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Dear Millennial, by Chelann Gienger

Book Review: Dear Millennial, by Chelann Gienger

• • • • • • • ► “You have a unique purpose.”

It’s a simple thought. But when you press pass the surface, this statement has power behind it. Because if we each have a one-of-a-kind purpose, then we each have a mission, one that only we can accomplish.

Dear Millennial, brings these abstract principles to concrete reality with examples of purpose in everyday life, ways of getting motivated and accountable for action, and stories of the tough going on when it’s tough. The book takes the reader from the quote above in the opening chapter to the recipe for living out that purpose.

Chelann Gienger

Chelann Gienger

• • • • • • • ► Purpose and finding your own

The book’s subtitle is “A compass to defining your unique purpose, pursuing a life of fulfillment, and building a legacy.” True to those words, the author, Chelann Gienger, helps readers find exactly what they are passionate about. Chelann starts by giving examples of personal mission statements. Next, she talks about values. The examples she shares inspired me to sit down and create my own mission statement and values.

• • • • • • • ► Nurturing motivation

As an entrepreneur, I make quicker progress toward my goals if I am motivated to reach them. Reading Dear Millennial, made me excited to be intentional about achieving my goals and connecting with others who are also pursuing their own goals. Plus, Chelann reminded me why we reach out and make things happen. If one of my goals is to help others (yes), then reaching my goals becomes a win-win situation: my own dreams are fulfilled, and I have aided others in their own as well.

Dear Millennial, cover

• • • • • • • ► Real life stories

Helping others is something Chelann takes seriously. A key feature of the book is her personal stories of real-life experiences. These passages of the book reminded me that success is often born of struggle. Stories on social media and reality TV shows don’t always show us the difficult parts of business, so to have someone tactfully relate the behind-the-scenes of being a business person was timely.

I’m grateful to Chelann for publishing this manual for individuals who have big dreams and want to actively progress toward them. By illuminating the path she has walked, she leaves seeds of motivation to use in our own lives. I definitely recommend this book for adults of any age or as a family read-aloud.

• • • • • • • ► For more about Dear Millennial,

Check out Chelann’s website at: http://chelanngienger.com

Or, find her on Facebook or Instagram.

This is an unsponsored review to share a book I found insightful.

Black mortarboard from College Without the Campus

Leavenworth Pigeons

The Pigeonhole

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A few weeks ago, I met and visited with a peer who also lives in Walla Walla. She asked if I was working or going to school; I asked her the same. She told me she works at her church, has a part-time reception job, and is earning her psych degree.

Her response stuck with me because lately I’ve been thinking about my answer to the “What do you do?” question. Like this young woman, my response can also have three parts: writer of a book, HVAC shop assistant, and Etsy store owner.

I’m grateful that most people I talk to are open minded about my triple job description. This gratitude is why I’m writing this post: I want to learn to forget stereotypes when meeting someone. A person’s job does not define them. It does add to the description of the person, but that person is more than their job, more than their marital status, and more than any of the other general topics that come up in an initial conversation.

Of course we already know this. Yet, think about how much credit is given to a person when someone says, “My relative works at Google.” We don’t know this relative, but in my mind this person has just been given some clout. This could be deserved—after all, I hear it’s not easy to get a job at Google. This person put in the work! But, on the flip side, maybe this person got a lucky internship and was then employed. None of this is known.

Take me, for example. When I talk about each of my jobs individually, I can see my life being pigeonholed. If I say, “I’m an Etsy store owner,” this can seem like a hobby-type job, one that I probably do for fun and that doesn’t pay the bills. If I say, “I just finished writing a book”, this is usually received with excitement, regardless of what profit I’m making. For the first response, I can appear to be a moocher living frivolously; for the second, a persistent worker who completed a goal.

Either way, I am the same person.

So, if it seems your job isn’t bringing you credibility equal to what you’re actually doing, look at your goals. Are you making progress toward them? If you are, then you have all the credibility you need. And if you’re not finding the encouragement you’re looking for, reach out to those you admire and those who have traveled a similar road. These are the kindred spirits who know a person cannot fit in a pigeonhole.