Who moved my cheese? – Review

Admin — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:49:19 +0000

Lately, I have been taking Will Smith’s advice (Keys to life are running and reading) seriously and have started reading, and quite wildly, I should say. “Who moved my cheese?” by Spencer Johnson was one of them which grabbed my attention. It would be a good idea to share it with all I know, not only because the author wanted it to spread far and wide, but mainly because the story is worth spreading, thus I write. There are plenty of lessons one can draw from this simple, yet very well-written story. Talking about all of them would not be befitting, so I will focus on what I think the bottom line is alone. Here goes.

The story in brevity:

It revolves around four characters and loads of cheese hidden in different parts of a maze. The four characters are very cleverly named so as to judge their attitudes and characteristics: Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. First two are mice and the latter two are small people, as depicted by the author. They move around the maze for cheese to feed on. They also land at a cheese station full of cheese. So full, they think it is enough to last a life time. In life’s way, suddenly all the cheese disappear from that station, leaving the four stunned. The reality is, it had been gradually decreasing, but they had failed to foresee it. How they react to this situation is the remaining part of the story; the best part of the story.

Cheese here, is not cheese as it sounds, but a metaphor that stands for things we pursue in life. A job, a relationship, money or any material for that matter. Cheese can even be an activity which we cannot do without doing. The cheese having disappeared implies change. Change of a routine which hits us right in the face when we least expect it to.

Sniff and Scurry are mice with a smaller brains than humans. Naturally, we tend to think they are less intelligent than human beings. But in reality, smaller brain implies lesser complexity; fewer rules to follow; faster decisions. Sniff is good at “sniffing out” cheese, and Scurry excels at “scurrying” after the cheese once he knows where it is. The two mice don’t really think about things. They just react to them. They find cheese; they eat cheese. They don’t find it; they go places, looking for it. Unlike us, they don’t over-analyze and waste time doing paperback calculations. They don’t plan. They act. Spontaneously act. And most of the time, it is what works well. Sniff and Scurry are ready to handle the cheese crisis. They, without second thoughts, get back to looking for more.

Hem and Haw, you could say, are a little bit too complicated than the simple mice. They can’t help using their brains more because they have them. Hem, in particular and as the name suggests, is someone who is afraid of change; One who cannot take a break from the routine. Is this not the situation in which we find ourselves most of the time? It might even be too late before the estimation and other careful planning are done. The hesitation to move on and the lame reasons we state in defense are also brought out pretty well.

The two little people, however, mope around, blaming someone for moving their cheese. They claim they don’t deserve to be in such a situation because they worked hard through the maze to find that cheese. They are not prepared to look again for more, even though it is their only source of survival. At an instance, even after Haw came over his fear, laughed at himself for being so foolish and moved on without Hem, Hem stays stubbornly put, insisting that someone will put his cheese back. Haw, on his way, scribbles on walls for Hem to know the way, just in case he changed his mind and decided to follow him. These scribblings are the goods the author wants to deliver.To make a long story short, (I know I could have done it in the first place, but still…)

They keep moving the cheese. (Change happens)
Get ready for the cheese to move. (Anticipate change)
Smell the cheese often, so you know when it’s getting old. (Monitor change)
The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheese. (Adapt to change quickly)
Move with the cheese. (Change)
Savour the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese. (Enjoy change)
Someone will keep moving the cheese. (Be ready to enjoy change quickly, and enjoy it every time)

Both, in this narration and in reality, the end of the story is always in favour of the daring, Sniff, Scurry and Haw. Ask yourself, “What would I do if I were not afraid?”, and get going, because a “good enough” solution to a problem is fine. Much better in fact than a “no-solution”. Even the best would be futile if it comes all the late. In short, this book,

“Who moved my cheese?” is very much worth the read. This is not in any way an advertisement or a promotion for the book, though I wish it was. It is just to say, “Don’t hesitate to laugh at your own folly and start doing what it takes.” Over-analysis is activity. It is analysis that is productivity.

Price: $8.41 in Amazon and Rs. 109 in India at Landmark outlets.

Spellbinder
Editorial Team
GSG

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Who moved my cheese? – Review