Who moved my cheese summary and review
A timeless classic that uses a simple parable to teach you how to anticipate, adapt and embrace the change
Changes happen at every nook and cranny of our lives. Just because our life is headed in a certain direction doesn’t mean things won’t change. Living in constant white water with changes occurring all the time at work or in life can be stressful.
Letting go of old things can be scary and difficult, but it is essential for a better future and for your personal growth.
Do not complicate life or immobilize yourself with fearful beliefs. Get past your fear. The idea is not to get overwhelmed with changes, rather always be on the lookout for them and face them head-on as and when they come.
Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, these changes don’t happen overnight. Tiny changes take place every minute, every second of our life and we need to be prepared.
So, you need to be alert and prepared for the big change that is coming. Retrospect on your past mistakes and use them to plan the future. Only you are capable of bringing the change you wish to see. Be flexible and adapt well in time.
To learn how to adapt quickly and enjoy the changes, read on!
Who Moved My Cheese is a story about four characters — the mice: “Sniff” and “Scurry”, and the Littlepeople (who were as small as mice, but looked and acted a lot like people): “Hem” and “Haw”.
They are looking for cheese in a maze. Here, Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life — it could be a job, relationship, money, house, freedom, health, fame, or spiritual peace.
The maze in the story represents where you spend time looking for what you want. It could be in the organization you work at, the relationships you have in your life.
Keep it simple
The mice and the Littlepeople used to leave their homes every morning in search of cheese. But the mice being simple creatures had simple methods of finding cheese while the Littlepeople used their complex brains to find the cheese.
We, humans, are complicated beings. Learn to be more like the mice. Keep everything simple. Do not overanalyze anything in life. Take things as and how they come.
Don’t get complacent, things change
Finally, both groups found cheese in their own ways. Soon, they established a routine for it.
The mice would wake up early every day and head to the destination to enjoy the cheese. Hem and Haw used to come every day too.
But, gradually they started arriving a little late, now that they knew there was Cheese to enjoy. They just assumed that it would always be there.
Change is inevitable. Nothing lasts forever. Everything is bound to change sooner or later. So, it is best to accept it as part of life.
Anticipate and Monitor Change
Their routine continued for some time. But, Sniff and Scurry used to also inspect the area and see if there were changes from the day before.
Then they would sit down to enjoy the cheese. On the other hand, Hem and Haw got so comfortable that they didn’t even notice what was happening.
It is essential to be ready for incoming changes. Changes take time to occur and usually happening every minute until the big change happens.
Be on the lookout for these small changes so that you are prepared for the big change when it occurs.
Adapt to Change Quickly
One day, when the mice arrived, there was no cheese. But they were not at all surprised. Since they were making note of the small changes every day, they knew exactly what to do.
They immediately moved on in search of new cheese. They didn’t overanalyze things at all. Things had changed and so they needed to change too.
It is better to adapt to change in time as that would take the edge off the stress and would be more satisfied with yourself. If there are changes taking place in your job or your relationship, adapt to those changes as fast as you can.
The more important the cheese, the more you hold on to it
Later that day, when the Littlepeople arrived at the spot, they were shocked to find no cheese. They had not been paying attention to the small changes, they were unprepared for what they found.
As the Cheese was very important to them, they stood there for a long time in disbelief. They weren’t ready to accept the situation.
“Things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.”
When things are not going our way, we find it difficult to move on from it. And the more important it is to you, the more difficult it becomes.
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
The Littlepeople weren’t ready to accept the change. They were afraid to move out of their comfort zone in search of new cheese. Finally, Haw saw what fear was doing to him.
While some fear is good, as it helps you to stay out of danger. But if it is stopping you from taking action, then you need to get past the fear.
“The fear of anything is usually more frightening than the thing itself. So, stop imagining anything that is beyond your control.”
I would like to cite a Kota Factory Season 2 reference here. Watch it if you haven’t already!
When a couple of students are afraid of appearing for exams in fear of scoring less and getting demotivated, her ma’am asks one of them to close their eyes and imagine being trapped in a cage with a lion in it.
She asks her what would she do in order to escape. She says she doesn’t know.
To which, her teacher asks her to “stop imagining and open her eyes.”
Imagining yourself with the new cheese leads you to it
Haw ventured out on his own as Hem didn’t agree to move on. Haw painted a picture of himself having found Cheese.
That gave him some confidence. He started to believe that eventually, he would find new Cheese and that things would get better.
Imagining yourself in a better situation makes you feel good. You start to see that once you are ready to move out of your comfort zone, there are good things waiting to happen for you. There is always something better, ahead.
Change
After Hem ventured out in search of new cheese, he decided that would stay more alert from thereon. He would expect change to happen and look for it. And when change happens, he would ready to adapt to it quickly.
It is better to deal with the change sooner rather than wasting time denying it. It helps you cope better.
Always be flexible. Be ready to accept changes in life. Everything in life is impermanent and change is the only constant.
Enjoy the change!
Hem spends days in search of the cheese. He come across cheese stations that looked promising but he didn’t find cheese there. But he continued with the journey with greater strength and speed.
Finally, after days, he found a corner with New Cheese! There was the greatest supply of cheese he had ever seen. And not only that, but he also reunited with his old friends, Sniff and Scurry.
They had been there for some time now. Hem learned
“The fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly — then you can let go and move quickly.”
Spencer Johnson
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