Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You--At Work and in Life

Written as a parable, a short allegorical story conveying practical life lessons, the book uses a frame narrative and an inner tale to explore how people can manage good and bad times at work and in life.

On a rainy evening in New York, Michael Brown meets Ann Carr at a café, hoping she can help him through a difficult period. Ann is upbeat despite her own tough times: Her department grew complacent after a stretch of success, and daily stress mounted until a colleague told her a story that changed how she approached good and bad times. Michael admits he feels insecure at work and that things are not going well at home. Ann agrees to share the story, asking only that he pass it on if he finds it valuable.

A bright young man lives in a valley where he was once happy as a child but has grown increasingly dissatisfied. He tries several jobs without fulfillment, and his personal life is equally disappointing. One day, gazing at the peaks above the valley, he sets aside his fear and begins the climb. The journey is longer and harder than expected, but he presses on.

He arrives at the peak after nightfall and laments missing the sunset. A voice startles him: an old man sitting on a boulder, one of the most peaceful and successful people in the world, though the young man does not know it. The old man directs his attention to stars invisible from the valley, noting that some are illusions: old light from stars that no longer exist. The young man remarks that it is hard to know what is real and what is not, a question that recurs throughout the story. He opens up about his unhappiness. The old man shares that he too once struggled until a friend introduced him to the Peaks and Valleys approach, a method for managing personal highs and lows.

The old man teaches that Peaks and Valleys are natural for everyone: personal highs and lows that may last minutes, months, or longer. They are not just external events but also internal responses. Errors made in good times create future bad times, and wise actions taken in bad times create future good times. He defines Peaks as moments when you appreciate what you have and Valleys as moments when you long for what is missing. He notes the young man's first words on the peak were about missing the sunset rather than celebrating his arrival, turning a Peak into a Valley. You cannot always control events, but you can control your response.

Before the young man departs, the old man cautions that many people do not realize they must be prepared to stay on a Peak. Back in the valley, the young man boasts about his new philosophy to friends and a special young woman. At work, when a crisis with lost shipments threatens the company's largest customer, he proposes fixing their order-tracking system. His boss assigns him to lead a team that develops a more reliable system, winning back customers and earning him a raise. But the company grows complacent, and the young man, caught up in his own success, stops listening to others and alienates those around him, sliding into a deeper Valley.

Tired and defeated, he joins friends on a barren plateau where they numb themselves. At first the absence of feeling is a relief, but he soon notices how lifeless his friends look. Recalling the clarity in the old man's eyes, he climbs back to the peak.

On his second visit, the old man helps him see that his boastfulness drove people away. He introduces the role of ego: Arrogance on a Peak makes you see things as better than they are, while fear in a Valley makes them seem worse. He illustrates with personal examples: He left a company whose arrogant management refused to adapt and built a successful business by asking what the truth was; when his wife became seriously ill, he found peace by shifting focus from himself to her. Drawing a heartbeat tracing, the old man shows that ups and downs resemble Peaks and Valleys; a flat line means no heartbeat, proving that highs and lows are essential parts of life. Becoming more peaceful, he adds, comes from realizing you are not your Peaks or your Valleys.

The young man spots a higher peak in the distance. The old man introduces the concept of a "sensible vision": imagining a future Peak in vivid, believable detail using all five senses until the image pulls you forward. The young man sets off but finds the path washed away by a roaring river. He arrives at a key insight: His Valley is fear. Though some Valleys stem from genuine misfortune, he has created many of his own through fear. He builds a sensible vision of the higher peak, and his fear dissolves. He crosses the river and realizes that a personal Peak is a triumph over fear. He climbs to the summit, resolving to seek truth rather than live in illusion.

Returning to the old man, he shares his discoveries: It is not enough to know about Peaks and Valleys intellectually; you must live the philosophy. The purpose of the Peak is to celebrate life, and the purpose of the Valley is to learn about it. They talk until it is time for him to go, not knowing it will be the last time they see each other.

Back in the valley, when a larger competitor threatens his company, the young man convenes his team and asks: What is the truth, and where is the hidden good? They recognize the competitor's marketing will raise awareness of their product category, and they create a far better product that wins customers. Remembering how arrogance drove people away, he resolves to say less and do more in his personal life. He discovers that you get out of a Valley sooner by getting outside yourself: being of greater service at work and more loving in life. Over time, the young woman grows fond of him, and he grows closer to his father.

When the old man dies, the young man initially sinks into grief, longing for what is missing. Then he recalls the teaching: A Valley is longing for what is missing; a Peak is appreciating what you have. He shifts to gratitude and writes a summary of the principles on a small card, which he begins sharing. Decades later, he has become an old man himself. A young woman appears on his peak after a difficult journey. He offers to share the approach on one condition: She must pass it on. She agrees, completing the cycle.

The story returns to the café. Ann finishes the tale and hands Michael a summary card. Michael applies the approach at his software company, where jobs are being sent overseas, forming a working group that finds innovative ways to serve clients. At home, he stops taking his wife Linda for granted. His relationship with their teenage son Kevin has been strained by Michael's criticism of Kevin's passion for music. The relationship improves after Michael envisions being the father he wants to be and starts attending Kevin's band practices. Linda, inspired by the changes, introduces the approach at her school. Michael and Linda celebrate at the same café, acknowledging that bad times may lie ahead but feeling equipped to manage them.