Book Review #61: Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Hello Dear Reader!

I’ve got a different kind of read for this review. While it features a wholesome fictional story, this book isn’t fiction. Rather, it focuses on self-improvement and business motivation. It was a recommendation from one of my managers at work, and I’m really happy I read it!

Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson features a simple story of a young man who lives unhappily in a valley. Wanting to change his life, he climbs to the top of a peak and meets an old man, and he has a life-changing conversation that he carries through the rest of his life. But before I get into this simple story and its life lessons, here is the back-cover summary (from Amazon):

A young man lives unhappily in a valley. One day he meets an old man who lives on a mountain peak. At first the young man doesn’t realize that he is talking to one of the most peaceful and successful people in the world. But in the course of further encounters and conversations, the young man comes to understand that he can apply the old man’s remarkable principles and practical tools to his own life to change it for the better.

On to the review!

When I got this book recommended to me, I was expecting a boring book about self-improvement and business motivation written in a boring way. That was not at all what I got. Instead of a tedious read, I received a wholesome story with life lessons planted throughout its pages. It reminded me of the simple stories I’d read as a kid, where you have the young main character meeting the wise old character and receiving guidance. It was a pleasant surprise, and it definitely made the lessons on self-improvement more digestible.

And the life lessons themselves are so very applicable to both your professional and work life! If you’ve ever been told the phrase, “it’s all about mindset”, well, this book basically expands on that. Only, it does a really great job explaining it through the wholesome fictional story. Honestly, I’ve been told that phrase many times by my dad, and I while I knew what he was getting it, I don’t feel like I truly understood it until I read this book. It really teaches you how to climb out of the bad times, your valleys, while also staying in the good times, your peaks, longer and emphasizes control of your mindset and perspective through each.

So, Peaks and Valleys rating:

5/5 and highly recommend if you’ve been wanting to read a self-improvement book, or would like to read a self-improvement book, that’s sweet, simple, and to the point.

Thanks for reading!