The Present : The Secret to Enjoying Your Work And Life, Now! (Hardcover)

~ Spencer Johnson (Author) "Late one afternoon, Bill Green received an urgent phone call from Liz Michaels, who he used to work with..." (more)
Key Phrases: The Present, The Future, The Past

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Many of the people I have observed could have been even happier and more successful, in their careers and their lives, had they been given the gift of The Present.”

Norman Augustine, Fmr. Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.,
Fmr. Chairman, American Red Cross, Fmr. Lecturer, Princeton University

?The Present is a powerful tool that we?re offering to our employees because, in these ever changing times, it can help talented people become more focused, ultimately leading to better overall performance.?
Phil Crippen, Director Iams University
The Iams Company, a Subsidiary of Procter & Gamble

?Like many organizations, we need ways to help our people work better and enjoy their lives, so I?m giving The Present to everyone on our management team.?
Carmen Policy, CEO
Cleveland Browns NFL Team

-- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 109 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (September 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509308
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509305
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sequel to "The Precious Present", December 8, 2003

By	Laurence Little "[e-mail]" (Bergen County, NJ) - See all my reviews

I'm surprised that no one has noted that this is Spencer Johnson's follow-up to his classic 1984 book "The Precious Present". When I first saw this book in fact, I thought it was just a repackaging and renaming of the original.

But it is a new book that continues and expands the fable of the boy and the old man. I frequently still give "The Precious Present" as a gift to friends and loved-ones. Now I plan on giving those same people this new book, which deepens the message of the original book. I suggest you do the same - if the recipient appreciated the first book they will love this sequel too. There is also a convenient card included in "The Present" that contains a summary of the principles.

Some people complain that the message of this book is too simple. Rather than a negative, I see the simplicity as a powerful positive. Knowing something and actually doing it are two very different things. Who among us could not benefit from a simple reminder of the power of living and focusing in the present? To reinforce the message so that I actually live it rather than just know it, I try to reread the original book once a month (it is very short and takes less than 10 minutes).

I highly recommend both books.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps Johnson's best (and that's saying a lot)!, December 22, 2003

By	Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'm probably in the minority for not having been crazy about Spencer
Johnson's megaselling WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? (though the book he
co-authored with Ken Blanchard, THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER, is
one of my all-time favorites).

Yet that said, I jumped at the opportunity to listen to Johnson's
latest effort, THE PRESENT . . . and I'm glad I did . . . it was
fantastic!

Though the subtitle (THE GIFT THAT MAKES YOU HAPPIER AND
MORE SUCCESSFUL AT WORK AND IN LIFE, TODAY!) is perhaps
just a tad ambitious, I really did feel better after listening . . . it
is short story, told in the parable fashion that Johnson likes
to employ, about a man who learns a valuable lesson about
living in the present from a wise old gent.

The key: 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").

There were so many worthwhile ideas presented that I almost
ran out of paper writing them down; for example:

It is hard to let go of the past if you have not learned from the
past. As soon as you learn and let go, you improve the present.

The more you learn from the past, the fewer regrets you have.

Only two things can rob you from joy of the present: your
negative version of the past or your negative version of the future.

You can't change the past, but you can learn from it.

It is important to plan for the future if you want the future to be better
than the present.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars To Be Happy and Successful, Be Present, December 6, 2003

By	prisrob "pris," (New EnglandUSA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

Amazon Verified Purchase

To fully understand and appreciate this book, you must be ready for it. A strange thing to say, you think. I appreciated this book except for the constant intonation of the word "Present".Unfortunately, I find myself mentioning the word many times in the writing of this review. I have to do it, I can't help myself. This would be a five star book if I could think of a way to avoid using "Present". I can't so this is it.

Spencer Johnson, author of "Who Moved My Cheese" has written a book that sends a simple but complex message. In this book, Spencer Johnson tells a story of an old man and his relationship and communication with a young boy that lasts throughout his life to that of a grown man.

The old man has offered the young boy A Present. The boy who is busy playing and then busy with chores listens and then goes on with his life. He thinks of the Present frequently as he grows older. One day the thought of The Present brings him back to the old man where they talk about The Present and what it means. Throughout this book, The Present is explored in many ways. It is not a physical thing but a feeling, a thought, a memory, a decided method to help focus on what is important, what is necessary to help make you happy and successful.
We need to fully understand how our actions play in our life. By focusing on the Present, What Is Right Now, and using purpose to respond to what is important right now we can become happy and successful.

We often need to look at what happened in the past to learn something valuable from it, so that we can do things differently in the Present.

And when we want to make the future better than the Present, we need to see what a wonderful future would look like. We need to make plans to help this happen, and put our plan into action in the Present.

All of these moments that we reflect upon can be used to help us understand where we came from, what we want and where we are right now. As I said we need to be ready to fully understand these simple truths. Some are skeptics, but the truth is there and available for them when they need it and are open to it.

The Past and the Future depend upon The Present. Gotcha! prisrob