ever dreamed of, but often it doesn't live up to our expectations and sometimes we fail. It can be soul-crushing, but should it be? Should it feel so life-defining? Are our jobs the central defining characteristic of our lives?

Too often, they are. As a matter of fact it's the first thing we ask about someone after we know their name. Im uses the example of the "gig economy" to illustrate this. Instead of having one career like former generations, Millennials have, in great numbers, embraced "gigs": short term, private contracts that allow freedom and flexibility in commitments and time frames. If you file a 1098 on your taxes. You're part of the gig economy. I, for example, am part of the gig economy due to my online ESL teaching with VIPKid and my writing on Medium. But even without an exclusive connection to more conventional brick-and-mortar jobs, Millenials and others are still defining themselves by what they do, specifically by their productivity. We make use of "free time" to be more productive, which isn't by itself a bad thing, but it can begin to define one's life in terms of how much you can produce for yourself, your family, etc. Im uses the example of spending all your "free time" making money so that you have money to spend with friends sometime in the indeterminate future. But what if that future never comes? What if you keep working and "being more productive", but the end result is that you just become a cog in the economy?

You are NOT what you do, and Im makes that clear. He explains this from a Christian perspective, making clear that your identity lies in your relationship to the God of the Universe. So why do we rely on so many other things to define us?

There are more lies that Im takes head-on, such as "You are who you know", "You are who you raise", "You are what you own", and "You are what you experience". Along the way, he uses examples from pop culture, personal stories, and trends, but he ends each chapter with a reflection of what the Bible says about each of the lies. This foundation really rounds out each chapter. While I got lost in the anecdotes from time to time, each chapter refocuses on the main point. This short-ish book will break down our culture's lies and focus you on what really matters. I recommend it to anyone struggling with identity, work, family, or friendships. It could be a great help.

I received an eARC of You Are What You Do courtesy of B&H Books and NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.

Before I get my review started, I must clarify that the full title of this book is You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life, & Love. It was written by Daniel Im, a speaker, teacher, consultant, and coach. I am most familiar with his 5 Leadership Questions podcast, a part of the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network.

The Gig Economy

The purpose of this book is to expose six lies that are particular to those espoused by the Gig Economy. The Gig Economy is a relatively new term that has become the new normal. It involves gigging, freelancing, contracting, side hustling, and moonlighting. It is a work ethic that finds its footing in the American Dream.

In just over 200 pages, Im tackles these six lies: (1) You are what you do, (2) You are what you experience, (3) You are who you know, (4) You are what you know, (5) You are what you own, (6) You are who you raise, and (7) You are your past. Im is an excellent storyteller, and he often uses illustrations from his own life not to show himself as the hero, but as one who has learned from his mistakes.

Wisdom and Profundity

This book does not beat you over the head with the Bible. Im often takes us to King Solomon and encourages us to listen to his words of wisdom. And he does not present Jesus as a moral teacher, but he calls us to consider that Jesus is the only way we can truly live and have life abundantly.

The book often shows snippets of profundity. For instance, in Chapter 6: It’s Not About You, Im combats the lie “You Are Who You Raise” and says that we need to start with forgiveness if our parents raised us in a way where they unconsciously wronged us. He points us to Matthew 11:28-30 which says that Jesus will take our heavy burdens and make them light.

Turn Toward Truth

I was given a sobering wake-up call by reading this book. It spoke to me as a working man, a son, a husband, and a father. I am challenged to rethink and restructure my priorities. And I am driven to turn away from the lies of the world and run toward Truth.

I was provided a free copy of You Are What You Do but was not required to write a positive review.

“You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life, & Love” is an engaging look at a serious question we all ask: Who Am I?

Daniel Im tackles this question by addressing 7 lies we all are tempted to believe. Im tackles these seven lies one chapter at a time using logic, trivia, quotes, biblical scripture, interesting stories and personal anecdotes. And he has some good ones. He is not afraid to share some unflattering details either.

I jumped at the chance to review a pre-release copy of this book based on how much I loved his first book: “No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform Your Ministry.” While that book focused on church ministry, this book has a much wider audience. I loved that book so I was eager to dive into his next offering. I was not disappointed.

While his main audience is people of biblical faiths who want a more authentic faith, these lies are believed by practically everyone, making this book relevant to any and everyone.

There’s nothing to make you think like a good question. Im asks questions throughout his book challenging you to wrestle with who you are and where your true identity comes from.

After working carefully through each of these lies, Im finished strong, challenging the reader to feel the implications of continuing to believe the lies.

“You are not what you do. You are not what you experience. You are not who you know. You are not what you know. You are not what you own. You are not who you raise. And you are definitely not your past”

Im ups the ante when he says forsaking these lies aren’t enough.

“There is a sense of freedom in knowing what and who you are not. But ridding yourself of these seven lies won’t fill you—it’ll just empty you. Unless you replace these lies with the truth of who you really are, you’ll just find another set of lies—even stronger and more destructive—to replace these with.“

Figuring out who you are in this universe is a challenging but worthy pursuit. This book helped me look into the mirror and face once again who I think I am. There’s tremendous peace in knowing the answer to that question.

Excerpts are From

You Are What You Do

Daniel Im

This material may be protected by copyright.

Book was given for free to review. The author asked for an honest review—good or bad.

Not a very interesting read

Daniel Im does an incredible job of unpacking the lies we so often tell ourselves to get through this life. Daniel shares personal examples, practical advice and real world examples to work through why we believe the lies and how we can move beyond them.

I was inspired by the authors vulnerability and appreciated how each chapter was summed up with practical ways to move forward into a better way of living.

I know that this book will inspire readers and bring hope to a great many people.

Daniel Im’s book provides the reader with a perspective on life as it is now. As a person of the boomer generation there are many elements of the current generations that I have a difficult time understanding. The lies, as described in this book, are well illustrated and presented in a way that make them readily understood. It is an easy read and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a better understanding of the issues being faced by this current generation.