JohPeak 09-09-140
	Peaks and Valleys Making Good And Bad Times Work For You--At Work And In Life Spencer Johnson Atria Books, 2009, 103 pp., ISBN 978-1-4391-0325-9

Spencer Johnson, M.D., is the noted author of Who Moved My Cheese? This is another simple fable with a few key points, primarily about learning from the valleys and maintaining humility when things are going well. When you skip the story, the primary points don't take up much room (nor have as much impact).

It is natural to have peaks and valleys in life and work. How you feel depends not just on the situation but how you see it. Learn to separate your sense of value from the situation.

"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." (21) "The secret is to truly appreciate and enjoy each time for what it is while you are living it." (23)

"Peaks are moments when you appreciate what you have. Valleys are moments when you long for what is missing." (24)

"If you can change the situation, that's great. If not, you can choose how you feel about it so that it can work to your advantage." (27) "You change your valley into a peak when you find and use the good that is hidden in the bad time." (31)

Sometimes when a business grows people forget what made them successful.

"You can have fewer bad times when you appreciate and manage your good times wisely." (48)

"Your ego can make you arrogant on the Peak, and fearful in the Valley. It keeps you from seeing what is real. Your ego distorts the truth." (50)

"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." (51)

"The pain in a valley can wake you up to a truth you have been ignoring." (61)

You are always creating a vision for your future, either out of fear or of desire. Are you creating your valley out of fear?

"Avoid believing things are better than they really are when you are on a peak, or worse than they really are when you are in a valley. Make reality your friend." (65)

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