The Perfect Gift

By Nigel MacLennan

Happiness is the one thing we all want: you deserve to be happy, too!

You are closer to a lifetime of happiness now, reading this page, than you have ever been in your life.

Everything you have ever done in your life is an attempt to make yourself happy. EVERYTHING! Past, present and future! That thing you want to buy, you desire it because you hope it will make you happy. That achievement you are striving for is another attempt to be happy. That ideal friendship or relationship that you are looking for, you want for the happiness you hope it will bring.

Most attempts to reach happiness give short-lived results. You know from experience that few attempts to find lasting happiness work long-term. Many people spend their lives chasing their happiness tails. They might get a brief sense of that elusive happiness prize when they watch a film, or buy a desired item, or go on an exotic holiday, or some such. But they walk through life with that ongoing and gnawing feeling; the one that constantly reminds them that they are not happy. They’ve tried nearly everything: buying things, trying things, frying things.

Many people die, having spent their entire lives searching for, and never having found lasting happiness. Some people give up the search for lasting happiness, resigning themselves to unhappy lives. You can see it on the faces in any crowd. You can see it as they drive to work The good news for you is, YOU HAVE FOUND IT! ‘The Perfect Gift’ contains the secret of lasting happiness that escapes most people all their lives.

Whoever you are, whatever stage of life you are in, ‘The Perfect Gift’ can offer you a rapid route to understanding how to be happy, long term. It’s never too late to discover the secret of lasting happiness.

"I wish I had read it a very long time ago!"
Marilyn Chapman, Retired Real Estate Manager

Learn the secret of lasting happiness, fast! Imagine obtaining the tools for a lifetime of happiness in about as long as it takes to watch a film!

"A thought provoking and challenging book. I read it in one sitting. Repeated reads will reward you." Guy Perry, Media Consultant

“Congratulations on a wonderful piece of writing... creative, imaginative and appropriate. 'The Perfect Gift' has a wonderfully exciting title and ... the story as it evolves continually raises your curiosity... I just couldn’t wait to read what would come next...” Bernie Smith, Head Teacher of The Year (UK Midlands)

“Not the normal kind of book I would read, but I enjoyed it enormously, twice!” Peter Pollard, Retired NCO, British Army

“Better than ‘Great Expectations’!”
Rob Cleveland, Principal Officer, Child Protection

“The message is really powerful; it’s absolutely terrific. Lots of people really need this material.” Clive Mason, HR Director in the Atofina Group.

“The Perfect Gift is a sparkling voyage of discovery. Incisive and thought provoking.” Wayne Stackhouse, The Birmingham Mail.

“I highly commend this book to anyone who wants to know the secret of living the life of their dreams... This book provides the essential tools for a lifetime of success and happiness.” Robert A Scott, Managing Director – Change Your Life Ltd.

“The Perfect Gift seems the perfect vehicle for getting across a very powerful message. What will the book do for people? I have no doubt it will open eyes.” Peter Jackson, Director of Human Resources, T & S Stores Plc.

“A gripping read. A book to inspire and act as a catalyst for change, which is also a gripping suspense thriller.” Sherridan Hughes, Chartered Psychologist, CareerMax.

Understand yourself and the people around you.

Imagine after reading just one e-book, that your whole life made sense.
Imagine understanding yourself, completely, for the first time.
Imagine understanding the behaviour of everyone around you.

Make sure you learn the secret to lasting happiness. Read ‘The Perf

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nigel MacLennan
• Release date: Nov 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9780954365868

Book preview

‘The Perfect Gift’

by

Prof Nigel MacLennan

Smashwords Version

Copyright 2013

Dedication

‘‘The Perfect Gift’’ is dedicated to: everyone who has not yet found it; those whose lives would be profoundly changed by it; those who don’t even know of its existence, and to those who know of its existence and actively resist it, to their detriment.

‘The Perfect Gift’

Prof Nigel MacLennan

Aria

‘The Perfect Gift’

(Smashwords Edition)

Copyright Nigel MacLennan 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the permission from the publisher.

Published by Aria, UK, Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 978-0-9543658-6-8

Prof Nigel MacLennan has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the author of this work.

This ebook is licenced for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Perfect Gift

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Invitation

Chapter 2 The Choice

Chapter 3 The First Guardian

Chapter 4 The Second Guardian

Chapter 5 The Third Guardian

Chapter 6 The Fourth Guardian

Chapter 7 The Fifth Guardian

Chapter 8 The Sixth Guardian

Acknowledgements

What you hold in your hands is the result of input and suggestions from many people. Some of them were my teachers, officially, many more of them, my teachers, unofficially.

Specifically, my thanks go to the many people I have had the privilege to coach over the years for repeatedly telling me how powerful they found my simple models to be. To those who challenged me to make my work more accessible to the wider public and not just the business elite, thank you: you were right!

To the many companies whose Boards I have had the privilege to lead, thank you. Your incisive observations have helped me to refine the material.

To all the people who read the first draft of this book and made constructive suggestions for improvement, thank you. You are: Bob MacKay, Sherridan Hughes, Bob Scott, Peter Jackson, Guy Perry, Wayne Stackhouse, Rob Cleveland, Neil Lawrence, Peter Pollard.

To a very special person whose lifetime service to his country is greatly appreciated by all who love the freedom he protected for so long, even if they don’t know him. But I know him and have this opportunity to thank him for being such an outstanding father to me for the last 15 years, and for making my mother so happy. Peter Pollard, thank you, immensely.

To my mother who overcame obstacle after obstacle over 18 years and more, who showed me by practicing much of what has found its way into my books, and who made it possible for me to contribute to the lives of so many, you gave ‘The Perfect Gift’, thank you.

Chapter 1

The Invitation

"Why do they want to see me? thought a concerned Apprentice of Life to herself. Perhaps my coming of age has something to do with it. They said that everyone at my age receives this honour. What honour? ‘Receive?’ It feels more like an ordeal than a gift, and who are they?" her concerns continued.

Sitting together, the Guardians of ‘The Perfect Gift’ speculated out loud about which option their latest Apprentice would choose. Passing time drew their idle speculation closer to the point of resolution. It is time, asserted the Chair for this meeting. The Chair of the Guardians was the youngest Chair of Guardians ever elected. An honour, indeed, since he had only received ‘The Perfect Gift’ himself, two years previously.

Has she arrived yet?

Yes Chair, she has just arrived, replied the Senior Guardian, but she is very nervous.

"Please ask the Apprentice of Life to come in, commanded the Chair of the Guardians in his official capacity. Senior Guardian, could you introduce yourself to her, put her at ease, and tell her about the wonderful choice that awaits her. Could you sit with her throughout the proceedings and give her any guidance you think she might need," added the Chair of the Guardians, with the memories of how unjustifiably nervous he had been still fresh in his mind.

Hello, Apprentice of Life, I am The Senior Guardian.

Hi, ‘Senior Guardian’... Why do you call me ‘Apprentice of Life’? Why do you use your title instead of your name? replied the Apprentice with a friendly tone at first and then a touch of concerned curiosity.

You are as intelligent as I thought you would be. Here you are, about to take the biggest decision of your life, and your first thought is to learn.

What do you mean, I am about to take the biggest decision of my life? How do you know whether I am intelligent or not? quizzed the Apprentice with a much higher pitched and defensive tone.

"What you are about to receive is ‘The Perfect Gift,’ for you. You will be given several choices: choices that I, too, made a few years ago. You have nothing to fear. In fact, you have every reason to celebrate. Not every society gives its young the opportunity to have ‘‘The Perfect Gift’’ at such a young age. At the end of this meeting you will be very pleased with what you have been offered; nothing but good will come of this meeting.

"Are you willing to trust me to help you through