by Elaine Arthur

Created on: June 26, 2010

Spencer Johnson, MD is the bestselling author of The One Minute Manager and Who Moved My Cheese?  His 2003 book The Present summarizes the philosophy of “being in the moment.”  

Like his other books, this slim volume is laid out as a “practical parable.”  The protagonist is Bill Green, who we meet when he is asked for advice by a former colleague, Liz Michaels.  Liz has been promoted at her job, but is concerned that she cannot keep pace and accomplish what she would like to.  She is fearful of failing.  Bill, on the other hand, seems far less worried and pressured than he was when he worked with Liz.  She is curious as to why, and Bill shares a story.

A wise old man befriends a young boy and tells him about The Present, which is the greatest gift you can receive.  The boy comes back over the years and asks him more about The Present.  The old man explains that it is not a magic wand, because it has nothing to do with magic or wishing.  It is not a time machine, because when you receive The Present, you no longer spend your time dreaming about being somewhere else.

The boy grows to adulthood and encounters disappointments and setbacks, which lead to stress and new failures.  He talks again to the old man, who recommends a vacation.  While the young man is enjoying some time in a mountain cabin, he experiences a revelation.  The Present is not the past and not the future.  The Present is now - this moment.  

The Present means focusing on what is happening right now, and appreciating the gifts you are offered every day.

At times when things are going wrong, it still  helps to focus on what is going right.  There is always something to be grateful for.  And even the most painful moments can serve us when we allow ourselves to look directly at them while we are experiencing them.  The alternative is denial.  The pain will come back to us later, at some time when it can’t help.  That recollection will interfere with the present we are trying to experience.

At work, we should give our full attention to the task at hand, rather than what will happen next week when we receive our paycheck, or what happened the last time we tried to do this task.

In relationships, we need to focus on the entire person we are with, rather than idealizing their good qualities and dismissing any bad ones.  Being in the present enables us to listen actively

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