Who Moved My Cheese
About Author
Patrick Spencer Johnson (November 24, 1938 – July 3, 2017)
was an American physician and author, known for the Value Tales series of
children's books, and for his 1998 self-help book Who Moved My Cheese?, which
recurred on the New York Times Bestseller list, on the Publishers Weekly
Hardcover nonfiction list. Johnson was chairman of Spencer Johnson Partners.
Johnson also wrote the book "Yes" or "No": The Guide to
Better Decisions (1992). He co-authored the One Minute Manager series of books
with management writer Ken Blanchard, though each author has added their own
books to the series. Johnson's last book, Out of the Maze, is a sequel to Who
Moved My Cheese that references Johnson's struggle with cancer (which
ultimately ended with his death in 2017) and was published posthumously in
2018.
Summary of Book
Dr. Spencer Johnson tells a parable story about two men and
two mice and shares insightful advice about what you can do to change your life
when you don't let fear hold you back. There are four characters which are
introduced into this story - mice Scurry and Sniff and two men Hem and Haw. Scurry
is always quick to act while Sniff has a knack for smelling change at an early
stage, Hem is someone who is resistant to change because he feels change is
going to bring about something worse. Haw on the other hand resists change at
first but then quickly learns to adapt when he sees the change could
potentially lead to something better. These four characters represent the
complexities that make up our human personality and our journey towards success.
The story of Scurry and Sniff, Scurry and Sniff are simple little creatures
they do however have good instincts they spend a considerable amount of time
scurrying up and down the maze in search of cheese every day. They hurry from
one corner to the next turning around if they don't spot any cheese insight. Each
day the two little mice check on their cheese to see if there's been any
changes to the cheese and they keep on their toes just in case they might have
to be on the move again looking for new cheese. Then we have Haw and Hem who
also spend their time within a maze in search of cheese however they aren't
searching for the cheese because they are hungry on the contrary Haw and Hem
are searching for the cheese because they believe that finding it is what would
lead them to feel happy and successful unlike Scurry and Sniff though Haw and Hem
tend to overthink because of their complex brains. Haw and Hem start to
consider the quickest way to locate the cheese what strategies work best to manoeuvre
the mace, how to keep track of the strategies, when they will finally locate
the cheese and what it will feel like when they do. Naturally they also start
to wonder if the cheese even exists in the maze at all, however once they do
locate their cheese Hem and Haw quickly become complacent and settle down
satisfied with their cheese.
One day when both mice and men wake up to find their cheese
gone, the little mice immediately spring into action and run off in search of
more cheese while the two men stand by in shock at this terrible turn of events.
The mice aren't as horrified by what has happened because they have been
watching their cheese supply from the minute they found it constantly watching
for signs of change The reaction that follows Hem couldn't believe what
happened and insists on standing his ground staying right where he is he
believes that they should be compensated for the loss of cheese because life
was being unfair he refuses to leave the place where the cheese was and decides
to stay where he is even at the risk of fading away Haw on the other hand is
reluctant to change at first because he finds it difficult to comprehend the
turn of events that has happened. Haw is initially terrified of returning to
the maze and searching for new cheese because of what happened but soon comes
to realize that looking for new cheese is still better than staying in a place
but has no cheese at all. With the thought of finding new cheese on his mind Haw
resolutely pushes forward. When he is almost at the brink of giving up Haw
finally find some new cheese in different part of the maze, here he finds
sniffing scary their already enjoying some cheese and this time Haw joins in
the enjoyment. The one thing Haw does differently this time is to continue
searching for new cheese while enjoying what he has and now he too checks on
his cheese daily for signs of change.
Key takeaways there is always success to be found even when
you think you have achieved the success that you've always wanted it doesn't
mean you automatically set up for life. Haw eventually came to the realization
and went in search of new cheese on his own and refused to be paralyzed by fear
any longer adapting to change and letting go of the old ways is something we
must all learn to do and when we have found some cheese we should enjoy it but
never stop searching for more cheese to keep us going when going through the
maze Haw wrote messages on the wall for him to read if he ever was brave enough
to venture out into the maze cheese can represent anything you want in life
happiness money love, here are the things he wrote:
HAVE CHEESE THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY “the more important your cheese is
to you the more you want to hold on to it if you do not change you will become
extinct”. What would you do if you weren't afraid? Smell the cheese often so
you know when it's getting old when you move beyond your fear you feel free. Imagining
yourself enjoying new cheese even before you find it leads you to it. The quicker
you let go of old cheese the sooner you find new cheese.
It is safer to search in the maze then to remain in the cheese-less
station.
Old beliefs may not lead to new cheese.
When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese you change
course
Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger
changes that are to come.
Change happens they keep moving the cheese.
Anticipate change get ready for the cheese to move.
Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again keep
moving with the cheese.
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