“Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. is not just about the story, the back story carries meaning as well however, each element involves change, how we react and how we can help others. I think the strongest quote that most succinctly expresses the theme of the book appears on page 76 when the “Writing on the Wall” says “Move With the Cheese and Enjoy It” . There are a few additional threads that run though and weave together to make the move an enjoyable adventure instead of a fear-laden quest. One is to keep aware of your situation so you can anticipate change. Another and perhaps the one I can relate to the best is how fear affects our ability to embrace and take advantage of change. This one is not just a thread running through the “Cheese” story; it is also revisited at the end in the section entitled, “A Discussion: Later That Same Day” in that section the friends are discussing the story and one asks the others about their own fear of change. Only one of the friends admits to it. She laughs and complements the one honest person in the room. Then when she asks how many of you think the others are afraid “Practically everyone raised their hands. Then they all started laughing.” .
I relate well to several characters in the story. If I have to bring it just one, I would have to say I am mostly a “Sniff.” I try to keep aware of what is going on around me, and when it is time to move on and change, I move at a much slower and more deliberate pace than a scurry. However, when Haw wrote the words “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” on the wall it struck a strong chord. There have been so many times that the hardest part of a job for me was getting over my fear of the task. Once I jumped on in it was easy, sometimes even fun. Still I know that I am going to moan each time a new version of a software package is released, even knowing that I will eventually first master, then enjoy the features.
I remember hearing somewhere that “a rich person has a lot; a wealthy person needs very little.” With that in mind, I want to be a wealthy person. I do not want to “Hem” and “Haw” about who has the most Cheese. I want enough to live comfortably and share a bit as well. I have noticed that many rich people spend so much time obsessing over protecting what they have and getting more they do not enjoy their lives. I would rather have an abundant life than a big bank account. My “Cheese” then is to be wealthy, and to lead a rich life.
There were many situations in the “Cheese” story; and in the rest of the book, that I can relate to. Fear, change and choices seem to be something that keeps coming around and around again. Not just for me, but also for my friends and family. I cannot count how many times I have given that reassuring “pep talk” of the “you can do it” variety, probably almost as often as my friends and family have given it to me. When Nathan tells his story about the family business facing competition from the mega store I thought of how many times I have seen that play out. Fortunately, many communities are now attentive to maintaining the viability of local businesses, but an important factor is that the local business has to adapt to the changing scenario as well.
The lessons here especially in the group of former classmates who meet later to discuss the story tend to address the problems people face in the business world. What I found exciting was how applying the ideas and principals in this book to my education process could help me. Because I am still exploring opportunities, I know I will be facing changes. But, I need to be more flexible in how I approach not just the changes, but some prerequisites as well. Instead of being annoyed when I have to take a seemingly unrelated course I need to explore it more and find the value in it.
I liked this book. It gave me the opportunity to look at life from a more mature prospective. Often students become so involved with the education process we do not even consider what life will be like after college. This book took that a step further. I made me consider how my situation will change as time goes by and life evolves. I will not only be facing career challenges, but family ones as well. Someday I will be the parent. I will need to provide guidance and help to my own children. I have not given much thought to that and this book made me realize change is part of life.
Works Cited
Johnson, M.D., Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1998.
—. Who Moved My Cheese. 2010. 14 3 2012
