Who Moved My Cheese Report by Amanda

Who Moved My Cheese
   By Spencer Johnson

                        For such a small book, this little delight packs quite the large message. It takes a complex idea and putting it into a simple and easy to follow plan. I must admit that I was a little skeptical when I heard at a seminar that this book would help with my inability to accept change. Being the self-righteous 18 year old sitting in a room of adults, I was a little shocked to learn that book was about four mice. How could a book about mice help me with my problems in life when I read books to the kids I baby-sit about mice? I decided to take a chance, though, and I picked up the book from Walden Books. It sat there in my room for about a month before I buckled down and opened to the story. I was quite surprised.

            Yes, the story itself is about four mice who are taught to find their food in a maze. The story is being told to a group of adults, however, and takes on a storytelling feeling; the one you get sitting around the fire listening to grandma and grandpa tell you about the old days. You know that a story is being told, but that you better pay attention because there is supposed to be a message. The message in this story is quite clear and simple. The four main characters are mice named Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. Sniff and Scurry are the mice that are open to change when presented with it while Hem and Haw are stuck in a rut. As we follow these four mice through the maze, we not only learn about which ones will finally find the cheese and adapt, but you personally start to associate yourself with either Sniff and Scurry or Hem and Haw. Unfortunately, as I talked with others in my workplace about the book, as we had all gone out and bought it after the seminar, you cannot hide from yourself and try and say that you are the type of person who would be the Scurry and Sniff of the story. The whole point is to realize that you do need to take a step back and analyze why you do not feel more receptive to change.

            Once you realize that you are the Hem and Haw, you can now associate with just Haw who also realizes that he cannot get anywhere looking for the “old cheese” in the old station. He must go out and search for it. Another realization that he comes to is that once he finds the “new cheese” that can be taken from him just as easily as the old cheese was. It’s all about being aware and being prepared.

            Once I had sat down and read this book, I sat and thought about its simplicity. It made me feel almost dumb that I had not been able to put what I needed to do in such easy terms. Unfortunately, as soon as the light bulb went on, I was unsure of how to go about with this new knowledge. Sure, it’s easy to sit and read and agree with what you just read, but to actually apply it to your life in itself requires change. However, taking after Haw, once you get past the initial stage of realizing that you need to change, each step after that is somewhat energizing.

            At the end of the story, we are left with the four friends sitting and discussing amongst themselves what they got out of the story. Each person was able to associate their behavior with one of the four mice. And because of that, we’re able to see what they needed to change about themselves.  That’s the lesson to be learned. Not only do you need to learn to deal with change but you first need to realize that you can’t avoid change. As the psychiatrists always say, you can’t get your problem fixed until you admit you have the problem to begin with. And this story in amazing simplicity helps you do just that.