Jamie Bianchini had an amazing experience building community as he rode through 81 countries on a tandem bike. In each new country he would invite people to go for a ride. He didn’t let language barriers stop him. He didn’t let weather stop him. He didn’t even let his bike being stolen stop him! Along the way he created the Live Big, Give Big philosophy. You can hear more about this philosophy in his TED Talk. He shares his simple message to make a little room for more compassion in our lives. Jamie’s mission exemplifies resilience!
So much of what he shares fits into the habits and dispositions that are shared in Onward. His story encapsulates the idea on the habit of Build Community that is shared in Chapter 4 of Onward: We are social beings, and we need each other to thrive. A strong, healthy community can bolster is through challenging moments and bring joy into our lives. The empathy and compassion that he both gives and receives is amazing. Listen to his story about how he helped start a school in Africa and got pharmaceutical companies to send him malaria medicine. And he received so much more in return. We all can learn so much from this Live Big, Give Big mindset.
I actually went to high school with Jamie and was reconnected thanks to social media when he was promoting his work with Peace Pedalers. Read more in his memoir A Bicycle Built for Two Million.