WHO MOVED MY CHEESE REVIEW PDF

BOOK REVIEW BY JEFFREY EHIKIOYA ITEPU

January 2018

TITLE : WHO MOVED MY CHEESE

AUTHOR : DR SPENCER JOHNSON

INTRODUCTION

There have been quite a lot of literature on change and how to adapt to this, many principles have been propounded in time past but the complexity of such principles have made change a difficult concept to understand and maximize.

Who moved my cheese sounds like a silly story you tell kids when you try to distract them from engaging in other disturbing activities but the story and lessons in the book are very profound and easy to understand.

What characterizes a great book is the quality of information embedded in it and the simplicity of the message been passed across so that even a dummy can understand, this is the case with this book because my 11 year old sister Fanny read it all in 45 minutes (twice actually) and can tell you all you need to know about the book.

The story illustrates the life and times of 4 characters hem, haw, SNIFF and SCURRY. HEM and HAW being little people with emotions, intellects, will and decisiveness and sniff and scurry being little mice without the same characteristics with Hem and Haw OBVIOUSLY.

All 4 characters live in a maze and feed on cheese found in certain areas of the maze, soon the cheese vanished and they were left to the fate of waiting for it t come back or launch into the unknown to find another cheese station.

SNIFF and SCURRY without analysis strength immediately went in search for a new cheese station while Hem and Haw with their analysis and fear of the unknown waited for the cheese to be restored back to them, seeing it as an entitlement and not a reward for labour.

They soon learn their mistakes and finally adapted. below we would be analysing their voyage based on the writing on the wall found in the cheese station.

#1: HAVING CHEESE MAKES YOU HAPPY

Having what you need when you need it is obviously the dream of everyone, it is a situation of abundance, happiness and peace. Just like these four characters - every morning they go to the cheese station and eat all they could as it was in abundance. The little people ate as much as they  could and went home full of them, sometimes they took their friends to the cheese station and show them their collection of cheese bragging how it was their achievement and birthright. they soon became arrogant, complacent, too comfortable and blind to notice changes in the cheese situation in that station.

In contrast the 2 mices Sniff and Scurry woke up early each morning to the cheese station as usual to ate and also inspect the situation of the cheese in that station and they took notice of a few changes over time. They never got attached to the cheese, they saw it as a reward for their labour and not an entitlement or birthright so they remain objective all through their voyage unlike their human counterpart.

#2: THE MORE IMPORTANT YOUR CHEESE IS TO YOU THE MORE YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO IT.

As anticipated on one faithful day the cheese was gone and obviously sniff and scurry were the first to find out due to their early routine to the cheese station. they weren't surprised because during their daily inspection they noticed the cheese was reducing by the day and they were set for the inevitable. They took their running shoes and began another journey to finding new cheese, they did not overanalyze anything.

For them the problem and solution were both simple: They cheese situation had changed and they had to change with it at once.

It was a different story for the 2 little people; they came as usual with confidence to the cheese station and were shocked to discover the cheese had disappeared, HEM SHOUTED WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? Haw YELLED NO CHEESE? NO CHEESE?

Day after they left their homes and went to the cheese station hoping it would be restored back but the situation hadn't changed

After expressing their disbelief once again they noticed SNIFF AND SCURRY WHERE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

#3: IF YOU DON'T CHANGE YOU WILL BECOME EXTINCT

Just like the story of Nokia and Yahoo, Hem and Haw being emotional and not ready for change kept coming to the same cheese station with the hope of a miracle. Each day they became hungrier and hungrier afraid to launch into the unknown future where SNIFF and SCURRY had gone.

Just like today people still stick to projects, business ventures, or relationships after the so called cheese has moved, scared of starting all over again or the emotion of letting go restricts them from CHANGE, this in the long run will cause more damage than it could have done if they had moved.

Haw finally coming back to his senses decided to move with the cheese into the maze of uncertainty to TRY and find new cheese, there was no degree of certainty new cheese would be found but what was certain was the cheese at station C had moved.

#4: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN'T AFRAID

A few moment after Haw launched into this journey of uncertainty he became afraid which is typical for all of us when we have made that hard decision, we have a future we are expecting but the process getting to that future isn't clear, this thoughts always want to bring us back to our comfort zone.

Many thoughts came to Haw's mind-

I must have stayed too long in the cheeseless station

What if i don't find any cheese?

What if i get lost?

What if i made the wrong decision?

What if, What if, What if!!!

These questions and more confronts us when we decide to CHANGE

So what will you do if you weren't afraid is what you should do when you are afraid, the former shows limitless and boundless risks and opportunities while the latter shows the same.

#5: SMELL THE CHEESE OFTEN SO YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS GETTING OLD

Like SNIFF and SCURRY every single day we should take not of changes in our lives to ensure change doesn't catch us unaware. Companies who were great from the production and sale of TYPEWRITERS have gone into extinction because they decided not to change with the advent of computers only a few adapted to the new trend and survived.

Each day when SNIFF and SCURRY got to the cheese station C instead of just eating, they inspected the area and noticed small changes each day when they came and when the cheese vanished they weren't surprised.

If change catches us unaware then we are in great problem, we have to be updated with innovations and trends of our field of engagement so we can position ourselves strategically to benefit.

#6: MOVEMENT IN A NEW DIRECTION HELPS YOU FIND NEW CHEESE

There are no possibilities in a cheeseless station but in an unknown territory there are unlimited possibilities. We have to move with change as soon as it happens or before it does.

In every new direction we would think about many negatives things but if we keep our eyes on the possibilities of a better future we would be strengthened to keep going.

#7: WHEN YOU STOP BEING AFRAID, YOU FEEL GOOD!

Worry is the most useless activity on earth, all it does is change your blood pressure- Myles Munroe

As hall kept going into the maze he became more aware of his fears. Then he realised his fears we doing more evil than good and so he began to visualise the possibilities of finding new cheese (positive thinking) then he started feeling good amidst his challenging situation.

Whether you worry or you don't the situation remains the same, the worry state makes the situation worse than it really is and can lead one to depression, even death but if you accept the situation and practice positive thinking amidst the problem you begin to feel good. There is a direction correlation between your mental attitude and your success.

#8: IMAGINING YOURSELF ENJOYING NEW CHEESE LEADS YOU TO IT

As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is- Holy Bible

The power of imagination is one very powerful tool available to us all, Haw after he discovered worry wouldn't help him decided to visualize himself enjoying new cheese. In doing this his physical strength restored to him and he had power and unexplained ability to search for new cheese.

Alas! Haw found new cheese after a long search.

#9: THE QUICKER YOU LET GO OF THE OLD CHEESE, THE SOONER YOU FIND NEW CHEESE

Haw discovered that someone had found that station before and had taken most of the cheese there leaving little bits of cheese on the ground. While he was eating it he thought in his heart that if he had left the cheeseless station early he would have found out new cheese much sooner.

The sooner we leave our hopeless situation behind us the faster we find new opportunities. Move Man, Move!

Haw learnt his lesson and decided to head back to his friend Hew who was still at cheeseless station C to inform him about his discovery and the possibilities the maze holds, to his greatest surprise HAW responded that he didn't want any NEW CHEESE because it wasn't what he was used too, REALLY MAN!!. Many of us are like this today in the ways we approach our lives, we shouldn't be afraid of innovations.

#10: IT IS SAFER TO SEARCH IN THE MAZE, THAN REMAIN IN A CHEESELESS SITUATION

After his disappointing return to his friend Hem, Haw realised that it wasn't WHETHER he would find new cheese but WHEN he would, so he went back into the maze with new strength and fear putting his fears behind him.

As individuals we need to keep going no matter what, our friends or family may not believe in the new areas we have decided to venture into, this shouldn't deter you from finding new cheese.

#11: OLD BELIEFS DOES NOT LEAD YOU TO NEW CHEESE

Henry Ford said if he asked people in previous centuries what they wanted they would have said "faster horses" but he made them a car which is much more sustainable because he found out new beliefs. The ideology of horses was based on the old rules of engagement.

This same ideology is what Hem held which made him reject the offer of new cheese found in another territory. Old thinking should give way for new thoughts, Old strategies should bow to new skills, Old processes should step down to new innovations.

Haw realized again, as he had once before, that what you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine". The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.

#12: WHEN YOU SEE THAT YOU CAN FIND AND ENJOY NEW CHEESE, YOU CHANGE COURSE

Change is scary and difficult but when you have a vision of finding what you are looking for it becomes much more easy.

Immediately you can see the possibilities of a better way and yourself in that possibility then you will change immediately but the challenge is that it takes long for most people to get to this point which may be dangerous.

See it early, see yourself in it and change

#13: NOTICING SMALL CHANGES EARLY HELPS YOU ADAPT TO BIGGER CHANGE THAT ARE TO COME

Problem they say is the combination of little things we field to solve overtime. One key area of this book is the ability to see change early and adapt.

Seeing and adapting to small changes in our lives will also help us when we face bigger changes in life.

Haw continued running until he got to station N and found a great pile of cheese with his old friends SNIFF and SCURRY with their big bellies indicating that they had been there a while. After greeting them he took off his running shoes and hung them around his neck in the case he would need them soon, learning from his previous mistake and then he took bites everyone of his favorite cheese.

He lifted a piece of cheese and made a toast "HOORAY FOR CHANGE"

IN CONCLUSION

This simple story can really help us all be aware of change and not be caught unawares with it.

Are you still holding on to your cheese-less situation? MOVE WITH THE CHEESE!!!