The Gift that Makes You Happy and Successfulat Work and in Life

By Dr. Spencer Johnson

The PresentNEW VERSION

Spencer Johnson, M.D. is aninternational best-selling authorwhose books help millions of peoplediscover simple truths they can useto have healthier lives with moresuccess and less stress.He is the Originator and co-Author ofThe One Minute Manager the #1Neil, York Times bestseller, writtenwith legendary managementconsultant Kenneth Blanchard,Ph.D. The book continues to appearon Business Bestseller Lists and hasbecome the most popularmanagement method in the world.Dr. Johnson has written many bestsellers, including five other books inthe “One Minute” series: The OneMinute $ales Person, The OneMinute Mother, The One MinuteFather, One Minute For Yourself,and The One Minute Teacher; Yes orNo; the popular Value Tales™children's books; and the perennialgift favorite, The Precious Present.

This book is a practical parable about a young man who has spent much of his lifetime searching for the elusive yet considered the most precious gift any man can ever receive The Present. This engaging story narrates on theimportance of living in the Now-- the present moment. Spencer Johnsonstressed that receiving and recognizing The Present can bring success andhappiness to anyone's life. Discover how this precious gift can bring changeinto your life and career.

Wisdom in a Nutshell

Bill, on the other hand, seems to be having the best time of his life. He is a lot happier, satisfied and successful. Bill continued to relate the story with the hope that it would inspire and change Liz's view of her professional and personal life– as much as it did for him. Bill tells the story of The Present.

After a promotion on the same company Bill left, Liz has become over stressed and overworked. Problems, both professionally and personally, don't seem to stop mounting over her. Liz is currently in a very tight spot; she doesn't know what to do.Apparently, Liz needed help.

To these, the old man only said:

• When you receive The Present, you no longer dream of being somewhere else.

• The Present can lead you to many kinds of riches. But its value is not measured by gold or money alone.

The boy asked if The Present was likea magic wand that makes all wishes come true, or a time machine that could bring him anywhere, or something that can make him really rich.

The once-little-boy was happy mowing the lawn because he liked doing it, was focused, and thought only about cutting the grass during that moment. The concentration and the attention he gave to that specific time was what made him happy.

There are times when you have to look at the past, pick up the lessons you need to learn from it, let go and then move on.

“You already know what The Present is. You already know where to find it. And you already know how it can make you happy and successful. You knew it best when you were younger. You have simply forgotten,”

The old man said. Despite this, the teenager still didn't get what the old man was trying to say.

The teenager grew into a young man searching for The Present on his own. He read books, articles and magazines but nothing had any mention of The Present. Tired, discouraged and disappointed, the young man gave up his search.

When the young man could not balance his life!!!At work, he hardly got jobs done. He was always preoccupied with so many other things– the meetings, other projects to be done, schedules. After such frustration, the young man became a little more tired and disappointed after each working day.

His personal life wasn't doing any better either. His break-up with a girlfriend caused him to worry if he would ever find a true love. The loose ends, unrealized dreams and his desperation rekindled the long lost desire for The Present. He then decided to see the old man, again.

Everyone should learn to look for what is right at a bad situation and then eventually build on it rather that get distracted by the wrongs in it.

In the mountain, the young man recalled what the wise old man had told him about The Present:

• It is a gift that you give to yourself. You'dknown it best when you were younger.You'd simply forgotten it.• When you are fully engaged in what you aredoing your mind doesn't wander and youare happy. You are intent only on what ishappening at that moment.

When the young man went back to the cabin, he noticed and gazed at the impressive fireplace crafted and perfected out of a mason's dedication and focus.

Wow…..I get it!!!

• The Present is not the past and is not the future. The Present is the Present moment. The Present is Now!

• Being in The Present means focusing on what is happening right now! It means appreciating the gifts what you are offered every day.

Even in the most difficult situations, when you focus on what is right at the present moment, it makes you happier, and gives you the needed energy and confidence to deal with what is wrong.

Being in The Present means focusing on “what is,right now” and “what is right, now”, whatever the situation is.

Everyone should learn to look for what is right at a bad situation and then eventually build on it rather that get distracted by the wrongs in it.

“Being in the present means turning out distractions, and paying attention to what is important, now. You can create your own present by what you give your attention to.”

When the young man concentrated at applying at work the things he learned from the old man regarding The Present.

His personal life also seemed to flourish. He got himself a wonderful woman and started to develop a great relationship with her.

At work, He began solving the problems one by one, focused on the projects he had at hand at that particular moment, and learned to listen attentively to his colleagues. He became a lot more effective and happier.

However, one day, when he taught he knew how it is to be in The Present, a problem at work arose. He deliberately carried the load that has to be done with a partner, alone. He missed the deadline and the boss expressed his disappointment. The young man failed. He wondered what the old man would do at that particular moment.

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 young man approached the old man again todiscuss the failure he had at work. Apparently, itoccurred that the young man is still haunted by thefailures of his past.

According to the old man, it is helpful still to look at The Past while you are in The Present so just to improve it. There are times when you have to look at the past, pick up the lessons you need to learn from it, let go and then move on.

To do such, the young man noted:

• Look at what happened from the past.• Learn something valuable from it.• Use what you learn to improve The Present.

Anytime you are unhappy in the Present or feeling unsuccessful, it is time to learn from the Past and plan for the Future.

You cannot change the Past, but you canlearn from it. When the same situationarises, you can do things differently andenjoy a more successful Present.

The young man politely confronted the partner he had with the project that recently failed. He learned to deal better with people. He finally got promoted.

His promotion, however, was faced with increasing demands. He had not developed a daily schedule. Projects then started to spun out of his control. Discouraged and uncertain of what to do next, the young man got back to his old friend.

The idea of the present tells that is not wise to be in the future, however, there is nothing bad with planning for it.

As the old man had put it:

No one can predict or control the future.However, the more you plan for what youwant to see happen, the less anxious you are in The Present, and the more the Future is known to you.

To plan, the young man took note of the following guides:

• Picture what a wonderful future would be like.• Create a realistic plan to make it happen.• Put your plan into action in the present.

Living in The Present; Learning from The Past; Planning for The Future.

The old man categorized the idea of The Present as like that of a tripod balanced perfectly by its three supporting legs:

Living in The Present; Learning fromThe Past; and, Planning for The Future.

Take one leg out and the tripod topples over. Keeping the balance among the three will help you deal better with anything that comes along.

The young man effectively used the idea of applying the third element of The Present in his work. He became really good at his job and he even made a dramatic contribution to save his company from a possible across-the-board cut in costs. He even had his personal life put on the right track. He and his girlfriend started planning for a future together.

Inevitably, after several years, the old man died.The once-young-man had it into himself badly tolose someone as wise as the old man. His deathcaused him to wonder what it was that made himspent much time and effort sharing all about ThePresent.

With this the man noted his own wonderful discoveries:

1. Living in the Present, learning from the Past and planning for the Future is not all there is.

2. It is only when you live with Purpose and respond to what's important about the Present, Past, and Future, that is all has meaning.

3. How you respond depends upon your purpose.4. When you want to be happy and more successful, it is

time to be in the Present moment.5. When you want the Present to be better than the Past,

it is time to learn form the Past.6. When you want the Future to be better than the

Present, it is time to plan for the future.7. When you live and work with purpose, and respond to

what is important now, you are more able to lead, manage, support, befriend, and love.

8. Success is becoming who you are capable of being and progressing toward worthwhile goals.

9. Each of us defined for ourselves what it means to be successful.

The man became old himself –prosperous, respected, and loved. He decided to spend part of his life with the same compassion the wise old man had. He lived with the same purpose to help others become happy and successful. He chose to share the story of The Present to a lot of other people using the summary he had written down a few years back

Three Ways to Use Your Present Moments

1. Be in the Present: When you want to be happy and successful. § Focus on what is right now. § Use your purpose to respond to what is important now.

2. Learn from the Past: When you want to make the Present better than the Past. § Look at what happened in the Past. § Learn something valuable from it. § Do Things Differently in the Present.

3. Plan for the Future: When you want to make the Future better than the Present. § See what a wonderful future would you like. § Make plans to help it happen. § Put your plan into your action in the Present.

Liz knew she needed to hear the story. Personally, she took her own action points to live her own Present.

At work, she discovered that she was always in The Past and in The Future, and never in The Present. She was always overstressed with her work. Her boss would even reiterate that she was still riding on her old successes.

Instead of blocking what the boss said, Liz tried to evaluate the situation and labeled it as her Past that she can learn from.

At home, she realized her own Purpose as being the mother to her son. After hearing the story and learning about having a Purpose, Liz started listening to her son.

Concentrating on her son at everyparticular moment caused a huge turnover in their relationship.

Liz also spent extra time sharing The Present to her colleagues, friends andloved ones. The dramatic changes havepleased her more than ever. Now she'shappiest to see the people that she values live in The Present.

“Living in the Present, learning from the Past and planning for the Future”

Thank You Very MuchSompong Yusoontorn