Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You--at Work and in Life

by Spencer Johnson

Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who Moved My Cheese?, a brilliant new parable that shows readers how to stay calm and successful, even in the most challenging of environments.

A young man lives unhappily in a valley. One day he meets an old man who lives on a mountain peak. At first the young man doesn’t realize that he is talking to one of the most peaceful and successful people in the world. But in the course of further encounters and conversations, the young man comes to understand that he can apply the old man’s remarkable principles and practical tools to his own life to change it for the better. Spencer Johnson knows how to tell a deceptively simple story that teaches deep lessons. The One Minute Manager (co-written with Ken Blanchard) sold 15 million copies and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for more than twenty years. Since it was published a decade ago, Who Moved My Cheese? has sold more than 25 million copies. In fact there are more than 46 million copies of Spencer Johnson’s books in print, in forty-seven languages—and with today’s economic uncertainty, his new book could not be more relevant. Pithy, wise, and empowering, Peaks and Valleys is clearly destined to becomeanother Spencer Johnson classic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451606614
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	04/03/2010
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	230,618
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Spencer Johnson has written or co-written three New York Times #1 bestsellers, including Who Moved My Cheese?, The One Minute Manager (with Kenneth Blanchard), and The Present. He received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Southern California, an M.D. degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, and is currently advisor to the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Spencer Johnson, M.D., is one of the world’s most respected thinkers and beloved authors.

His eleven international bestselling books include the #1 titles Who Moved My Cheese?® An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change, the most widely read book on change, and The One Minute Manager®, the world’s most popular management method for over two decades, coauthored with Kenneth Blanchard.

Dr. Johnson is often referred to as “the best there is at taking complex subjects and presenting simple solutions that work.”

He recieved a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California, an M.D. degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, and performed medical clerkships at the Mayo Clinic and the Harvard Medical School.

He has served as Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Business School, and is currently Advisor to the Center For Public Leadership at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

His work has captured the attention of major media, including the Associated Press, the BBC, CNN, Fortune, the New York Times, the Today show, Time magazine, USA Today, and United Press International.

More than forty-six million copies of Spencer Johnson's books are in print worldwide in more than forty-seven languages.

Date of Birth:

January 1, 1940

Place of Birth:

South Dakota

Education:

B.A. in psychology, University of Southern California, 1963; M.D., Royal College of Surgeons

Website:

http://www.whomovedmycheese.com

Read an Excerpt

Before The Story

Early one rainy evening in New York, Michael Brown hurried to meet someone a friend had said might help him deal with a difficult time he was having. As he entered the small café, he had no way of knowing how valuable the next few hours would be.

When he saw Ann Carr, he was surprised. He had heard she had been through some tough times herself and expected it to show on her. But she seemed upbeat and full of energy.

After some preliminary conversation, he said, "You look like you're in a good place, despite the bad times I understand you've been through."

She said, "I am in a good place, both in my work and in my life. But it's not in spite of the bad times. It's because of them — and how I learned to take advantage of them."

Michael was puzzled. "How so?" he asked.

"Well, for example, at work I thought our department was doing fine, but in reality we weren't. We'd been successful, but we'd become complacent. By the time we realized it, other companies were doing much better than we were. My boss became very unhappy with me.

"That's when I started feeling low, and the pressure to improve things in a hurry began. Each day became more stressful."

Michael asked, "So, what happened?"

She answered, "I heard a story last year from someone at work I respected. It changed how I looked at good and bad times, and what I do now is very different. The story helped me to be calmer and more successful, whether things are going well or not, even in my personal life. I'll never forget it!"

"What was the story?" he asked.

Ann was quiet for a moment, and then said, "Would it be all right if I asked why you would like to know about it?"

Michael reluctantly admitted that he was not feeling very secure in his job, and things were not going so well for him at home.

He didn't need to say any more. She felt his embarrassment, and said, "You sound like you need to hear the story as much as I did."

Ann said she would tell Michael the story with the understanding that if he found it valuable, he would share it with others. He agreed, and Ann prepared Michael for what he was about to hear.

She said, "I found that if you want to use the story to deal with the ups and downs that come at you, it helps if you listen with your heart and head, and fill in the story with your own experience to see what is true for you.

"The insights in the story are often repeated, although in slightly different ways."

Michael asked "Why the repetition?"

She answered, "Well, for me, it made it easier to remember them. And when I remembered the insights, I used them more."

She admitted, "I'm reluctant to change. So, I need to hear something new often enough that, at some point, it gets past my critical, distrusting mind, becomes more familiar, and touches my heart. Then it becomes a part of me.

"That's what happened after I thought a lot about the story. But you can discover that for yourself, if you like."

"Do you really think a story can make that big a difference?" Michael asked. "I'm in a pretty tough spot right now."

Ann replied, "In that case, what do you have to lose? All I can tell you is that when I applied what I got out of the story, it had a big impact.

"Some people," she cautioned, "get very little from the story, while others get a great deal!

"It's not the story; it's what you take away from it that is so powerful. That's up to you, of course."

Michael nodded. "Okay. I think I would really like to hear it."

So Ann started to tell the tale over dinner, and then continued through dessert and coffee.

She began: Copyright © 2009 by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

1
Feeling Low In A Valley

Once there was a bright young man who lived unhappily in a valley, until he went to see an old man who lived on a peak. When he was younger, he had been happy in his valley. He played in its meadows and swam in its river.

The valley was all he had ever known, and he thought he would spend his whole life there.

Some days in his valley were cloudy and some were sunny, but there was a sameness to his daily routine that he found comforting.

However, as he grew older, he began to see what was wrong more often than he noticed what was right. He wondered why he had not noticed before how many things were wrong in the valley.

As time went on, the young man became increasingly unhappy, although he wasn't sure why.

He tried working at different jobs in the valley, but none turned out to be what he had hoped for.

In one job, his boss always seemed to criticize him for what he did wrong and never noticed all the things he did right.

In another, he was one of so many employees that it didn't seem to matter to anyone whether he worked hard or hardly worked at all. His contribution seemed invisible, even to himself.

Once, he thought he had finally found what he wanted. He felt appreciated and challenged, he worked with capable colleagues, and he was proud of the company's product. He worked his way up and became manager of a small department.

Unfortunately, he felt his job was not secure.

His personal life was no better. One disappointment seemed to follow another.

He thought his friends didn't understand, and his family told him he was "just going through a phase."

The young man wondered if he would be better off someplace else.

Sometimes the young man would stand in the meadow and look up at the range of majestic peaks that rose high above his valley.

He would imagine himself standing on the nearby peak.

For a while, he felt better.

But the more he compared the peak to his valley, the worse he felt.

He spoke to his parents and friends about going to the peak. But they talked only about how difficult it was to reach the peak, and how comfortable it was to stay in the valley.

They all discouraged him from going where they themselves had never been.

The young man loved his parents and knew there was some truth to what they said. But he also knew that he was a different person from his father and mother.

Sometimes he felt there might be a different way of life outside the valley, and he wanted to discover it for himself. Maybe on the peak he could gain a better view of the world.

But then doubt and fear crept in again, and he thought he would stay where he was.

For a long time the young man could not bring himself to leave his valley.

Then one day, he recalled his early youth and realized how much had changed since then. He was no longer at peace with himself.

He wasn't sure why he changed his mind, but he suddenly decided he had to go visit that mountaintop.

He put his fear aside and got ready to leave as quickly as he could. Then, he set out for the nearby peak.

It was not an easy journey. It took him much longer than he thought it would to make it less than halfway up the peak.

But as the young man went higher, the cool breeze and fresh air revitalized him. From higher up, his valley looked smaller.

When he had been down in the valley, the air seemed clean enough. But when he viewed the valley from above, he saw the pale brown stagnant air that was trapped there.

Then he turned and continued upward. The higher he climbed, the more he could see.

Suddenly, the trail he was following ended.

With no trail to follow, he became lost among the thick trees that blocked out the light. He feared he would not find his way out.

So, he decided to cross a dangerously narrow ridge. As he did, he fell. Bruised and bleeding, he picked himself up and continued on.

Eventually, he found a new path.

The warnings of the people in the valley crossed his mind. But then he gathered his courage and kept climbing.

The higher he went, the happier he became, knowing that he was leaving the valley and putting aside his fears.

He was on his way to someplace new.

As he rose above the clouds, he realized it was a beautiful day and imagined how the sunset would look from the summit. He could hardly wait to see it from up there. Copyright © 2009 by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Table of Contents

Before The Story

The Story of Peaks and Valleys

Chapter 1: Feeling Low In A Valley

Chapter 2: Finding Answers

Chapter 3: Forgetting

Chapter 4: Resting

Chapter 5: Learning

Chapter 6: Discovering

Chapter 7: Sharing

Chapter 8: Using Peaks And Valleys

A Summary

Chapter 9: Enjoying A Peak

After The Story

About The Author

Editorial Reviews

Spencer Johnson, the coauthor of the mega-bestselling business fables Who Moved My Cheese? and The One-Minute Manager, now delivers an all-purpose parable ready-made for hard times. This deceptively simple story introduces us to a young man who learns a valuable lesson from a wise older man who has mastered the art of transcending life's numerous peaks and valleys. One hundred and twelve pages that can leave a lifelong imprint.

John Dossett's crisp and polished delivery is a natural fit for Johnson's no-nonsense style of motivational storytelling. Dossett chooses to understate the pathos, projecting a tone of wistful contemplation instead of heavy drama. Both the story and the narrative within the story surround dialogue between a weary day-to-day corporate warrior and a seasoned sage who offers a broader perspective on our familiar notions of success, achievement and happiness. In light of the current economic climate, listeners will find the messages timely, even if the paradigm shifts may not seem especially original. As an added bonus, the audio book includes an interview with the author sharing how he strives to keep the public focused on his message instead of elevating him into a celebrity business guru. A Simon and Schuster hardcover. (Mar.)

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