Who Moved My Cheese?

Our circumstances are constantly changing, even if we don’t want them to, and the secret to long-lasting happiness is to enjoy the good, easy times when we get them while staying alert to and being ready to change with new circumstances when they come.

Who Moved My Cheese? by Author Dr. Spencer Johnson, is a short, light-hearted parable about change. It follows the physical and emotional journeys of the characters Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw as they search, find, lose and must rediscover their supply of cheese, in a large, twisting maze.

‘Cheese’ represents the things we want in life and the things that make us happy; a good job, a loving relationship, money, possessions, health or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you look for it; the organization you work for, the family or community you live in.

The problem is that no stash of cheese lasts forever. Life changes, cheese supplies run out and we can all find ourselves suddenly cheeseless, whether we like it or not.

Here are some lessons from the book:

1.???????Be adaptive and experiment in life to meet your goals. Don’t hold on to what has served you in the past.

2.???????Fear of change is worse than reality. Our own mind can freeze us from making a change.

3.???????You can learn the skills of change. The more you change, your ability to respond to future changes increases.

One way to overcome fear is to visualize your goals. Create a compelling vision that can help you see a better future. Change is always bound to happen, sooner or later. Instead of fooling yourself that things will stay the same forever, always keep an eye open for change.

Johnson's message is, instead of seeing change as the end of something, we must learn to see it as a beginning.

For life not to be wasted, it demands a level of risk and adventure. If you are willing to live this way, change loses its horror. In fact, the advancing person purposely creates change because the world is not currently how they would like it.

Breaking through your fears makes you free. Those who continually seek security, ironically, are wracked by the possibility that they may lose it.

Would you recommend this book to anyone who is willing to change but is afraid to? Would you read it yourself? Please join the conversation and leave your comments below!

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Cheers!

Joe Calasan