The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work Hardcover – May 31, 2011

Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is this what my life is supposed to be?Great questions! Jon Gordon's new book, The Seed, helps readers discover the answer. Through a wonderful story about a man given a two week leave of absence by his employer to, essentially, contemplate and renew his commitment to his job, we learn a method to explore our own satisfaction and find our purpose. The keys are, first, being open to discovery and, second, being open to the possibility that we may already be living our purpose but are missing the realization of, and passion for, that.The story is a simple and engaging read. If you have previously read Gordon's The Energy Bus, you will recognize the appearance of George, and the positive lessons he brings to a discussion about purpose. As with other Gordon books, there are quotable quotes about life, work, and attitude and a simple to understand process to take away and implement.The four stages of finding one's purpose are taught through the main character's life experiences, his dog, and a mysterious farmer. As Gordon repeatedly does so well in all of his writing, he takes a significant life challenge and presents it in an easy to relate to story, with important lessons presented in such a manner that the reader doesn't realize the reflection and learning that is inspired. As with his other books, there will also be a discussion guide and action plan available on the website soon.I must admit, I am a Jon Gordon fan. I own all of the books he has written, I have led a transformative, positively energizing book club at work for The Energy Bus, and I rank him among my favorite authors. I love the fable style story, especially when the story applies to live in general, not just work life. When I heard that Gordon was writing a new book, I immediately advance-ordered twelve copies for my next book club. I applied to be one of Gordon's "seed planters" and was honored to be accepted.Whether you are a fan like I am and have read all of Gordon's books, or if you've never read a Gordon book, order The Seed and read it. You won't regret a moment. And, you just might learn something about your purpose.Note: As a seed planter, I was given advance access to an online copy of the book. In no other way, however, was this review influenced by the author, publisher, or any other party associated with The Seed.

Jon’s writing is simple, his message is straight forward, and has a great gift of tying his lessons together. The stories are excellently written providing a vivid picture of lessons shared in this book.

I loved this book. It was so easy to read with so many meaningful messages. Must read

I'm always up for reading a book on one's purpose in life. What spiritual reader isn't? The problem is the topic has been overdone and the market flooded with such books. Purpose-inspired titles that I've read include: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle and who can forget The Secret by Rhonda Byrne? But I'm left to wonder how the latest book on the topic can add anything new?The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work by Jon Gordon was just published this year. This little nutshell of a book--a mere 143 pages--reminded me of Henry David Thoreau's book Faith in a Seed, where he writes, "I have great faith in a seed. Convince me you have a seed there and I am prepared to expect wonders." Though Gordon is not a philosopher or Transcendentalist like Thoreau, rather an author of bestselling business self-help books, he may have found an original twist on this old, well known adage: the be happy in work or in life, you must know your purpose and be aligned with it.Gordon's book follows the story of Josh, a midlevel employee of a respected company who finds he has lost his passion for work. Josh's boss is aware of his burnout, confronts him, and offers him time off to decide whether his job is worth keeping. So off Josh goes to find his purpose. On his journey, he meets several people who guide him along the way, introducing him to the concept of the seed.There are four stages of the seed: first preparation, second planting, third growth, and finally the forth stage, the harvest. In the preparation stage, Josh learns that anything one has ever done, all of one's gifts, talents, lessons learned, lead up to finding one's purpose. Josh meets a farmer at this stage who tells him that one can't find purpose without adversity and challenges. "Adversity, for many, features a time of drought. Drought might include a time when ideas, money, good fortune, contacts, and success dry up. It might include a job loss or the death of a loved one or a personal illness...During such times, you feel like you are in a desert, isolated from the prosperity, health and success of the world...However when you progress to the other stages of purpose and look back at the preparation stage of your life, you'll realize it was the drought that made you the person you are today."In the planting stage, Josh learns not to go looking around for his purpose, but to plant himself where he is, and give his all in service to others. In turn, his purpose will find him. I found this to be a novel and refreshing concept. Usually, the hero journeys out, sometimes to far away lands, as in Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. Staying put is almost counterintuitive, yet appealing. Following planting is the growth phase where most give up, as it has the greatest resistance. Josh is warned that right before one reaps his or her harvest, one faces the greatest challenges. The closer one gets to his or her goal, the stronger the resistance.At the end of his journey, Josh makes it through all four stages, and finds his own purpose. He discovers the might of passion and purpose, and seeks to teach others. One of the most touching parts at the end is when Josh shares the story of a loan officer of a mortgage company who told him that her job was to save people's marriages, because in helping people keep their homes she would be helping to keep families together.In the end, I found The Seed to be a charming little green book, worth the read for its innovative take on an age-old adage. However, be warned that the writing is simplistic, written for the level of an elementary school student, and ridden with cliché expressions. In my experience, sometimes these kinds of books are not the best written and oversimplified. Still, the concepts of The Seed and its ideas are well organized, well thought out, and stirring enough for a satisfying and thought provoking read.

You'll see this review for all the Jon Gordon books I read. I actually bought "Training Camp" first, because I wanted my daughter (competitive soccer player) to work on her mental game. I read it first to be sure it was appropriate for her age (15). Well, I loved it! I found many helpful things for me. I was getting in a rut at my job and after looking inside myself, it seemed as though I was always angry and frustrated. I reached a point where I decided to change my outlook on everything, and whatever happens externally, happens. After Training Camp, I read the entire Jon Gordon series. They are very easy reading, regardless of age level (teens and up). People might complain that his books are too basic, but if you don't need a PHD to understand something, why write it like you need one? Each book has very simple steps and/or lessons to move you in the right direction. They didn't all work for me, but they all changed my outlook. Great stuff!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It was so good that we bought a copy for a family friend who was finding himself at a crossroads, not knowing which way to go.For anyone looking to reset or someone trying to figure out the purpose for being on this earth...this is definitely a worthwhile read. Although the answers to your questions will come from inside you, this book will awakening that part of your life's memory and put you in the right direction.

Je cherche sur plusieurs plateformes mais c’est que sur Amazon que j’ai pu trouver ce livre. Il m’a inspiré et c’est un bon livre pour réorienter si on se sens perdu.

The book explains a very powerful concept of "Purpose of life" in a very pragmatic manner. Must read in a self development category.

Very good book to help you get back on the right path when things career wise aren't going your way!

É um bom livro, inspirador e com várias frases que fazem arrepiar. Recomendo, só não dei 5 estrelas porque é bem simplista, mas recomendo o livro.