Book Recommendation: Making a Life, Making a Living

When I was in graduate school, they typically tried to bring in business leaders from across the country to inspire the next crop of MBAs to succeed in business. I remember almost nothing that any of them said. The one guy that I do remember is Dr. Mark Albion, author of Making a Life, Making a Living: Reclaiming Your Purpose and Passion in Business and in Life. His speech was motivational, inspirational, and his book is well worth your time.

At the age of 31, Mark Albion had three degrees from Harvard - including a Ph.D. - and was on the tenure track at Harvard Business School. He was a marketing guru, consulting to Fortune 500 companies, appearing on "Nightline", making a ton of money. And he was miserable. He was definitely making a living - but he was failing to make a life.

In 1988, Dr. Albion did exactly what many of us dream of doing. He walked away from it all. He decided that for him, it was more important to make a life than it was to make a living. This book is a chronicle of his story and of dozens of others who have decided that there is more to life than climbing the corporate ladder - things like giving back to your community, starting a nonprofit, finding passion in life.

I enjoyed the book. You will too.