Moving his cheese up peaks and down valleys

• Source: Global Times
• [23:11 November 22 2009]
• Comments

By Du Guodong

Spencer Johnson in Beijing last week. Photo: Xie Qishan

Renowned author of international bestseller Who Moved My Cheese , Spencer Johnson, was speaking in Beijing last week, hoping to enlighten readers with his latest motivational take on life Peaks and Valleys.

Who Moved My Cheese has sold over 26 million copies, staying on the New York Times bestseller list since its release in 1998. Johnson's new lighthearted yet poignant look at living moves away from his focus of dealing with change, to one that combines Eastern philosophy and wisdom with issues of the West on the ups and downs of life.

Published in English in March in the US and released in Chinese in Beijing last week, Peaks and Valleys follows the familiar pattern of telling a story about a young man leading an unhappy life as a result of a depressive work environment and mundane every day and it is not until he climbs up a peak and meets an old sage, that his life completely changes.

The old man reveals 22 secrets of happiness to the young man to help him overcome setbacks and depression while living in the "valley" and explains how to maintain momentum and high spirits while at the "peak."

Eventually, the young man comes to use the old man's principles during both good and bad times and becomes more calm and successful in his life.

In his book, Johnson combines Western wisdom with oriental philosophy to address the ups and downs of daily life. He explained that Eastern culture has influenced and guided him significantly on his path of writing motivational books.

"My father encouraged me to read many books when I was a young boy and that's when I first met Confucius, so I have been reading Eastern philosophers for many years," Johnson told the Global Times.

"I almost didn't realize how I was influenced by Taoism, Buddhism and the thoughts of Confucius, to me there were all sort of spiritual common sense," Johnson explained. "It was only later that people told me how they saw Eastern philosophy in almost all of my books more than I realized. As I get older I think wisdom is combining Western prosperity with Eastern peacefulness, so the key word is balance."