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Summary: Giving Status Symbols a New Status
Review: Dr. Mark gives new meaning to the word status. The people whose lives he writes about, in his fun to read book, wear their "success" in their hearts, not on their backs. With quotes from those as diverse as Mother Teresa and Paula Poundstone,this inspirational book is actually a "page turner".I admit to skipping over some of the quotations if they got in the way of my finding out "what happened next". Dr. Mark sounds like someone with whom it would be fun to have dinner.More chatty than preachy.
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Summary: Loving Guidance in Uncharted Territory
Review: Anyone who takes a moment to think will realize that she or he wants meaning in their lives. Imagine getting paid to do what you love! Imagine leaping out of bed with joy in anticipation of going to work! Dr. Mark Albion's book provides wonderful insight into how to get there.
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Summary: Embracing its gentle lessons
Review: I would like to gratefully acknowledge Mark Albion's process in interviewing me for the book. Often people attempt to live their work backwards; they try to have more money, more power, more control, in order to do more of what they think will make them happier. Mark truly helped me understand through the interview that it was okay to put my family first above everything in my life. I am so fortunate to be part of this outstanding book.
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Summary: Inspirational!
Review: What a pleasure to see Mark Albion's book finally in print. This book proves that you can have a life (a good, happy life!)and also make a living (a good, happy living!). Having come of age and into the workplace in the 1980's when how much you hated your job was a measure of your success and how much of the rest of your life was neglected was a measure of wealth, Dr. Mark's work is truly inspirational. However, the most amazing thing about his work is that you don't have to be a big muckety muck to apply it to your own life and your own living. This is a book for the leaders and for the followers. Three cheers!
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Summary: ML2 = Business and Spiritual Integration
Review: Two words came to mind as I read Making a Life, Making a Living: Reclaiming your Purpose and Passion in Business and in Life (ML2) by Dr. Mark Albion: Thank You! for writing a book that so clearly and passionately illuminates the possibility of living an authentic life.For years, many of us gave up personal expression, put away our cherished dreams and sacrificed family life to go for the gold. ... In reaction, we began the process of questioning and turning within. The voluntary simplicity and socially responsible business movements were born. This heightened state of openness has produced books like Richard Barrett's Liberating the Corporate Soul and Eric Klein's Awakening Corporate Soul as well as a November 99 Business Week cover story on the growing presence of spirituality in Corporate America. In his important addition to soul based business books, former Harvard marketing professor and founder of Student's for Social Responsibility, Mark Albion, presents a groundbreaking tour de force for working men and woman considering a change of direction and re balancing as well as students seeking a career with purpose and passion.. As Mark points out, "When you spend most of your life pursuing the material rewards that the culture encourages you to pursue, it is not easy to obey some inner voice and suddenly say "Stop! Enough! I want to exit the fast track and live the life I should live while there is still time." Through personal anecdotes, illustrative stories of twelve entrepreneurs and wonderful quotes like Christopher Marley's "There is only one success-to spend your life in your own way," Mark imparts a fountain of understanding and guidance that hits the bulls eye of the emerging new paradigm of business. Through compelling intelligent, heart-based story telling, Mark proves once and for all that it is not only possible to balance and integrate financial and spiritual considerations, it is critical if one is to achieve true happiness in life and business. Living an inauthentic life that doesn't resonate with your own true north, will never make you happy. Fortunately for us, Mark provides readers with a field guide to sanity, enlightenment and joy that gets to the core of many of our problems. I can certainly relate. ... The deeply moving stories Mark weaves of real people going for their deepest dreams and passions are inspiring and create a signal of hope for individuals who may have given up on living their essence. Mark and the friends he introduces don't postpone joy. They live it every day in their work which, in this case, might be called play and encourage us to do the same. There is an infectious excitement to living an authentic, fully engaged life that comes off the pages of this book. As Alan Webber, one of Mark's twelve entrepreneurs writes, "The things I find essential to my world are authenticity, honesty, being true to yourself, caring about something you believe is bigger than yourself, working with people who share that belief, loving what you're doing, and trusting in something you don't understand." In addition to Mark's insightful personal saga that includes a heart warming story of his mother's business success, the book's dedicated cast of character's include Tom Reis of the Kellogg Foundation; Social activist/entrepreneur Judy Wick, founder of Philadelphia's famous White Dog Cafe and its retail outlet, The Black Cat; Elliot Hoffman of Just Dessert's and his visionary Garden Project that employs parolees and other offenders leading them to productive lives; Ira Jackson's inspiring work with BancBoston, The Kennedy School at Harvard and as State Commissioner of Revenue for Massachusetts; Judy George and her tale of starting Domain, Inc, a $60 million business success after being fired from a company she built to $100 million in ten years; practical philosopher, David Berge, former Director of Vermont Bank's Socially Responsible Banking Fund and Institute for Community Economics; Mike Barr who helps executives transform into statesmen; Katie Pain, whose Delahaye Group provides image and reputation measurement services, that was born out of a simultaneous devastating divorce and job loss; and Alan Webber, founder of the award winning publishing success story of our time, Fast Company. An amazing cast of compassionate characters and a true gift for wonderful story telling make Mark Albion's book a must read for anyone seeking to live a business and personal life of balance, purpose and passion. ...
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Summary: "Yes, Virginia, there really is soul in work!"
Review: At some point in our lives, if we are lucky, we wake up and realize that following steps in a sequential order does not always take us where we want to go. What I especially loved about this book was reading the messy, circuitous route that 12 ordinary people took to create extraordinary lives. I could tell you that the book was so powerful that I inhaled it all in two sittings. I could tell you that these dozen people inspired me, but that wouldn't do them justice. Rather, their stories have found their way deep into my psyche. At unguarded moments I find myself thinking about several of these people frequently. The examples of these people act as "checkpoints" for me as I move through my day, reminding me that as I live I work,as I work I live. I question myself, in these checkpoint moments: "Am I having fun?" "Am I serving others?" "Am I serving myself?" "Am I being true to me?" The book appeals at several levels. The first level helps the reader to shine a light into his/her own life to illuminate the patterns that may not be working. The second level suggests a framework for changing the patterns, and the glorious stories of the dozen mavericks serve to illustrate. At its most profound level the book urges us to reunite with our souls. I believe that we are all here for a special purpose that gets played out in our earthly life. When we listen to our own heart voice (the soul's gateway), we begin to discern our true path. When all is said and done, each one of these people, including the author via his own transformation, has created a life of passion and purpose that brings value to others. They remind us that we are all interconnected, are here to serve and need one another. Just imagine what this world can be like if we all reclaim our passion and purpose in business and in life. Sounds to me like Mark Albion is a modern day prophet worth listening to.
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Summary: Thoughtful, Powerful and Well Written
Review: Mark Albion weaves engaging stories of some his heroes and heroines with his personal journey to wholeness and satisfaction in life. I couldn't put it down and, in fact, ordered 30 copies for my key executives, family and close friends..... so now I have a great collection of enthusiastic "thank you" cards and e mails! Also, just his selection of inspiring quotes scattered strategically through the book would be worth the price.
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Summary: Work and Life
Review: As a retired busines man who worked in the corporate main stream I could have used this book forty years ago. Todays college graduates need to be able to see their dreams and make a life which will realize those goals. Whether it is through independent entreprenuership or by working with others it is possible to accomplish both. Mark Albion's book gives you examples of how it was done and how you can proceed to do it yourself.
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Summary: Inspirational Stories for the Business Worker!
Review: Dr. Mark has provided a great collection of stories that demonstrate we can do good AND do well in the business world. His writing shows a true appreciation for the accomplishments of each unique leader featured in the book. The book has plenty of examples that will inspire us to improve our own business practices. Anyone interested in finding ways to add more meaning to their work, whether it be in a large corporation or small entrepreneurial company, should order a copy today!
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Summary: Never Too Late
Review: Mark Albion's book was inspiring. By telling real life stories about people who want to bring values to the bottom of their businesses it is hard not to be inspired. Why not have values and passions in your life that are the same as what you bring to your business? I'm in my mid 50's and ready to reinvent myself again. Albion's inspirational stories give me hope
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