Type of bind: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 112
Printing Date: September 23, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 540980
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Product Description:
A Timely Gift From the Author of Who Moved My Cheese?
Spencer Johnson, M.D.
Dr. Spencer Johnson’s stories of timeless, simple truths have changed the work and lives of millions of readers around the world. Now comes an insightful new tale of inspiration and practical guidance for these turbulent times.
The Present
The Present is the best gift you can receive because it makes you happy and successful!
Whether it means …
• Having peace of mind and feeling more alive; or
• Being more productive and more prosperous; or
• Finding whatever is important to you and to those you work and live with.
The 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 very 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 success. 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 of 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.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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The author of "Who Moved My Cheese" has hit another annoying nail of life on the head with this book. The present is not a gift that you unwrap; it is about learning from the past and preparing for the future by living and managing the present.
Like so many stories of learning, the context is a man, at very first a young man, talking to an old and wise man. Following the tradition that the only effective lesson is one you learn from yourself, the wise man does not tell the younger one the precise lesson, but gives him hints so that he can learn it on his own. While the young one does learn, it is an iterative process where he must learn one lesson before he has the skills to learn the subsequent one.
Johnson writes in a simple yet effective style, delivering his message without expansive words or the use of UPPERCASE and exclamation points. There are many writers of motivational books that would be much better off if they were to adopt this style.
Rated by buyers 
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About twenty-five years ago, Dr. Spencer Johnson wrote a book entitled THE PRECIOUS PRESENT. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but the book was kind of popular, though it wasn't a huge success. Years later, Dr. Johnson became a national sensation with his book WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? After that huge hit, publishers couldn't get enough of Dr. Johnson's writings. But what's a one or two-hit wonder to do when you've already used up your best ideas? Go back to the well and redesign something you've already written as something new.
That's what happened with THE PRESENT. The "book" is THE PRECIOUS PRESENT retold with a few new bells and whistles. That's all. The parable-approach of the "story" only has one message and keeps repeating several times throughout the "book".
At one point in the "story" it says of the central character that "He was who he was". Well, THE PRESENT is what it is and really isn't much.
Rated by buyers -
The Present is a powerful story with implications we may all learn from. Too often I found myself guilty of not living in the present and worrying about the past or the future. Troubling times made me re-evaluate and refocus my life. The Present teaches what I personally experienced and gave me reason to ponder and pause. May this powerful story help others learn and grow.
steven
Rated by buyers -
Through a parable about an old man and a boy, Spencer Johnson reveals the secret to sucess and happiness. Simply put, the "Present" involves living life purposely in the present, learning from the past, and planning for the future.
We are most engaged when we are concentrating on the present. There is no sense dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future. If we are unhappy about the present, we look to the past for lessons learned and implement them in the present. If we'd like to change the future for the better, we need to put a plan in place to do so and execute in the present.
People are bombarded with so many things in life. Thinking in terms of this paradigm can help simplify and restore some sanity, and facilitate genuine improvement - a welcome gift.
Nick McCormick - Author, Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager
Rated by buyers -
The Present by Spencer Johnson is a self-proclaimed life changing book for those who would incorporate its principles. For those who have not read it, the book is all about living in the present, and focusing on the positive aspects of every moment, never focusing on the negative. It presents these teachings by telling a story (typical of existential philosophy). The story is about an old man (read: guru) who shares the secret of meaningful living throughout the life of a man seeking answers. The old man never seems worried; he is always relaxed and appears to be at peace with life and the world. Through a series of cryptic messages, the old man teaches the other man that he can find meaning in the "present," which essentially consists of an existential experience that each person defines for themselves. By focusing on the good in the moment, we can find peace, meaning, and success.
This book ascribes to a combination of existential philosophy and Zen Budhism, blurring the line of truth. Truth is not seen as an objective thing, but an existential experience. Experience, not propositional truth, is the key to unlocking the meaning of life. Salvation comes through the teachings of a human guru leading to spiritual enlightenment, which man can achieve on his own. By definition, this is a godless philosophy.
The Present ignores the real problem of man: his depravity. I can be "in the moment," or practicing carpe diem while engaging in ungodly behavior. Of course, this is all up for interpretation. The existentialist is not interested in my definition of right and wrong, but only in his subjective experience. There is no authority to which one can appeal. So what if my carpe diem approach hurts others? It is up to the practicioner to decide if that is against his value system, which is determined by a kierkegaardian leap of faith, rather than any transcendent moral standard.
There is truth in most errors, though. That is were the deception lies. The message of focusing on the positive can be helpful, but only in the biblical sense of giving thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18), not in avoiding pain. What is right is more important than what makes me feel good. Jesus told his followers they would (and should) suffer, and exemplified it through the cross. While suffering, he cried out "My God, why have you foraken me" (Mark 15:34). This is the most poinent of the examples of partial truths, though there are others.
Much more could be said. The point is this: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Col. 2:8) In the end, what the author tries to do will not work: his program cannot offer real hope to mankind, for it does not deal with human depravity. Rather than seeking to find meaning by focusing on my present, we truly find it in God's presence. The quest for ultimate meaning is found in a relationship with the God of infinity, and through developing intimacy with Him. For a much better alternative to The Present, read Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.
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