Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life (Summary)
Imagine you live in a giant maze and every day you feast on a huge pile of your favorite cheese. It's your job, your security, your happiness. Then one morning, you arrive and it's gone. Vanished. Do you freeze in disbelief and anger, hoping it will reappear? Or do you immediately lace up your running shoes and start searching the maze for a new supply? Your answer reveals everything about how you handle change.
Anticipate Change: Smell the Cheese Often
Don't be caught by surprise. Constantly monitor your environment and situation so you can see big changes coming before they happen, rather than taking your current success for granted.
In the story, the mice, Sniff and Scurry, weren't shocked when the cheese disappeared. They had noticed the supply was getting old and shrinking day by day. This awareness allowed them to react instantly, while the 'Littlepeople,' Hem and Haw, who assumed the cheese would last forever, were completely blindsided.
The Biggest Obstacle Is Your Own Fear
The greatest thing holding you back from adapting to change is your own fear of what might happen if you venture into the unknown. Asking 'What would you do if you weren't afraid?' can be a liberating first step.
The character Haw remains paralyzed with fear in the empty cheese station, starving alongside his friend Hem. He only finds the courage to leave when he visualizes himself finding and enjoying new cheese, realizing his fear of the maze is more debilitating than the maze itself. He writes his pivotal question on the wall to mark his breakthrough.
Let Go of the Past to Find the Future
You cannot find new opportunities if you are still clinging to the old ones that have disappeared. The quicker you let go of what's gone, the sooner you can embrace what's next.
Hem refuses to accept that the 'Old Cheese' is gone for good. He wastes his time and energy complaining, growing angry, and hoping it will magically reappear. His inability to let go leaves him miserable and starving, while Haw, who moves on, eventually finds a massive new supply.
New Cheese Is Waiting, But You Must Seek It
Change isn't just a grim necessity; it's an opportunity for discovery and new kinds of happiness. The process of searching can be as rewarding as the final destination.
As Haw nervously explores the dark corridors of the maze, he begins to find small, stray pieces of new kinds of cheese. These small rewards give him the physical and mental strength to keep going, teaching him that movement itself is better than stagnation and that the adventure can be enjoyed.
