Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr.Spencer Johnson (Book Review)

BOOK REVIEW

Who Moved My Cheese?

 by Dr.Spencer Johnson 

Changes are inevitable. They can be in our life, in our business or anywhere else. Most of us resist changes as we are not mentally prepared for that. But changes are not essentially bad all the times. They prepare us mentally to progress in our life. Adapting ourselves to changes improves us in amazing ways. 

The book starts with a gathering of friends where one of them narrates this story to help others, deal with changes in their lives.The parable is about two mice -- Sniff and Scurry and two little people -- Hem and Haw. These characters depict the simple and complex parts of our brains. Everything is metaphorical here. The maze they live in represents life; The cheese they keep looking for represents money, job, love or any such thing that gives us happiness. Sniff sniffs the problems before they occur. Scurry scurries fast on the face of problems. Hem and Haw are hesitant to change and there by complicate the situation.  

Sniff and Scurry are mice, Hem and Haw are little men who are in the maze and look for their favourite cheese. The mice, being simple and experimental, use trial and error method to find out their cheese from the maze. Whereas Hem and Haw use various techniques. Once they find out the cheese in Cheese Station - C, they all enjoy feasting on the cheese.But once when they run out of cheese, Sniff and Scurry leave in search of new cheese without any ado. They don't over analyse things. For them both problem and answer are same. 

Hem and Haw haven't noticed the  minor changes and are shocked to find their cheese missing. Hem cribs and yells, "who moved my cheese?" without diving into action. Haw too stands frozen. 

But Sniff and Scurry find new cheese station. Hem and Haw stand there, deliberating and over analysing. Hem being headstrong, doesn't want to leave the station even when Haw suggests. Besides he fears the consequences and tells, "It's not safe outside". 

Haw finally decides to move out in search of new cheese, breaking his comfort zone. At first Haw also fears the consequences but gradually gets used to the pursuit. He loves to be productive instead of cribbing and blaming others, when change occurs. He can't find that easily. He runs to the stations one by one; finds them empty; learns the importance of acting on time on the face of difficulties. He even takes some cheese to his friend Hem to motivate him. But he is unchangeable and tells that he only likes his old Cheese. Disappointed Haw gets back to the maze with stronger determination and finally reaches the station and finds the cheese in plenty. 

When the narrator finishes the story, the friends cheer and tell that the story will help them deal with changes progressively. 

Lines that caught my eyes (Who Moved My Cheese?)...

• “I guess we resist changing, because we are afraid of change.”
• “Life moves on and so should we”
• “What would you do if you weren't afraid?”
• “What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine.”
• “When you stop being afraid you feel good”
• “If you do not change, you can become extinct !”
• “The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists”
• "We keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don't get better."
• “Better late than never.”
• “Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley.   But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves”

PS:

As a reader I could learn plenty from this short and crisp story. I could even feel how many times in my life I had been a Hem in resisting changes and being a hurdle in my own path to success. I have also resolved to be like Haw in throwing away the unwanted fears of uncertainty and to progress. As Haw says, "We keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don't get better." The book has given me profound views and different perspectives about changes and how to deal with them. 

• Changes are not always bad. They are to be dealt with positive outlook.
• Mere cribbing can't change things but our actions can
• We perform better when we get rid of unwanted fear
• It's outside the comfort zone that we can find our better version