Book of the Week: 'The Precious Present" by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

The first time I heard about this book was six years ago. Boston College men's ice hockey coach, Jerry York, gives it to his first-year class to read and present to the team on over the past two decades. It's one of the reason's Coach York is one of most successful coaches. 

Too often, we, as a society, are looking forward to tomorrow and at the next big thing. We are a very goal-oriented society and there is nothing wrong with that, we needed to be. Goals keep us moving forward, but they can be dangerous sometimes. If we are constantly searching for the next thing, we miss what is is happening at the moment. To quote Ferris Bueller "life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." 

We do this a lot in sports. We are so focused on chasing the championship. Everyone wants to be Lakers, the last team standing at the end of the season, but not everyone appreciates the route it takes to get there. Holding the trophy at the end of a long year is great, but what is equally as important is appreciating the little things that it took to get there and being in the moment. 

That is what "The Precious Present" is about. It is about living in the moment. There is no tangible "present" as the little boy becomes perplexed thinking about. The "present" the elderly man is talking about is abstract, it's the here and now. 

Having goals is important and wanting to be better is great, but it is also 'ok' to live in the moment. You worked hard to win the trophy, get your dream job or earn that coveted promotion, you should be happy and should celebrate. It's a great accomplishment. 

It's all about those small moments, which add up to the big moments. Little drops make big drops.