“Who Moved My Cheese?”
This is the title of a famous book written by Spencer Johnson. Most of you have probably read it or at least you might have heard of the title.
I read this book when it was first published about 20 years ago, and recently, I decided to read it again. What resonated with me this time was entirely different from my first reading.
Who Moved My cheese? is a story about change. More specifically, it is about how to adapt to a change which you have not wanted. Here, cheese is a metaphor of what you pursue in your life to make yourself happy. It can be jobs, school degrees, marriage, love, or a presentation at a meeting.
I am going to give you a quick summary of the book. Then, I am going to share my reflections about it on two levels.
Here is the summary. There are four characters that live in a maze — two mice named Sniff and Scurry who act fast when needed, and two little people named Hem and Haw who often overthink and overanalyze. They are always running in the maze to find good cheese to make them happy, and luckily, they discover Cheese Station C where an abundance of tasteful cheese is stored. They go to the station every day to enjoy the cheese.
The mice, Sniff and Scurry, put on their shoes and run to Station C early every morning. While eating the cheese, they always carry their shoes around their necks as if they are ready to leave immediately if necessary. The little people, Hem and Haw, also come to Station C every morning. Not long after, when they realize that the cheese is always there, they start getting up late, and they don’t run to the station any more. Instead, they now wear a pair of slippers instead of shoes, and stroll to the station. Sometimes, they don’t arrive at the station until noon.
One day, however, when they arrive at Cheese Station C, there is no cheese. All of the cheese is gone. Nothing is there.
Each of the four characters respond differently to this sudden change. Sniff, who already sensed that the cheese was getting smaller and starting to smell, anticipated this change. Scurry who acted fast and was ready to move on upon this sudden change. Both decide to leave Station C to find some new cheese and set out on their next adventure into the maze.
As for Hem and Haw, the two little people complain of this sudden change but are afraid to go out into the maze to find some new cheese. After some hesitation, Haw decides to depart Station C and hits the road to find some cheese. On the contrary. Hem decides to stay at Station C until someone brings more cheese.
How does the story end? Sniff and Scurry find Station N where there is lots of cheese. Later, Haw joins Station N after overcoming all of his fears during his exploration of the maze. What about Hem? Did he join those three at Station N, or stay at Stations C and starve to death? We don’t know how he ends up.
This was a short summary of the story. Now, here are the two levels of my reflection points.
My first-level reflection is about how I have responded to recent changes in my life compared to how I want to respond to them.
- Am I like Sniff who always puts the antenna up and anticipates what is going to happen?
- Am I like Scurry who is ready to move without hesitation when things change?
- Am I like Haw who hesitates and feels fear going out into the maze but finally overcomes it?
- Or, am I like Hem who resists changes and dwells on the past?
When the Covid pandemic hit in 2020, we all had to switch to work from home. As we started to return to our new normal, we switched back to working in the office. At first, I was afraid of these changes, but after some hesitation, I happily adapted to the new conditions.
More recently, I was impacted by layoffs, and yes, to begin with, I was filled with dread. But, I quickly decided to move on to the next chapter of my life. I started my gap year project working at Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and driving for Lyft. In the future, I am not sure what’s waiting for me, but I decided that I’m going to respond like Sniff and Scurry when changes occur.
The second reflection I have is a bit more fundamental. It is something like whether I really want and need cheese. These days, to me, cheese means pursuing a full time job in a corporation. I have started to question myself.
- Is Cheese something that really makes me happy?
- Do I eat cheese just because everyone else eats cheese, even though I don’t like it?
- Do I eat cheese just because I think it is real cheese? Although it is “I cannot believe it’s not Cheese” like Cheese?
- Do I eat cheese because I have not realized that I am a vegan?
As my gap year approaches about one year milestone, I am thinking of what makes me genuinely, like cheese in the story. Here are some takeaways. I might have spoiled the book for you, but please take some time to read it.
Three Takeaways;
One, our lives can be totally different depending on how we decide to respond to changes.
Two, some fear and hesitation when faced with changes is natural. When we decide to move on, our confidence will come back.
Three, there is always New Cheese out there whether you recognized it at the time, or not. And you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.
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