“Who moved my cheese?”

“Who moved my cheese?” Authored by Dr. Spencer Johnson offers us a simple but a profound lesson about dealing with changes in your work and your life. Dr. Spencer Johnson is an international best selling author whose books have helped millions of people world wide to lead a healthier and more successful life.
The book guides us through the story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them. The story is a powerful metaphor to the changes in our life: how we deal with changes and how we react to them. The ‘Cheese’ mentioned here is a metaphor for what we want to have in our life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, recognition or even a activity like jogging or golf. The ‘maze’ symbolizes where we look for our cheese – the organization you work in, or the family or community in which you live.
The book revolves around four imaginary characters: Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw who live in the maze. Sniff and Scurry, the mice are quick in sensing the change in the location of their cheese and in adapting to the change. Hem on the other hand denies and resists change for the fear of something worse. Haw gradually learns to adapt to the change when he foresees that it can lead to something better. The maze keeps on changing the location of the cheese and the book tells us the story about the action and reaction of these four characters when they find out that their cheese supply has been moved.
The four characters connect to us in some way or the other depicting the simple and complex parts of ourselves. The experiences these characters have and their reactions mirror real life situations, allowing readers to see themselves in similar circumstances and reflect on their own attitude towards change. Throughout the story, Dr. Spencer Johnson imparts valuable lessons, emphasizing the importance of embracing change, being open to new opportunities and not being afraid to let go of old ways. The book teaches us to proactively seek for success and happiness, rather than passively wait for it to come their way.
One of the book’s strengths is its ability to convey complex ideas through a relatable and engaging story, which resonates with readers of all ages and background. The lessons imparted in the book apply to personal and professional situations, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their adaptability and embrace change. This ‘cheesy’ tale conveys the message that change is inevitable and the story helps us navigate through the ‘mazes’ life throws at us without being stuck in it.
I personally loved this book for it’s remarkable quality of delivering a thoughtful message through a simple engaging tale which holds on to the readers. The world keeps on changing and it will never slow down. In addition, “Change” is the law of nature and it is addressed very well through this book. I would personally like to give a rating of ‘5 stars’ (*****) for this book on a five stars scale. Even after 25 years of its publication, the lesson it gives us is more relevant than ever and continues to inspire millions.
“Move with the Cheese and Enjoy it!”

“I was reading this book in the post-COVID period. The book is philosophical, brief, and excellent. After reading it two or three times, we understand the message of this book and learn how to live a life. My favorite line in this book is, ‘If you don’t change, you can become extinct’. The book makes you confident and strong to face a new situation, and the author suggested that overthinking is useless to handle the situation; action is more important than overthinking. In life, change is permanent.
‘Change is inevitable’ to clarify the concepts the author narrated a four-character story that was you in a maze (life). They were faced with the same situations but reacted differently. They lost a cheese. The word ‘cheese’ is a metaphor considered as love, job, or money. Imaginary character mouse Sniff (mouse) is aware of change, scurries (mouse) to see changes, but fears to adopt. Imaginary character Man Hem (man) resists change; Haw (man) adapts to change.
All characters reacted to the situation with different attitudes. I was considering myself as a Him character who resists change. The author suggested matching your character to anyone’s character and imagining how you would respond to the new situation in life. The word ‘cheese’ considers any loving things, targets, goals, or loving persons in our life. In our life, everyone wants a cheese, such as love, money, or a job, but very few people succeed in life. Because they knew cheese depends on our thoughts and attitude. Attitude to look towards a life in the world. Every person is unique; their attitude is also unique. Many people think the traditional way to face a new situation is always disappointing. The author narrated a character mouse who was easily able to adapt to new situations without any hesitation. And other characters, men, who resist changing, are frustrated and depressed to adopt new situations. In the world, many people are unable to deal with changes; they are confused about how to handle the situation. Books suggest that to welcome new changes and stop old, wrong thinking. Analysis of the situation causes a paralysis of action. Always consider one thing: in our mind, the present situation is not a permanent situation. The book is very helpful for every student who is dealing with multiple social issues in their surroundings. I strongly recommend this book to every learner who faces a new challenge of life. book suggest to us comfort zone is very dangerous for our progress.book make us confident and free to adopt to change quickly and be ready to change. I liked phrase that ‘old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese’.
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” It’s my first book who inspired me to start reading. After reading this book I realised that when we start excepting changes in early stage of our life it will be beneficial for our future.
There have been several books and articles written on this evergreen topic of “Change”. Philosophers and thought-leaders have churned several anecdotes to convey their perspective of handling change. Corporates went on to create a whole new aspect called “Change Management”. All this sounds very serious. Doesn’t it? This book is an attempt to introduce how to deal with “Change” in a fun way, and that is exactly what kept me flipping through the pages.
“Who Moved my Cheese?” is a simple story that reveals simple profound truths about change. It’s a fun story of 4 characters who live in a maze (world) and look for cheese (job, money, love et all) to keep themselves happy. The story revolves around how each character react when an unexpected “change” in circumstances deprives them of the cheese that they loved so dearly. Their reaction to the situation gives away valuable lessons that can help us to discover for ourself how to deal with change so that we can enjoy less stress and more success (however we define it) in our Life
4 characters — Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw represent the simple and complex parts of ourselves.
• Sniff represents someone who sniffs out change early.
• Scurry represents someone who scurries into action.
• Hem represents someone who fears and denies change.
• Haw represents someone who learns to adapt in time when he sees change can lead to something better.
Have you identified yourself sniffing, scurrying, hemming and hawing? Perfect! I did too. All these characters are within us.
Here are a few key learnings that could help you put together your personal strategy to deal with change.
If I do not change, I can become extinct
There are several examples out there to justify this. Every aspect of our life needs change — be it a job, a relationship or your car. A change done mindfully can enhance the experience and expand the joy that can be derived out of it.
• What would I do if I was not afraid?
What a powerful question! I stopped writing and pondered over this again and my head is rushing with ideas and things that I could do if I could throw away those fears for a moment. They say that a man who has nothing to lose is fearless, but this learning led me to think that one who is fearless gains everything. When you stop being afraid, you feel good.
Smell the cheese often so I can know when it is getting old
How often do we take things for granted? Every time! We can stay in one job for decades and wonder why we aren’t excited about it any more or why that promotion never happened. Rarely do we stop and think if there was anything that needed to change in yourself. You are only as good as your last successful endeavor. Smell the coffee. Consider change. The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you will find new cheese!
Imagining ourrself enjoying the new cheese leads us to it
Visualization is a crucial activity to receive what we aspire. Good news day-dreamers! It has been scientifically proven that regularly visualizing (imagining and feeling) that what we aspire will trigger action to achieve that goal. Visualization is a powerful tool used by athletes and high achievers.
Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger changes that are to come
This is what sniffing is all about. This is possible only if you are aware of the environment and the people dynamics around you. This will require you to step back- look at the big picture, put things into perspective, and recognize what is driving the change.
Savor the adventure and move with the cheese
Keep moving! When you accept the fear of uncertainty then life becomes an adventure. When you accept the adventure, you will play to stay ahead of the game.
Personally, I have seen myself hem a lot in the earlier stages of my life and eventually learned to haw.
I am still honing my skills to sniff change earlier and scurrying is still a work in progress.
Whatever parts of us we choose to use, we all share something in common: a need to find our way in the maze and succeed in changing times.
I would like to recommend one more book by same other, “The Present”. You will suerly like it.”