Peaks and Valleys Book Summary – How to Embrace Change

Book – Peaks and Valleys Book (Summary)

Author – Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Genre – Self-help Book

Published Year – 2009

“Peaks are moments when we appreciate what we have, Valleys ar moments when we long for what is missing.”

– Peaks and Valleys

I got my hands on another short tale with powerful insight after I read Who Moved My Cheese? From Spencer Johnson, M.D., and I have to admit, the author kept me engaged throughout the story and left me with simple yet excellent lessons about life.

About The Author –

Dr. Spencer Johnson was an American physician and author. He was known for his famous Book Who Moved My Cheese? He also wrote The Peaks and Valleys, The Present, The Yes or No, and co-authored the One Minute Manager series of books.

About the Book –

Peaks and Valleys is the story of a young man who decides to climb a nearby mountaintop to find answers after being unhappy in the Valley for a long time. In this journey, he meets an older man (Who is very successful) in the Peak.

He learns a new perspective about life, which the older man calls a concept of the Peaks and Valleys of life (Peaks and valleys used as a metaphor for good and bad times in life), Which helps him understand How to get out of Valleys sooner, stay on Peaks longer, and how to have more Peaks and fewer Valleys in the future.

How to get out of Valleys sooner – How to turn around bad times into good more quickly.

Stay on Peaks longer – How to continue having good times.

How to have more Peaks and fewer Valleys in the future – How to make good times last longer and be prepared for bad times.

Few key Learning From the Book –

1. What helps in coming out of Valleys (Low times) in life –

This line sums up the solution well – To change the Valley into a Peak, we need to know what brought us to the Valley and which of our habits were kept on the Peak. We may not control outside circumstances all the time. However, we can always control how we respond to them and act.

2. Nothing fails like success –

After returning from Peak, the young man applies what he learns from the older man and sees Success in all areas of life. However, after some time, everything starts to fall apart, for he doesn’t manage his Success well.

Lesson – As we achieve Success, we should always take time to appreciate, rest, and reflect on what we have achieved so far; what got us there? Remember that valleys will always follow peaks, and we must be prepared accordingly. We only get better with every Valley we pass through.

3. I can have more good times than bad times.

After going to Peak again and meeting the older man, a young man learns important lessons to sustain good times longer.

• We can have fewer bad times when we appreciate and manage good times wisely.

• We shouldn’t mistake arrogance for confidence in good times and fear for comfort in bad times.

• Having and drawing a sensible vision for the future is another excellent way of getting out of valleys faster and staying on Peak longer.

• We must avoid believing things are better than they are while on Peak and worse than when in the Valley.

I have also created a video of a few quotes from the Book – I am sure you’ll like it. You may consider subscribing to my YouTube channel – Myread4change,

Conclusion –

The Book has captured low times, what gets and keeps us there, and how to come out of it, and continues to have good times very well with an engaging story.

Whether you are dealing with low times or feeling stagnant at some point, this short read will greatly help draw a sensible vision and inspire you to broaden your perspective so that you look at some things from a different perspective and move forward confidently.

Please share your comment/feedback on this post in the comment below or any questions you have; I will gladly answer them.

Thanks for reading…

Muzammil