When I need to get creatively inspired, I tend to go to one place in particular – my local Barnes & Noble. I either head to what I call the “wall of music” in the back, where I can camp out for an hour and listen to every new and eclectic sound imaginable, or I peruse the stacks and tables of latest books before I make a bee-line for the business/motivational books.
In that section, you will find inspiration from books like the Four-Hour Workweek, Dan Miller’s offerings, and all kinds of advice from John Maxwell (the guy is prolific!). But this time I saw a new one from Spencer Johnson, the author who brought us Who Moved My Cheese?
I don’t exactly know how an M.D. who has ties to the Mayo Clinic and the Harvard Medical School came to write these modern-day parables backed by brilliant marketing campaigns. I would so love to hear that story.
Anyone else wanting to write such short, seemingly simplistic stories in the typical large, 14-point type would probably be laughed at. But not Johnson.
That’s because despite the thought that might run through your head, “I could have written that!” the fact is, neither you or I thought of it. And, honestly, the concepts he unearths are startlingly profound.
I picked up his latest, Peaks and Valley, because it seemed to relate to where I was. The basic premise is how you can find success, peace, and happiness no matter if you are on a pinnacle of success or struggling down in the valley.
You don’t have to let your circumstances rule how you feel about life or yourself, Johnson explains. If you recently lost your job to a lay-off or got fired, for instance, you can decide to see that dark, job-loss moment from a more positive perspective, which will then bring you up out of the muck and back on solid ground again.
Johnson points out that it isn’t all about what happens to you in life that defines you. It is how you react through your feelings and your actions that can make or break you. How you respond today can affect your tomorrows, so learn from your valley experiences.
If you are looking for some encouragement, here’s a book that will be a quick, inspiring read.
– Laura J. Bagby
1 response so far ↓
Jenny // June 24, 2009 at 12:35 am
Pretty nice post. I just came by your blog and wanted to say
that I’ve really liked browsing your posts. Any way
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon!
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