What would you be willing to do for the rest of your life . . . ?

It's a question most of us consider only hypothetically-opting instead to "do what we have to do" to earn a living. But in the critically acclaimed bestseller The Monk and the Riddle, entrepreneurial sage Randy Komisar asks us to answer it for real. The book's timeless advice-to make work pay not just in cash, but in experience, satisfaction, and joy-will be embraced by anyone who wants success to come not just from what they do, but from who they are. At once a fictional tale of Komisar's encounters with a would-be entrepreneur and a personal account of how Komisar found meaning not in work's rewards but in work itself, the book illustrates what's wrong with the mainstream thinking that we should sacrifice our lives to make a living. Described by Fortune.com as "part personal essay, part fictional narrative and part meditation on the nature of work and life," The Monk and the Riddle is essential reading on the art of creating a life while making a living.

"Belongs in a category by itself . . . The best thing I've read all year."
-San Francisco Examiner

"A timely book."
-USA Today

"A self-help manual and business fable rolled into one."
-The Times, London

Prospective entrepreneurs may think they know everything there is to know about starting a business in Silicon Valley. They can draw up business plans, have meetings with venture capitalists, maybe even get funded and actually launch a start-up. However, in The Monk and the Riddle, Silicon Valley sage Randy Komisar reasons that's only half the equation for success. And it may not be the important half. Komisar has worked with a number of companies--Apple, LucasArts Entertainment (the gaming division of George Lucas's empire), and WebTV among them--and has come to a rather startling conclusion: if you can't see yourself doing this business for the rest of your life, don't start it. In other words, he wants to see passion and purpose in business, not just spreadsheets and a by-the-numbers business model.

To illustrate, Komisar takes the reader through a hypothetical Silicon Valley start-up, with an eager entrepreneur named Lenny trying to get funding for an online casket-selling business. As Komisar helps Lenny find the real purpose of the business, the passion behind the revenue projections, he reflects back on his life as an entrepreneur. Komisar emerges as a master storyteller, the kind of guy you'd feel honored to share a bottle of wine with. And you believe his conclusion: "When all is said and done, the journey is the reward." It's great if you've made billions on the journey, but the important thing is that you do something you can truly throw yourself into. --Lou Schuler

Customer Rating:
Summary: I'll sum it up in one paragraph
Comment: You can't be happy in life, being an entrepreneur, unless you find a way to find meaning into you business. Venture Capital, post "the bust", is very hard to come by; finding meaning in your business will be a key component in providing you with the drive necessary to overcome the many obstacles inherent with owning your own business. VC's know this and want to see it when your giving your spiel before they fork over the cash. There you go; save your money. Define it and use it as your central drive in life and business. I was a little duped into buying the book. Babson College requires it for one of their entrepreneurship classes. What's with professors making you buy books that tell you what they (the professors) can tell you in just one paragraph?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Quick Read, Great Idea!
Comment: After reading 4- hour work week by Tim Ferris, I am a big fan of NOT living the Deferred Life Plan. Tim recommends this book so I read it in a few hours. Other critics like to say negative things about what the book wasn't, but I am going to tell you about what it was.

It was a little slow in the middle due to all the story telling about the his life and experiences intermingled with a few characters he was currently dealing with.

It was enlightening on how the VC business works and what one goes through when deciding on who to invest in. My favorite quote in the middle was that Randy believes in the "Romance not the Finance." The bottom line has to be more about something than just making $!

But most of all it hits home for so many people who are doing what they have to do now, so they can do what they want to do later. Chapter 9: The Gamble is where it gets good. I found the words he uses to describe the differences of business risks and personal risks to be exactly where I am in life (28 with a great job that I could continue to make $, but have to compromise my creativity, work with people I don't respect, working for a company who's core values are different than mine, and doing something I don't care about). Or seek out that other career that is not so certain but is my passion and I could see myself doing it for life.

Thanks Tim and Randy for the words. I am a Whole Lifer Now!

RC

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Metaphysical Capitalism
Comment: Liked the author, enjoyed the insight into the world of venture capitalism but this book could have been an article in a magazine. It seemed to me like a long walk for a short pay-off. I get the point but felt like the author was purposely stringing you along for some bigger pay-off that did not happen.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: This book is about self discovery moreso than business!
Comment: Randy did a great job of taking the readers through a seris of conversations that first started with Randy and Lenny than later to introduce Allison. Looking beyond the business venture and the excitement of starting a company, the few imporant points that caused me to refoucus were-What really excites me enough to want to do it for the "rest of my life" and Create YOUR onw meaning of success not what someone elses meaning of success.

I also like Randy's thoughts about defering life so you can chase a pot of gold IS NOT the answer. If you're going to work hard you may as well work hard doing something you love and that something should make a difference in the lives of others or IMO, it's not worth doing. That was a wake up call for me.

I am all about building wealth but I had to get my priorities straight as it relates to the path I was talking to get there! I was Lenny in the flesh. Thanks Randy, I appriate the book!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Helpful but a Bit Condescending
Comment: I read this last Saturday in one fell swoop and ended up with a very 'eh' feeling about it. On one hand, it's an interesting insight into his years as a CFO and CEO of various companies and the big lessons he learned, but on the other it's wrapped around a questionably authentic story about a stereotypical sales guy trying to get VC money. It ends up feeling about as authentic as Rich Dad, Poor Dad, that is to say, not at all. The biggest take away is 'do what you're passionate about', but there, I already said it, no need to read the book. His anecdotes about the early lives of the tech startup's he's been involved with were interesting, but not really enlightening. If I'm going to start a startup, I'm not going to be spinning off of Apple or bowing down to the VC gods of Sand Hill Road, and I doubt many people who read this book will.

If you're looking for something interesting on how to balance your life and work, this isn't it. The title is completely inappropriate, aside from his message about doing what you're passionate about. Go read the Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris instead (The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich), it has a lot more to say about creating life value.

This book would have been a lot more interesting if he'd cut the 3/4's about his daily routine and the story of [...], and instead focused more on how he went about bicycling around Burma or what have you.

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