Rating: 
Summary: Reclaim your life.
Review: Socrates taught that "The unexamined life is not worth living." Mark Albion's fabulous book, Making a Life, Making a Living, brings to heart the message that the unlived life may not be worth examining. This book is an inspirational and instructive tool that inspires the reader to create a life according to the reader's values and dreams. This book empowers the reader to both "do good" and "do well" -- to make a difference in the world and earn a living at the same time. If you want to have a more balanced life consistent with your inner voice, you have to read this book."
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't anyone else think this book was a crock?
Review: I started this book with high hopes, figuring that personal narratives are a great way of being inspired and enlightened. Man, was I disappointed! It's full of tepid stories, ideas that lead nowhere, and the most annoying collection of random quotes. Here's a quick summary of how the average story goes: "I'm a personal buddy of Mark Albion. [insert touching story of how we met or some incident about our relationship.] I had all the opportunities in the world. Nevertheless, I decided to devote my life to helping others because I'm just that kind of guy. It's been rough but wonderful because of the inherent rewards of sacrificing myself for others. Sure, my company is slowly sliding into bankrupcy, yet I'm proud of what I've done because I am helping others. You should too. " I'm glad I got it at the library and didn't buy it...
Rating:
Summary: Straight scoop from a friend
Review: This book is different and worthwhile. I've been through all sorts of jobs, from high tech exec to recently becoming a student again. During each transition in my life I would go to the book store and buy a stack of books, hoping to find the answer inside. This book doesn't have the answer either. Instead it acknowledges that each of us has our own truth. What it does give you is: 1. hope that you can find your own (for-profit!) career that helps people in whatever area your own gifts lie, thereby adding meaning and fulfilment to your own life 2. inspiration that the path may not be short or easy but IS possible 3. key questions to help draw the answers from your soul 4. quotes from all sorts of people that ring so true you'll want one or more on your mirror 5. direction to resources to help you at both the makingalife.com site and other places I have known Mark since college. He could be making megabucks, not writing books. Why isn't he? Because he genuinely believes that all of us can and should be able to have purposeful work that makes us feel good about who we are and what we do every day - and be able to make a decent wage doing it. Anyone who has made "enough" money and found themselves feeling empty can tell you that money isn't all there is. Schools measure how many graduates get jobs and the size of their starting salaries. Mark is trying to help these same talented people see that money won't make them happy. See that once you get on that treadmill, it's not so easy to get off of it (email me if you don't believe this) like you say you will. I say, "Bravo!" This book can't give you your own answer to what the music is that plays in your soul. But it can and does tell the story of a dozen people's search and ultimate success in doing so. Let yourself be inspired by the examples, and I wish you the best of luck on your path. Have FUN!
Rating:
Summary: Timely and Inspirational
Review: This book couldn't be more timely. People around the country are examining their choices and taking stock in the adage, "Work to Live, Not Live to Work." Mr. Albion's book provides inspiring examples of successful individuals who seemingly had it all, yet found that something significant was missing in their lives. They made the tough (and often criticized) choices and stuck with them -- not for profit, not for glory, but for their own humanity. This book does not presume to tell anyone how to change their life. Yet a recurring theme is to "keep your walking costs low." This is sage advice for anyone, whether you are a Harvard MBA or a cashier at Wal-Mart. You can only change your life when you have given yourself the financial flexibility to do so. That brand of careful planning can be achieved by anyone willing to make the commitment -- A truth that runs througout the book. My husband and I felt the emptiness discussed by the individuals in this book. We made the difficult financial decision to adjust our lives to live on one income. Doing so gave us the flexibility to be the parents and family we wanted to be. This book has not only inspired me to follow my dreams yet further, but validates our decision to follow our hearts. We are stronger and fuller than ever. And, yes, as in Mr. Albion's book, our financial needs came together in unimagined ways. This book is a how-to for the heart! Kudos to you, Mr. Albion!
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Summary: Business Help Tome Fails To Cure Insomnia
Review: Less than one wek after reading and processing the contnets of MAL/MAL, I've already applied sveral of its concepts to two key business and one key personal decsions to great effect. In his desire to inspire through storyytelling (rather than preaching) and collecting the best of quotable wisdom, Mark Albion has hit upon that rare item--a readable self-help book! Mark's idea of chucking the concept "career" as it is understood in the tradional sense of the word can be as fun as it is scary. I can't wait for the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and Motivational
Review: At last, a book that frees people from deep-seated career expectations and lets them know that once a career is chosen, it doesn't have to occupy us until retirement. We can learn from the choices we have made and nothing is wasted. Each choice leads to the next, building upon a foundation of experience. Albion's examples from his own life and the lives of others shows that it is never too late to change our lives and begin to make a difference in the world. One person following a path that is fulfilling and which utilizes his or her particular gifts, can change the world. You don't have to have a million dollars or a Ph. D. A multitude of quotes and sayings from people throughout history add extra value to this confidence-building book. No one is alone - others are following the same kind of interior leading. Change your life, change the world - by making a life as you make a living. Also full of web sites and newsletters, e-mail addresses and suggestions for finding your own path, the one that suits you and your gifts to be used for the good of the world.
Rating:
Summary: Neither relevant nor useful
Review: I read this book under the misimpression that it would help in my current search for my life's work. While a few of the stories were inspirational, ultimately the book was a set of bios of cronies of Albion's, with little use to those of use who are not in a position to attend Harvard or be born into wealthy families, as most of the subjects were. In addition to the lack of credible stories, the tone was often diadctic and condescending. I found the book useless and self-indulgent.
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Summary: Happy jobs
Review: Incredible book, don't miss it. Mark reminds us that work IS our lives and that it's not intended to be a jail sentence we suffer through 8 hours a day. We can give to the world what we have to offer, and be compensated for carefully thinking through exactly what that is. He takes a basic instinct that has been lost, and puts it on a delightful platter for us. He makes you feel "okay" about wanting to enjoy your career immensely.This book is something everybody should read, whether you're already in a career you love, or looking for a new one. If you already feel good about what you do, it will charge up your batteries and endorse your decisions. If you feel like your job is vast wasteland and is draining your spirit, it will give you a pat on the back to say "You're right, it's time to make a change. And there's a whole world of folks out there who understand and are ready to help me." This is important stuff. Don't miss it. Life's too short. It helped me dig deep into my belief system, feel proud, and be brave. You'll find the inspiration to be happy, in this book. Thanks!
Rating: 
Summary: making a life making a living
Review: I found Mark's work to be insightful and courageous. He clearly walks the walk in his descriptions of those have chosen another path. Each is an interisting story and they are bound together by a common theme of following ones own instincs about how to make a life worth living. While each story turns out well, they did so after a good deal of personal effort and angst. I hope the book will give courage to those who wonder if a balance can exist between work and a "real life". This book demonstraights that it can be done and it's worth the effort. Bravo Mark.
Rating:
Summary: Spirit in Work
Review: Dr. Albion's book is an inspiration to those of us who have been in the trenches these years working to help people translate their dreams and values into purposeful and enjoyable work. His 12 stories of those who have had the courage to reinvent themselves and to go for the "gold" of a life filled with passion and meaning is richly complemented by his own incisive insights and heartfelt commitment to the well-being of his fellow human beings. The most powerful "story" is very close to his home as the last chapter chronicles his own mother's journey to fulfillment. I was often moved to tears of recognition and joy in following her and the other eleven on their path to work fulfillment. As a career management consultant and executive coach these last 24 years and with more than 2000 notches on my client belt, I can attest to the power of Dr. Albion's inspirational message to be who you are and follow your dreams in work. Be it "Field of Dreams" or "American Beauty" or a host of other films or novels or books, the message is the same: Be true to yourself, have courage and don't be deflected by the pursuit of inanimate things. The reward is in the journey to an authentic life informed by your relationships and your contribution to the human enterprise in whatever ways make you who you are. Dr. Albion's book is now required reading for my clients along with Joseph Jaworski's "Sychronicity: The Inner Path to Leadership."
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