The Precious Present [Hardcover]

Spencer Johnson M.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 1984

Discover the precious present and find yourself!

A simple story, engagingly told, The Precious Present does more than capture the heart; it is a valuable gift for anyone seeking a deeper level of fulfillment and personal happiness.

Telling a story of vital significance in today's fast-paced, competitive environment, The Precious Present will help you discover the joy in life we all seek--whether we go to Wall Street or around the world to find it.

Just as Spencer Johnson's bestseller The One Minute Manager helped rehumanize the workplace around the world, The Precious Present helps each reader rediscover his or her own humanity.  This beautiful tale demonstrates the delicate art of balancing your spiritual and material needs, and shows how this goal can be maddeningly elusive--and gloriously attainable.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The precious present has nothing to do with wishing. The richness of the precious present comes from its own source. The precious present is not something that someone gives you. It is something that you give to yourself." The parable of The Precious Present is a quiet one to muse upon and sit with, and finally to take into your heart. Spencer Johnson, coauthor of the bestselling business classic The One Minute Manager, has created a simple path for the reader to follow in the search for peace and clarity. While The Precious Present may read like a children's book for adults, its slow pace requires the mind to quiet down so that it can really register the meaning of Johnson's words. "The Present Is Simply Who I Am Just The Way I Am... Right Now. And It Is Precious." We may be familiar with this philosophy in theory, but the experience of reading The Precious Present is truly synchronous with its message. --Jodie Buller

Review

"The Precious Present puts life in its simplest form.  We should all follow its message and live life in the wonderful state The Precious Present awards each of us.  I read it to all of my teams before we take the floor for the first day of practice."
--Rick Pitino, author of Success is a Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; Revised edition (March 27, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385468059
• ISBN-13: 978-0385468053
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.6 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Spencer Johnson, M.D., is one of the world's most respected thinkers and beloved authors. Dr. Johnson earned a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California, an M.D. degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, and medical clerkships at The Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School. More than forty-six million copies of Spencer Johnson's books are in print worldwide in more than forty-seven languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the answer to my purpose in life!!!!!, October 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Precious Present (Hardcover)

I picked out this book at the library six years ago. It was small and in ten minutes "The Precious Present" changed my life. It provided answers to my lifelong search as to what my purpose in life was after experiencing a near death experience three years earlier. I needed a way to explain why I was living my life the way I was...and Spencer Johnson expressed it for me in this tiny book. I had changed from my experience. Realizing that my life was precious, I began to enjoy the precious present even more because it was all BONUS for me. I started to take more time for friends, family and total strangers who needed someone to listen to them or just to acknowledge them because I could empathize with most of their problems. I brought the book home from the library and tried to order copies. None were to be found in my small town, so I called each of my sisters (I have four) and read it to each of them over the phone. That evening I read it to my husband. We talked about how important it was to live in the now and to let the past go as it can make many of us so miserable; like repaying a house payment that you already paid....it is silly to keep going back hurting each time. We discussed the future and how so many things we worry about never happen. Little did I to know that three days later, my darling husband, Michael, would die of a heart attack in my arms. I was so happy that we had had the discussion just days earlier. I knew we were living in the precious present and that is all that mattered. Now I am a senior at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. I will graduate in May of next year - 33 years after completing high school - and finally fulfilling my goal of so long ago. Yes, once a month I get this book out and read it - just to remember why I am still here and to help myself cope with the new stresses I have placed upon myself to complete my Organizational Communications degree. It is with great joy that I recommend this wonderful little book. Rick Pattino reads it to his college basketball players before each season....it helps us realize our reasons for being here. I have given copies to many of my friends after I could finally get copies and enjoy just reading it with new friends. Give yourself a present - read this little book and see what I am talking about! Cherie Schubeck

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A roadmap to happiness (complete with all the the detours).., March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Precious Present (Hardcover)

I read this book thirteen years ago when a friend was in a coma in a hospital in Texas. Wherever you are in life, I think we could all use a little enlightenment that we are doing the 'right' things- or some direction on where to find these sought after 'untarnishable treasures' that make the joys more joyous and the pain worth it all in the adventure we call the human experience. This is a book for the handicapped, for the lost, the lonely, the numb, the bewildered, the confused, and yes... even for those who consider themselves to be well rounded and sucessful. Spencer Johnson has lived it, or he couldn't write it at the third grade reading level. He brings us all a little closer to that elusive me-I'm-glad-to-be person whether you are young or, old, rich or poor, happy or sad. You may be divorced, married, widowed/widower or single ...but the one thing you cannot remain after reading this book, is INDIFFERENT. After reading this book and incorporating it's message listen closely, and you'll likely hear someone say "Wow, I hope somday some one gives me..." well, you know. :-)

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple to read - a positive reinformcement to life for all, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Precious Present (Hardcover)

This easy to read book will affect the life of anyone who reads it. It warrants reading time and time again. It is perfect to give to the person who thinks they have everything. It is a suttle but powerful, positive, personality builder. It is one of the book we read to our children and grandchildren as well as a gift for special occasions. When it was necessary to move to another area, I gave a copy to my primary care physician. It generated the only "thank you note" I've received from any doctor. More than once The Precious Present has been a subject for the support group to which I belong. I rate this a 5 star book but that is far to low in my estimation!