Daniel Im

Pastor + Author

Articles

The Unintended Consequences of the Gig Economy

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In our culture today, doing has become a badge of honor.

It’s become a status symbol and the way to define ourselves.

The same is true with the rest of the lies of the gig economy that I breakdown in my new book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love.

Doing has become a badge of honor. It’s become a status symbol and the way to define ourselves.
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Our sense of meaning and significance have become tied to our experiences, our relationships, our knowledge, our stuff, our children and our past. However, the thing with each of these lies is that they all have unintended consequences.

  • A life of doing leads to a life of worrying
  • A life of experiences leads to a life of comparison
  • A life seeking acceptance from others leads to a loss of self
  • A life focused on the pursuit of knowledge leads to a life of despair
  • A life amassing stuff leads to a life of imprisonment
  • A life that revolves around your children leads to a life of narcissism
  • And a life lived in the past leads to a life of regret and pain
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Cauliflower, Podcasting, and Amazon Prime

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(The following is an excerpt from the Introduction of my newest book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love)

If there’s anything constant in life, it’s change.

Just consider how commonplace cauliflower, podcasting, and Amazon Prime have become—and how quickly it’s happened.

If there’s anything constant in life, it’s change.
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Growing up, no one ever talked about cauliflower, let alone wanted to eat the tasteless and smelly thing.

Yet recently, you’ve probably tried (or heard of) cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower buffalo wings, or cauliflower tots. And if you haven’t, your friends have. Now just to give you a sense of its meteoric rise, in a short span of three years, Green Giant has gone from harvesting five to thirty acres of cauliflower each week. That’s 100,000 heads of cauliflower every single day! And they are just one of the many companies that have hopped on the cauliflower bandwagon.

A similar thing has happened with podcasting.

When I started listening to podcasts in 2008, it was a multistep process that required a computer. Today, however, with the ubiquity of smartphones, listening to podcasts has become so commonplace and normal that the question has shifted from “Have you heard of podcasts?” to “Which podcasts do you listen to?” In fact, in the last five years, close to half of all Americans and Canadians tuned into their first podcast episode.

And let’s not forget the explosive growth of Amazon Prime.

Now that more than half of all American households are subscribing members, isn’t it odd to meet someone who doesn’t have it? It’s definitely become the exception, rather than the norm.

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The New “Normal” and Why It Matters

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Our definition of “normal” has changed—seemingly overnight.

For example, working a steady nine-to-five job isn’t normal anymore. And waiting until you’re retired to explore the world, try new experiences, eat delicious food and enjoy life isn’t normal either—if retirement is even a thing anymore.

What’s now “normal” is this desire that we all have for freedom and flexibility, which conveniently is exactly what the gig economy promises.

A desire for freedom and flexibility is the new normal—and this is exactly what the gig economy promises.
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And contrary to common belief, this is not just something that affects those in their 20s and 30s. According to the research, there are people in every generation who have side hustles because this desire for freedom and flexibility has become our new oxygen. It’s the air we breathe and the water we drink. In fact, it’s become so commonplace that it’s no longer the exception—and it’s affecting everything and everyone.

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You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love

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Two years ago, the editors from B&H Publishing Group sent me a text message:

That’s it. That’s your next book.

I wasn’t planning on writing another book this soon, nor did I ever envision writing one on this topic, but once they sent me that text message, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.

I was at a conference speaking on the implications of the gig economy for the church and for church leaders.

And that’s all it was supposed to be—a talk that was birthed out of research that I stumbled onto.

But once I started to think through (and research) the implications of the gig economy on everyday life, I was convinced. This book had to be written—and I guess it was going to be by me.

In the last few years, there’s been a significant shift in the way that we approach work, life, and love.

And it’s all because of the rise of the side hustle—or the gig economy as experts like to put it. It’s become the new normal. In fact, these days, if you don’t have one, you’re likely funding someone else’s.

The side hustle—or the gig economy—has become the new normal.
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But here’s the thing, this is not some sort of neutral and harmless shift in culture. There’s actually a complex and fragile web of lies holding it all together, leading to a devastating pile of unintended consequences.

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Church Leader! The Gig Economy Matters and This is Why

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The gig economy is the new normal and it’s changing everyday life.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read last week’s article for context. But last week, I addressed seven ways the gig economy is affecting everyone in our culture today—especially those in your church.

In short, the gig economy is changing the way that we view ourselves—and it’s not for the better.

Here’s the thing though. The gig economy not only affects everyone in your church—whether they’re Christian or not—but it also affects your leaders and how you should approach leadership in the church.

Let’s start with your changing congregation.

On a practical level, since the gig economy is the new normal, this means that close to half of your congregation is probably working more than one job.

Close to half of your church is probably working more than one job.
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So have you considered how this should affect:

  • Your approach to streaming your service?
  • Attendance patterns and measuring engagement in your church?
  • Preaching on and discipling your church on issues of faith and work?
  • When and how you offer leadership development and training?

On a side note, if you haven’t read chapter three of my book, No Silver Bullets, where I talk about the shift that we need to make “from being the sage on the stage to being the guide on the side,” you’re going to want to pick it up. In that chapter, I illustrate how you can flip the classroom and offer both a high tech and high touch approach to leadership development

There’s also the issue of money and multiplication.

If you’ve read anything on movements—particularly church planting movements—you’ll know that money and education are two massively stifling factors to movemental energy.

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The Gig Economy and Leadership in the Church

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When I moved to Nashville in 2014, I noticed something.

I didn’t realize how critical of a trend it was going to become, the extent that it was going to impact everyday life, the rapid rate at which it was growing, or how it was going to become the new normal, but it seemed like everyone had a side hustle or a gig.

Okay, maybe not everyone, but close to half of the people I met.

And for the majority of them, these gigs weren’t their main source of income—a lot of them were hustling, contracting, and moonlighting on the side to earn some extra cash, pay down debt, or save up for a vacation.

It was kind of like cauliflower, podcasting, and Amazon Prime—no matter where you went, it was hard to miss.

Heck, even I was a part of this trend with all the writing, podcasting, consulting, and speaking I was doing on the side.

At first, I thought this was an American thing, since I had just moved to the States, but after talking to friends in Canada, reflecting back on the time my wife and I lived in Korea, and doing some research, I quickly realized how much of a global trend this was becoming—and how rapidly it was growing.

Have you seen it? Do you know anyone with a side hustle? Or gigging?

Where they’re working multiple jobs? Where at least one of those jobs is them working for themselves?

  • Perhaps they’re selling things on Facebook Marketplace?
  • Doing a side job as a contractor?
  • Driving for Uber or Lyft?
  • Freelancing?
  • Delivering food for Grubhub or Skip a Dish?
  • Renting out their place on Airbnb?
  • Or how about someone who has quit their full-time job, with guaranteed salary and benefits, to start their own thing?

It’s called the gig economy and it’s become the new normal.

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Why Micro Goals Are Better than Resolutions

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Stop setting New Year’s resolutions. They’re too vague, too lofty, too idealistic, and nearly impossible to accomplish.

In fact, studies have shown that after 30 days, less than 25% of people stay committed to them, while only 8% will actually accomplish them.

So what’s the better way? What do you need to do to make this next year a year of progress, development, growth, and impact? The answer is to abandon your resolutions and adopt micro goals instead.

Abandon your resolutions and adopt micro goals.
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I’m not talking about S.M.A.R.T. goals, which if you’re not aware of the topic, I’d highly recommend you listen to this episode to learn more and download the template.

I’m talking about micro goals, where you break your S.M.A.R.T. goals down into small and immediately actionable tasks. This is the only sure-fire way to accomplish your greatest dreams.

Let me give you two examples: working out and writing a book.

1. Working Out

After moving back to Canada last year, the one thing that I knew I had to change was my exercise routine. For my entire adult life, I’ve never been able to figure out how to work out more than twice a week—if I even went at all. And with my metabolism slowing down (and love for food increasing), I had to crack this code.

Enter: Micro Goals.

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Launch Team Application for My New Book

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I can’t believe it, but the book that I’ve been working on for the last two years is finally here, and I’m looking for help getting the word out.

We only have 100 spots available, so I’d be honored if you would consider joining the launch team for my next book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love.

If selected, you’ll receive a free paperback copy of the book once it’s released, a copy of the ebook to read early, and a free downloadable poster.

Here’s the application form. Thanks for considering!

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A Lonely Christmas

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Every year, classics like The Grinch, Elf, and Home Alone make their rounds in homes decorated with tinsel and Christmas cheer.

And while nostalgia might be the primary reason we have these films on repeat, many of us don’t often take the time to examine how these story lines might be shaping us.

Let’s take Home Alone as an example.

Beyond the laughs, gags, and slapstick comedy, have you ever considered the underlying narrative that this movie is trying to communicate?

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not about to boycott Christmas movies—they are some of my favorite films. But there’s a big difference between watching them with a discerning eye and passively letting them shape our minds and hearts.

Underneath it all, Home Alone is celebrating and shining the spotlight on the age old lie of self-sufficiency.

Just consider the fact that Kevin McAllister decides to take on the two cat burglars himself. He doesn’t call for help. Instead, he takes matters into his own hands and outsmarts the burglars. Remember how he put a life size cutout of Michael Jordan on a train? And a mannequin on the record player? Genius.

And even later on when the cat burglars realize that Kevin is all by himself, Kevin still decides that he’s the king of his castle and the master of his own destiny.

If you’re interested in digging deeper, you can watch the sermon that I preached on this movie here to see how the parable of the rich man is a fascinating response to this age old lie of self-sufficiency.

But here’s the thought regarding self-sufficiency that I want to leave you with: Isolation is the end result of disconnection.

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The Tension of Not Having “Enough”

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These last couple of weeks, the following lyrics have been playing on repeat.

So let all that I am
Be consumed with who You are
All the glory of Your presence
What more could I ask for?

The phrase, “What more could I ask for?” is such an apt phrase to describe the tension that December holds.

Everywhere we look—especially since we’re in the throes of Black Friday, Bright Friday, Cyber Monday, Happy Tuesday, or whatever it’s called now—we are being conditioned to believe that we don’t have enough. Even this past week, I went online to make sure that I didn’t “miss” any deals. And after browsing for a bit, I ended up buying batteries on Amazon because they were 30% off.

Everywhere we look, we are being conditioned to believe that we don’t have enough.
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Did I really need them? Perhaps in a month or so, but definitely not now…

When we are consumed with the glory of God’s presence, there is nothing more we need. There is nothing more we have to ask for.

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