THE PRESENT

The Gift that Makes You Happy and Successful

at Work and in Life

Author: Spencer Johnson

Publisher: Doubleday
Date of Publication: September 2003
ISBN: 0 385509308
No. of Pages: 112 pages

About the Author

Wisdom in a Nutshell
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 the
Spencer Johnson, M.D. importance of living in the Now-- the present moment. Spencer Johnson
Spencer Johnson, M.D. is an stressed that receiving and recognizing The Present can bring success and
international best-selling author happiness to anyone's life. Discover how this precious gift can bring change
whose books help millions of people into your life and career.
discover simple truths they can use
to have healthier lives with more
success and less stress.
He is the Originator and co-Author of
The One Minute Manager the #1
Neil, York Times bestseller, written
with legendary management
consultant Kenneth Blanchard,
Ph.D. The book continues to appear
on Business Bestseller Lists and has
become the most popular
management method in the world.
Dr. Johnson has written many best
sellers, including five other books in
the “One Minute” series: The One
Minute $ales Person, The One
Minute Mother, The One Minute
Father, One Minute For Yourself,
and The One Minute Teacher; Yes or
No; the popular ValueTales™
children's books; and the perennial
gift favorite, The Precious Present.

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© 2003 BestSummaries.com. All rights reserved. No part of this summary may be reproduced or transmitted
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 THE PRESENT By Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Key Ideas to the old man. The boy asked if The Present was like
a 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. To these, the
Before the Story old man only said:
§ When you receive The Present, you no longer
The parable of The Present has been transferred from dream of being somewhere else.
one person to another through word of mouth with one § The Present can lead you to many kinds of
unifying objective-- to help others succeed and be riches. But its value is not measured by gold
happy with life. This same thing happened to two or money alone.
former officemates-- Bill and Liz– who met over Liz's
invitation to lunch. Apparently, Liz needed help. After When the boy reached teenage years, he was more
a promotion on the same company Bill left, Liz has confused and eager about The Present. Frustrated
become over stressed and overworked. Problems, that he still hasn't got it, the teenager thought of giving
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.
There are times when you have to look
Bill, on the other hand, seems to be having the best
time of his life. He is a lot happier, satisfied and
at the past, pick up the lessons you need
successful. Reluctant at first that Liz would turn down to learn from it, let go and then move on.
the idea, 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. up the search. The old man, however, encouraged
him and tried to explain more about The Present. He
brought the teenager back to his happy childhood
memories-- like the mowing of the lawn.
The Story of the Present
The once-little-boy was happy mowing the lawn
The boy learned about The Present– believed as the
because he liked doing it, was focused, and thought
most important gift any person can ever receive-- from
only about cutting the grass during that moment. The
his friend, the wise old man. According to the old man,
concentration and the attention he gave to that
The Present can make a person happier and better
specific time was what made him happy. “You already
able to do whatever he has to do. Amazed at this
know what The Present is. You already know where to
wonderful gift, the boy's excitement grew and
find it. And you already know how it can make you
wondered how many more birthdays or Christmases
happy and successful. You knew it best when you
would pass before he’d receive The Present.
were younger. You have simply forgotten,” the old
Being long time friends, the old man got accustomed man said. Despite this, the teenager still didn't get
to observing the boy if he had opportunities. There what the old man was trying to say.
were times he would catch him happily swinging in a
The teenager grew into a young man searching for
nearby tree– focused and enjoying every thrill of it.
The Present on his own. He read books, articles and
On Saturday mornings, the old man would
magazines but nothing had any mention of The
occasionally observe the youngster totally engaged,
Present. Tired, discouraged and disappointed, the
whistling and enjoying the very act of cutting the grass
young man gave up his search.
with his lawn mower.
Years passed and the young man eventually took a
The boy grew up with the same anticipation and
job. At work, he hardly got jobs done. He was always
excitement over The Present. In the middle of his
preoccupied with so many other things– the meetings,
childhood curiosity, he occasionally threw questions

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 THE PRESENT By Spencer Johnson, M.D.
other projects to be done, schedules. He had hard
times concentrating on the projects at hand. He
really wasn't effective at all that he was passed over
with the promotion he was hoping for. 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.
The frustration and sadness on the young man's
face was too obvious when he visited the old man.
Concerned with the young man's situation, the old
man advised him to take some time off alone and
reflect on his life.
The young man did just that. He took some time off
at a friend's mountain cabin. In the mountain, he
recalled what the wise old man had told him about
The Present:
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.
§ It is a gift that you give to yourself. You'd
known it best when you were younger.
You'd simply forgotten it.
§ When you are fully engaged in what you are
doing your mind doesn't wander and you
are happy. You are intent only on what is
happening 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. This marvelous masonry led him to his
own discovery about The Present:
§ The Present is not the past and is not the
Copyright 2004 BestSummaries
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.
It is hard to let go of the Past if you
have not learned from the Past.
Being
The discovery of The Present came about when the
young man was enjoying a peaceful and quiet time at
his friend's mountain cabin. But how about in
situations that are different and not at all as peaceful
as the cabin? How would The Present help if a
person is in a bad situation?
According to the old man, it is important to focus on
what is right in any given situation, whether the
situation be not as right at all.
§ 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.”
The young man concentrated at applying at work the
things he learned from the old man regarding The
Present. He began solving the problems one by one,
focused on the projects he had at hand at that
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particular moment, and learned to listen attentively
to his colleagues. He became a lot more effective
and happier.
His personal life also seemed to flourish. He got
himself a wonderful woman and started to develop a
great relationship with her.
The people around him, his friends, colleagues and
even his boss, started to notice the great change in
him. He was more effective, able, and obviously a
lot more relaxed and happier. The Present taught
him to love and enjoy whatever he had at the
moment. That was only when he realized that truly,
The Present is the best gift anyone could ever give
himself.
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.
Learning
The young man approached the old man again to
discuss the failure he had at work. Apparently, it
occurred that the young man is still haunted by the
failures 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.
In a nutshell, the old man gave the following gold
nuggets of wisdom about learning from The Past
while in The Present:
§ 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.
§ Anytime you are unhappy in the Present or
Copyright 2004 BestSummaries
feeling unsuccessful, it is time to learn from
the Past and plan for the Future.
§ You cannot change the Past, but you can
learn from it. When the same situation
arises, you can do things differently and
enjoy 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.
Planning
After discussing the problem the young man is
currently faced with, the old man taught him the last
important element of The Present--The Future.
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 you
want 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.
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 from
The 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 any
thing that comes along.
The young man effectively used the idea of applying
the third element of The Present in his work. He
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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 to
lose someone as wise as the old man. His death
caused him to wonder what it was that made him
spent much time and effort sharing all about The
Present.
Looking back and going to the place where he met
the old man, he realized, after much contemplation,
that it was The Purpose that drove the old man to
doing what he had untiringly done. With this the
man noted his own wonderful discoveries:
§ Living in the Present, learning from the Past
and planning for the Future is not all there is.
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.
§ How you respond depends upon your
purpose.
§ When you want to be happy and more
successful, it is time to be in the Present
moment.
§ When you want the Present to be better
than the Past, it is time to learn form the
Past.
§ When you want to Future to be better than
the Present, it is time to plan for the future.
§ 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.
In his notes the man added:
§ Success is becoming who you are capable
of being and progressing toward worthwhile
goals.
§ Each of us defined for ourselves what it
means to be successful.
Copyright 2004 BestSummaries
Summary: Using The Present
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.
After The Story
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.
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 THE PRESENT By Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Concentrating on his son at every

particular moment caused a huge turnover
in their relationship.
§ Liz also spent extra time sharing The
Present to her colleagues, friends and
loved ones. The dramatic changes have
pleased her more than ever. Now she's
happiest to see the people that she values
live in The Present.

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