Making a Life, Making a Living: Abridged Reclaiming Your Purpose ....

Rating:
Summary: Deciding What To Be When You Grow Up?
Review: Making A Life, Making A Living is a terrific resource for anyone who truly wants to have it all--and makes clear that the challenge lies in defining what "it" is. So if you find yourself asking "Is this all there is?" or "Why can't I do what makes my heart sing? or if you just want to read stories of remarkable individuals who've "followed their bliss" and can still pay their bills, grab this book. It is inspirational and heartwarming.

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Summary: A must-read for anyone who wants to live their dream!
Review: This is an excellent book and very inspirational. I bought a several copies to share with my friends who want to have a more "meaningful" life but don't know how to take the first steps. Everyone should have one for their office and one for their home!

Rating:
Summary: Thank You
Review: To have a new book -- four weeks away from publication date as of December 16, '99 -- enter the business best seller list as a top 10 is pretty humbling. I just want to thank some of the 2.5 million readers of our Making a Life, Making a Living ML2 E-newsletter for their pre-orders. I am thankful for having such good friends who support each other. You have made me a believer that you really can reach for your dreams and make a difference -- however small -- on our planet. May we all make footprints in the sands of time, together. And may we see our business lives be focused on uplifting the human spirit of others, as it will lift up our own.

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Summary: Not enough....
Review: I was a subscriber on Albion's e-mail list some years ago. I bought this book expecting more depth than what the list had. I was looking for a book that would really show how people make hard choices and focus their lives in alternative paths.

I was disappointed and actually could not even finish the book.

It lacked depth. Albion could have probed its subjects, could have tried to question them. Instead, he chose to almost worships them.

Life is full of difficult choices. I personally have looked for books that open my eyes to new ways of looking at things, for in that I may find "my truth". This book tries to sell us "one truth" almost as a one-size-fits-all solution. I don't buy that.

For a book of this type, with life-stories examples, I suggest Po Bronson's "What should I do with my life". I think is more authentic and more dettached in its analyses.

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Summary: Condescending Dribble
Review: I found this book to be very condescending in the way that it was written. I listened to the audio cassettes and stopped listening after the first cassette because I felt like I was being talked down to because I had not given up everything in life to go live in a eskimo community or in Africa figthing AIDS in some tribe that lives in the Nigeria.

I completely agree that the path to true happiness is not merely achieving success through becoming rich and famous, but I found it very interesting the examples that he chose for his success stories. For example, in his story of Judy and her business the "White Dog", he portrayed her as being so happy and having achieved such great success through her activism with regards to social issues, but just passed over the fact that she had two unsuccessful marriages and could keep her personal relationships successful.

I feel that the sense of the book is that you have to be involved in these major earth saving causes to find true happiness and I don't agree with that. I believe that you can find true happiness within the walls of your own home just as easily. I also believe that through small and simple things like being kind to others and volunteering in your community that great things are brought about.

I am glad the the author was able to come to some conclusions about how to find happiness in his own life but I felt that the book was very preachy in its approach.

If this book touched others' lives for the better, I think that the author was successful, but it didn't touch mine. In fact, it got on my nerves so much that I had to quit listening to it and felt the desire to write a review to let others know of the condescending airs that it portrays.


Rating:
Summary: Big dissapointment
Review: Making a Life Making a Living found it's way into my life during a time of transition. Isn't it amazing how the universe provides us with what we need when we need it. I found myself out of work for the first time since I was 14 and ready to seriously evaluate my 13 year career as a marketing professional. Mark's book provided me with the insight, inspiration and courage to do some serious soul-searching and find my place in the world. But Mark's inspiration and support do not stop with this incredible book. He continues to support you on your journey through his newsletter. It provides a wonderful source of support and sense of community for those who dare to be themselves in the world. The journey can be scary and the road can be long, but you are never alone thanks to Mark Albion and his fellow travelers. Thank you, Mark, for sharing your journey and the journey of hundreds of others who are Making a Life, not just a living in this world.

Rating:
Summary: Making a Living by Marketing a Myth
Review: I definitely recommend reading this book. Easy to read with lots of personal examples from the author's life. I found it very inspiring. So very glad I picked it up !