Internationally bestselling author Jim Collins returns with a major new release titled What to Make of a Life, a decade-long exploration of identity, uncertainty, and personal reinvention in the modern world.

Known for landmark business titles such as Good to Great and Built to Last, Collins shifts his focus from organisational success to human experience, examining how individuals rebuild meaning when the identities they once depended on begin to fracture.

At the heart of the book is the concept of “cliffs”—defining rupture points that alter the course of a life. Drawing from more than ten years of research and 34 paired life studies, Collins analyses how people respond to moments of collapse and transformation, including career breakdowns, public failures, creative dead ends, and emotional loss.

The book follows the journeys of rock musicians after band breakups, suffragists after historic victories, public figures after scandal, and elite athletes after retirement, offering a layered understanding of how purpose is rebuilt when familiar structures disappear.

Rather than treating uncertainty as disruption, Collins argues it is a fundamental feature of life. He challenges the idea of a linear upward trajectory, suggesting instead that periods of confusion, “fog,” and reinvention are central to human development.

For the first time, Collins also reflects on his own personal experiences, including early loss and formative instability, which shaped his long-standing inquiry into resilience and purpose.

What to Make of a Life marks a significant evolution in Collins’ work, moving from studying how organisations endure to examining how individuals navigate change, sustain meaning, and continue evolving across decades.

The book positions itself at the intersection of biography, psychology, and reflective inquiry, engaging with contemporary conversations around burnout, identity shifts, and the search for long-term purpose in an uncertain world.