Analysis Of Who Moved My Cheese By Spencer Johnson
Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson, is a short story that is focused around change and adaptation. Spencer Foster includes four characters, two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two little people named Hem and Haw. Johnson was a physician and psychologist, who wrote books such as Who Moved My Cheese, One-Minute Manager, and The Guide To Better Decisions. Who moved My Cheese, was a book on the New York times bestseller, and on the Publishers Weekly. His most popular and renowned book,
Who Moved My Cheese Lessons
Its easy to draw parallels from the story to unsettling changes in our own lives for instance, changes in a job, relationship, or health. The characters flaws and successes reflect our own tendencies when confronting change: Like Haw, we may resist, complain, and deny change because weve become complacent or afraid. Or we can be like Sniff and Scurry, staying on our toes, preparing for future change, not overanalyzing things, and being ready to adapt without fear.
Even when we adapt, change is initially challenging, and Who Moved My Cheese offers a road map for navigating change in a way that minimizes stress. These are the Who Moved My Cheese lessons.
Overview: The Full Life
After finding the cheese, Hem and Haw, the human characters, believed that the full life was already guaranteed, after all, they had to work hard to find what they wanted so much. They gave themselves the luxury of waking up late, as there was no longer the worry caused by demand.
However, Sniff and Scury, the mice, kept the same routine, waking up early and checking if something had changed, because even if they had already found what they wanted, it was necessary to keep it.
Until the Cheese disappeared, as the mice already assumed.
As narrated by Spencer Johnson in his book, “Who Moved My Cheese?”, The animals reacted quickly, returning to the search stage, while the humans were incredulous, had taken away their happiness. They still did not know what to do, immobile.
It didn’t take long for the rats to find a new stock of cheese, while the humans were still in the denial phase, trying to blame someone for what had happened.
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If You Do Not Change You Can Become Extinct
First few days Haw Find no cheese but after that Haw find some cheese here and there on new roads of maze. Haw brings some cheese to Cheese Station C for Hem and tries to convince Hem to come to the maze but again Hem refuses to get out of that situation so he leaves Hem and he again goes into the maze with the hope of new cheese.
Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost in the corridors.It seemed his progress was two steps forward and one step backward. It was a challenge, but he had to admit that being back in the Maze, hunting for Cheese,wasnt nearly as bad as he feared it might be.
Later, as Haw looked back on things, he realized that the Cheese at Cheese Station C had not just disappeared overnight, as he had once believed. The amount of Cheese that had been there toward the end had been getting smaller, and what was left had grown old. It didnt taste as good. With this he write on the wall
Quotes From Who Moved My Cheese For An Effective Change
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with change in your work and in your life, was such a catchy title. On the streets of Pune when I strolled down the lane these neatly arranged books on the footpath always attract me towards them.
I avoid buying any books from there, but that day I just picked this beauty and handed over the money to the seller and ran home like a little girl hopping joyously with her lollipop.
That night itself I read it in one sitting . Who Moved My Cheese? moved me completely. I was proud that the decisions I made until then, were all worth it.
When I read the very first page, I kept making mental notes to write a blog on the book and share it with you. No matter what you are pursuing right now, each one of you must read this book.
Here are 20 quotes from Who Moved My Cheese for an effective change by Dr Spencer Johnson.
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Who Moved My Cheese Book Summary
Who Moved My Cheese has four characters:
Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. Two are humans who are the size of mice named Hem and Haw. They live in a maze and have to constantly find cheese to survive.
The mice have a simple strategy. They test each pathway until they find one with cheese. The humans think theyre more sophisticated, but youll find out later that it backfires on them .
One day, all of them find a ton of cheese in one spot that looks like its enough to last them a lifetime. They end up spending a long time here.
The humans settle down and slowly get arrogant. They show off their cheese and brag about it. They take it for granted. They get stuck in their old ways.
The mice are always vigilant. Theyre ready to move on if the cheese disappears. Theyre always checking to see if the supply is getting lower.
One day, the cheese runs out. The mice foresaw this and they move on to discover more cheese.
The humans didnt foresee this. Their arrogance blinded them to the slowly dwindling supply. But they wont leave the area to look for more. Theyre fearful of whats out there in the maze. They have gotten used to their old habits. They have started to believe they were entitled to the cheese.
They scream angrily, WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?
Hem and Haw decide to stay because they hope the cheese will appear there once again. They get bitter and blame everything but themselves. They complain that they worked hard to find the cheese and deserve more.
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese The Sooner You Find New Cheese
After a While Haw made his way back to Cheese Station C and found Hem. He offered a bit of new cheese to Hem, but was turned down. And Hem said, I dont think I would like new cheese. Its not what Im used to. I want my own cheese back and Im not going to change until I get my own cheese back. Haw lift Cheese Station C and white on the wall
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Adapt To Change Quickly
Dr Spencer explains the idea of quick movement. The speed to achieve something matters. In this story of change, mice move fast to find new cheese that can relish them again. In the end, they get cheese earlier.
No matter what the way you have chosen, the continuous movement with determination reaps cheese.
Who Moved My Cheese By Spencer Johnson
IdentificationIn the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, out of the four main characters, I most resemble the little person Haw. Right away, it was obvious I was not like the mice. I am a thinker. Sniff and Scurry reacted far too immediately for me. When the change happened, they were already out in the maze seeing what they could find. Change tends to affect me more heavily than it did the mice. I tend to use a combination of brainpower and emotion when I am looking for my Cheese just like Hem and
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To Whom Is This Book Indicated
Who Moved My Cheese is indicated for entrepreneurs looking for a better way to manage change at work and people who need to deal with interpersonal relationships of any nature.
It is a narrative full of teachings on how tolook at life differently, learning that acting with your head is better than clinging to the past.
Why Change Move With Cheese
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Who Moved My Cheese Lesson #3
AdaptBe open-minded to new things: There are always experiences and opportunities available beyond those you are currently familiar with. You might like them even more than what you used to have.
- In the story: Haw found bits of new kinds of cheese , and he tried them and liked them. This gave him confidence to keep pushing forward to even better experiences.
Essay About Who Moved My Cheese By Spencer Johnson
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer JohnsonWho Moved My Cheese focuses on change. The story begins with the characters: Angela, Nathan, Carlos, and Jessica, and Michael who are old school friends who gather to reminisce about the different paths their lives have taken. The group all talks about how their lives have ended up completely unlike how they had expected. Michael offers his take on the theme of change and decides to share a story. The story centers around two mice, Sniff and Scurry
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Who Moved My Cheese By Dr Spencer Johnson
Introduction and summary of the bookWho Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, published on September 8, 1998, is a motivational tale by Dr. Spencer Johnson written in the style of a parable or business fable. With this book, Dr. Johnson brings out the inherent human fear towards change and the ways to deal with it.Most people are fearful of change because they don’t believe they have any control over how or when it happens to them. There is a state of
Lesson : Stop Thinking Too Much About Your Cheese And Start Chasing It
The two mice inside of our maze are Sniff and Scurry. They spend most of their time running up and down the corridors of the maze, looking for cheese. Turn a corner, run to the end, see if theres any cheese, and if not, turn around and go back. Thats their pattern, and, while it seems kind of mindless and unstructured, it actually saves them a lot of time and energy.
Hem and Haw, two little people, also spend their days in the maze looking for cheese, but not because theyre hungry they think finding it will make them feel happy and successful. However, because of their complex brains, they think a lot about
- how they can find the cheese the fastest
- which strategies will work best in getting through the maze
- how to keep track of those strategies
- what finding the cheese will feel like
- when theyll finally find it
and of course, they wonder if there even is any cheese in the maze at all every time they turn another empty corner.
Life is the same. Every minute you spend wondering what success looks like, how to get it, whether its possible and how youll feel in the future is a minute not spend working towards it. Humans are complicated beings, but that doesnt mean we have to make everything complicated.
Be more like a mouse and just start running!
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How These Lessons Are Useful To Me During The Lockdown Period
Who moved my cheese by Spencer Johnson is a short book but is packed with a lot of important lessons that we can pick up during this pandemic time. It was a parable about change it is about a journey of four characters searching, finding, losing, and rediscovering back their cheese in a large twisting maze.
Johnson uses cheese as a metaphor for what you want in life, such as a well-paid job, a loving relationship, possessions, or a healthier body. The maze is the environment we live in, such as our workplace, our friends, family. The book talks about problems that no cheese is everlasting and life changes, whether we love it or not.
As Heraclitus once said Change is the only constant in life
Who Moved My Cheese Short Summary
Who Moved My Cheese is a tale about four characters – Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw who discover the risks and rewards of resisting and adapting to change as they search, find, lose and must rediscover their favourite food, cheese, in a large, twisting maze. Read the full Who Moved My Cheese summary.
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Who Moved My Cheese Book Review And Analysis
The authors of the story have mentioned that the cheese in the book represents anything a human strives for. It could be money, fame, reputation, happiness, success, achievements, or anything else.
I believe there are many more lessons than the ones that Hem wrote on the wall about change that you can learn from this story. Heres what I learned:
Dont get bitter and blame anyone or anything else for where you are in life. Whether its fair or not, you have to take your own initiative and improve your circumstances. Sitting there pitying yourself wont change anything.
Humans tend to get lazy and used to old habits. In Hems case, he didnt really even deserve a lifetime supply of cheese. But over time, he got so used to his luxurious life that he convinced himself he was entitled to all these things, like a spoiled brat. This is a classic human behavior we should avoid. Keep tabs on yourself so it doesnt happen to you.
Dont over-complicate things. Dont use complexity to run from what you dont want to do. Humans tend to think theyre superior because of how we can use our brains to do very complex things. But this can backfire. Sometimes, the best solutions are simple, but not too simple or complicated.
Always stay vigilant and prepare for the inevitable. Sniff and Scurry stayed mentally prepared for the inevitable task of finding more cheese. Hem and Haw got complacent and rooted in their old routines when they were successful already.
The Brain Behind The Book
The author and brain behind the book is Dr. Patrick Spencer Johnson, a respected thinker, author, and medical doctor.
Ironically, Dr. Johnson, first studied psychology, securing a B.A. in the subject from the University of Southern California USC). He then proceeded to study medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons, after which he undertook some medical clerkships at The Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School.
He quit practicing medicine when he concluded that people get sick because of what goes on in their minds.
Dr. Spencer Johnson started his writing passion by writing and illustrating childrens books under the Value Tales Series.
He then discussed with his longtime friend, Dr. Ken Blanchard, about the idea of Who Moved My Cheese? Blanchard encouraged him and promised to write the foreword for the book.
He and Blanchard later co-wrote the famous bestseller, The One Minute Manager, which became an instant hit and management manual for top organizations.
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About The Author Spencer Johnson
Dr. Spencer Johnson was a doctor, psychologist and writer of children’s books. He wrote the best-selling Who Moved my Cheese and Out of The Maze. He is also co-author of The One Minute Manager.
In addition he acted as a member of leadership at Harvard Business School.
The number of copies sold by Johnson exceeds 10 million, being translated into more than 25 languages.
Who Moved My Cheese: Summary And Plot Analysis
The story revolves around four characters- Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry and the other two are humans , about the size of mice themselves, called Hem and Haw. They live in a maze and depend on cheese for their survival.
In their cheese hunt, they chance upon a spot with supply of cheese enough to last their lifetime, they end up spending a lot of time there.
While the mice are agile and ready to move when the cheese disappears, the humans are stuck in their old ways, All they do is simply take the cheese for granted, sit back and brag about it.
Eventually cheese runs out.
While the mice moved on to find new cheese, Hem and Haw, too set in their old habits, are afraid of what lies out there in the maze and simply complain about them deserving more after all of their hard work.
Too scared to set out, Hem and Haw start blaming each other for their troubles. Over a period of time, Haw gets smarter and decides to explore the maze for more cheese.
Finding that Hem is hesitant to come along, Haw continues to explore further, leaving a trail of messages for Hem, if he ever decides to follow him.
Eventually, he does find a ton of cheese , deep in the maze only to find Sniff and Scurry there already. Learning from his past, Haw is now a vigilant explorer, he monitors the current cheese supply to avoid the same fiasco from happening again. He decides it best for Hem to explore by himself to find his way to him.
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Lesson #1 Dont Hold Your Cheese
Embrace change. Change is the only constant in the world. Whether it is your job or business, things change over time & you need to change as well. Otherwise, you will lose your cheese like Hem in the story.
People or businesses who didnt changed over time lost their customers. Nokia is good example of it.