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

Perfect read for these times!

Book gives a simple yet powerful message on how to minimize your time in the "valleys" of your work and life and how to sustain your time on the "peaks." At so many points in the book you will find yourself bringing your own situation to the story-and making applications on how to do something different next time to prevent or at least minimize the "down times" in your work and life. Excellent read for organizations as well because it gives a framework from which to view current problems, issues and successes.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

PEAKS AND VALLEY REVIEW BY MEGAN BERTRAM!

I thought this book was really good, and i am only twelve. I liked how it described this wonderful theory in life that people of all ages can understand. I really found this book very helpful. I even can take this advice very well at my age. I think I will become a better person growing up in general. I would recomend it for kids and adults to readand discuss. I would also recomend Who Cut My Cheese. It is also writen by Spencer Johson. Make sure to read all nis amazing books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I LOVED this book.

I really LOVED this book. It really made me think about a lot of things differently. It made me feel like I had or could take control of my life. Short, easy reading with lots of thought provoking messages. I read Who Moved my Cheese ALso a WONDERFUL book.

To help you through the rough times, Spencer Johnson has another helpful guide.

When you ar ein bad times, how do you react? Well you can react in the worst of times to be prepared for the best. This guide is helpful and I think everyone will like it just as much as "Who Moved My Cheese".

A new way to navigate

A great read for students who may have "peaked" in highschool and now are moving though their higher education and coming to grips with their first real valleys ... Where do I really go next in a world that has recently changed so dramactically -- how do I alter my normal navigation system which I thought worked so well for me in order to adjust to new realities that were never on my radar screen and set a new course.

This may be the "dialog" that parents would like to have with their children but are unable to express -- or provide to a child who can not communicate their deep concerns and certainly will not communicate to their parents.

Great Read

This book was excellent! simple, very insightful, and a great read. Really enjoyed it, especially the part about how just changing the way we view things can make valleys into peaks and peaks into valleys in our professional and personal lives. What was even more exciting was the part about making professional and personal peaks last longer through learning, great read, recommend it.

Peaks and Valleys

Good advice for organizations.

OH, YEAH! THE MOUNTAIN'S COME TO MOHAMMED!

When I didn't even know I needed it, this book found me. And it will find you too because it was meant for you. I read it in 45 minutes. What better way to tell a story than the way this one has been told. Its clear and simple message transcends age, religious bias, and political caca-nonsense. But, it's really not that simple for the thought-provoking story grabs you and you begin to see yourself first in the young man and then the old, the old then the young until you come to understand you are both - you when in the valley and you when at the mountain peak. You can relate to this "story" for it is your very own.

THE IDEA WAS NICE BUT IT WAS NOT WRITTEN CLEARLY

THE WRITING WAS NOT CLEAR AT TIMES CONFUSING.

A very simple read

This book is timely, very simple but practical read.

I liked it a great deal

I found it very thought provoking. I have already loaned to my daughter to read.

Peaks and Valleys Book Review

I was anxious to read this being the latest work of Dr. Spencer Johnson, especially after having read his two previous books "Who Moved My Cheese?" and "The One Minute Manager". Dr. Johnson writes in a parable fashion which is both very easy and enjoyable to read as well. Also his writing is very principle based.
This book is very timely given the economic situation our country is in at this time, with so many who are out of work.
Regardless of one's station in life or one's age, each of us face our own ups and downs, and it is how one handles both the peaks and valleys of life, that really makes the difference.
As the publisher's blurb states the story is of a young man who lives unhappy in a valley, until he meets an old man who lives on a peak, and it changes his work and life forever."
Dr. Johnson explains that "Peaks and Valleys are connected. The errors you make in today's good times create tomorrow's bad times. And the wise things you do in today's bad times create tomorrow's good times."
Appreciating what one has and longing for what one is missing seem to be connected to our peaks and valleys, as when you are on a peak in your life you need to appreciate what you have, but not in a boastful manner. Conversely when one is in a valley one always longs for what is missing. This seems to be one of the facts of life each of us faces.
Dr. Johnson makes one to consider "The most common reason you leave a peak too soon is arrogance, masquerading as confidence. The most common reason you stay in a valley too long is fear, masquerading as comfort."
We all struggle at times with facing reality, and this was the young man's problem in the story as well. It seems he either believed things were better than they really were when he was on a peak in life, or he thought things worse than they really were when in a valley of life. The key to this is enjoying the moment you are in. That is easier said than done, but one need to look for the good in things nevertheless.
Having a genuine concern for others well being comes across in Dr. Johnson's writing. This shows through the way the old man listens to the young man, and explains how if something learned is deemed valuable it needs to be shared with others to help them as well. It would seem that too often in the culture in which we live if something works there is a tendency to want to hoard the lessons learned, only for one's personal benefit. Although it is not said in the book, it would seem as if we just don't want to share our toys.
Dr. Johnson seems to point out through this book that life is a growing process, and in that process it is natural to have peaks and valleys. It would seem that both peaks and valleys are a gift given to us, both to enjoy and to learn from. What one needs to find out is, what the truth of the situation or circumstance they are in at the present time.
The young man discovered using these principles at work and in life had a calming effect.
The lessons learned in this book might seem somewhat basic, however when one is going through tough times returning to the basics is always a good thing to do.
This was a very enjoyable book to read and though the underlying principles might seem basic, as you think about them they are timely and timeless.

Excellent reading

The book can easily be read in one sitting and follows the pattern of the One Minute Manager Books as well as the Ken Blanchard books. In story format, the book allows the reader to visualize the characters in the book and make direct practical application to every day life. In our current economic situation that we face, we need to be able to focus on positives and not continue to dwell on the negatives in every day life. We know that we will have highs and lows but how we handle them is what is important. This book coaches the readers to do that. When finally putting the book down, I was refreshed with a positive outlook. I bought several copies of the book as required reading for the employees in my company.

Not much meat but sneaks up on you

The message was good and something we all know but just don't think about enough. I wish the author would have given it a little more substance like he did in "Who moved my cheese?" Then again, simple stories are sometimes more impactful.
I was excited to read and apply another inspirational message to my life but was a little disappointed initailly. A few months after I read the book I realize that the Peaks and Valleys message has comes to mind often and I am inspired to apply what I read.

A nice read to help you to move ahead in this troubling time

I enjoyed the book. It was a positive motivator. Would recommend it to anyone.

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No text was provided for this review.

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No text was provided for this review.