The Present
The Present: The Gift That Makes You Happy And Successful At Work And In LifeThe Present: The Gift That Makes You Happy And Successful At Work And In Life
For over two decades, Spencer Johnson has been inspiring and entertaining millions with his simple, yet insightful stories of work and life that speak directly to the heart and soul.
THE PRESENT is an engaging story of a young man’s journey to adulthood, and his search for The Present, a mysterious and elusive gift he first hears about from a great old man. This Present, according to the old man, is ‘the best present a person can receive.’ Later, when the young boy becomes a young man, disillusioned with his work and his life, he returns to ask the old man, once again, to help him find The Present. The old man responds, ‘Only you have the power to find The Present for yourself.’ So the young man embarks on a tireless search for this magical gift that holds the secret to his personal happiness and business acumen. It is only after the young man has searched high and low and given up his relentless pursuit that he relaxes and discovers The Present – and all the promises it offers.
THE PRESENT will help you focus on what will make you happy and successful in your work and in your personal life. Like the young man, you may find that it is the best gift you can ever give yourself.
Johnson's megaselling Who Moved My Cheese? helped readers cope with changes beyond their control. The author now proffers another easily digestible parable encompassing a related, but broader, topic: how to attain happiness and success in life. In large type that's easy on eyes both old and young (and that stretches this brief book past 100 pages), Johnson lays out a bare-bones tale of a man who learns a valuable lesson about living in the present from a wise old gent. Stuck in a rut in his job and personal life, the younger man learns about The Present, a three-fold way of living and working. Bit by bit, the old man explains how it works: in order to achieve bliss in life, it's important to pay equal attention to the past (learn from mistakes), the nu
THE PRESENT: The Gift That Makes You Happy and Successful at Work and in Life
Spencer Johnson, . . Doubleday, $19.95 (112pp) ISBN 978-0-385-50930-5
Johnson's megaselling Who Moved My Cheese? helped readers cope with changes beyond their control. The author now proffers another easily digestible parable encompassing a related, but broader, topic: how to attain happiness and success in life. In large type that's easy on eyes both old and young (and that stretches this brief book past 100 pages), Johnson lays out a bare-bones tale of a man who learns a valuable lesson about living in the present from a wise old gent. Stuck in a rut in his job and personal life, the younger man learns about The Present, a three-fold way of living and working. Bit by bit, the old man explains how it works: in order to achieve bliss in life, it's important to pay equal attention to the past (learn from mistakes), the present (live in the moment) and the future (plan for it as best as possible, but don't "lose yourself in worry or anxiety"). The common-sense knowledge and concentration on living in the now lend a Zen feel to the story, and while Johnson's approach may border on the corny (everything runs smoothly for his characters, and they share with each other such tidbits as, "The Present is a gift you give to yourself. Only you have the power to discover what it is"), it's undeniably sound. Despite some awkward phrasings, Johnson's latest brims with good ideas for those feeling frustrated, stagnant, depressed or overwhelmed, and is bound to be embraced by the self-help–loving masses. Simultaneous Random House Audio
