The Present

(This is my first attempt at writing a book review. I have read so many books, somehow never sat down and wrote a review about them. Hopefully, this should be a good start to a long and meaningful series of book reviews.)

I spent a truly fruitful evening in Barnes and Nobles yesterday. What was decided as a casual visit to check out the new bestsellers, turned into a 2-hour sitting surrounded by books and music. While browsing through one section, my hand reached a book that I had been meaning to read since some time. Around a year back my friend had mentioned this inspirational book and somehow I never got to reading it. The Present is yet another wonderful book by Spencer Johnson that sets you thinking deep about who you really are and what you want from life. I had read "Who moved my cheese?" and appreciated the thoughts put forward in accepting changes in life. The Present focuses on the best gift a person can give himself and that is discovering to stay in the present.

The book starts off with the character Bill narrating the story to Liz, who's making desperate attempts at improving her life. The book then discusses 4 important things that we need to keep in mind:

*Live in The Present:Often, we let our mind drift away while what we should do is seize the present moment. We either whine about what went wrong in the past or worry too much about tomorrow. Unless we concentrate on the present, we won't appreciate it. It's challenging to focus on one particular thing at hand, only practice, patience, and perseverance will aid in doing it. I think a little bit of meditation every day will help us in concentrating on "The Present".

*Learn from the past: While it's important to fully concentrate on the present, at times we should think about the past. The crucial thing is to "let go" of our past and learn from its mistakes. He who acknowledges his past, learns from his previous mistakes, will surely make a progress in the present. I think everyone should write down important past events, think about them, and write what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what could be done in the future to correct it.

*Create the future:Your present won't be secure till you plan for your future. Planning each day's activities makes you more organized and confident. You should give a thought to where you see yourself in the future. This can be the immediate future like the next day or 4 years down the line.

*Do everything for a purpose:Your life won't be fulfilling unless you do everything with a purpose. Be it personal enrichment, getting a promotion in your career, or improving your family life; a sense of purpose motivates you to complete the task with zeal and energy. Decide your purpose in doing every action and see the positive changes in brings to your life.

The book was filled with inspiring quotes. However, one sentence struck me as excellent. It goes something like this, "Consider the present, the past, and the future as three legs of a tripod. If one falls down,the other 2 suffer as well."

The book was so good that I couldn't put in down. It took me just over an hour to read, understand, and decide how I could implement the story in my life. This book is a must-read for all those who want to be more creative and successful both in their life and work. Check out the website The Present.com to know more about the book. The Present sure got me thinking and analyzing my life more closely. I have decided to live in the present, let go of the past, and work on my future.