Who Moved my Cheese? Summary and Notes
Who Moved my Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson is a story on why we shouldn’t be too comfortable in life. Johnson makes the case for embracing change. He also offers advice on how to go about it.
It is not really about cheese is it? Cheese is a metaphor for the things we want in life. Cheese can be a good career, a fancy car, a degree, and so on. Because we all want something, the book makes a great read, especially for people who feel stuck. It is a best seller for this reason.
Dr. Johnson tells the story of two little people called Hem and Haw and two little mice by the names of Sniff and Scary. The four of them live in a maze, and their life revolves around finding cheese.
Hem and Haw being humans, rely on their intellect. They thrive in complexity and like to analyze things. On the other hand, Sniff and Scurry, being mice rely mostly on instinct. They have a good sense of smell and are quick to act. Whenever there is new cheese, Sniff gets the trail while Scurry races ahead. Hem and Haw appear indecisive, and at some point in the story, their indecisiveness cost them big.
After many years of looking for cheese within the maze, the four little guys found a great supply at Cheese Station C. It was unlike anything they had ever seen. Hem and Haw thought the cheese would never run out. They settled in, hang their running shoes, and developed a sense of entitlement. Sniff and Scurry were wiser. They knew that the cheese would run out someday. They saw it coming too because being mice, they can tell when the cheese is going bad, and so when someone took the cheese, they wore their running shoes again, got busy, and soon found another amazing supply.
Hem and Haw being as indecisive as ever stayed put. Hem was particularly entitled. Someone had taken his cheese, and he wanted it back. He was stubborn and unreasonable. Meanwhile, Hem thought about the maze, he thought about his friends Sniff and Scurry; he knew they would have a hard time getting back in the maze, but it was better than staying put waiting for a miracle.
After some thought, he decided to reenter the maze. He found it hard but doing something felt good. He knew that however uncomfortable things got, it was way better than staying in a cheeseless position. He found scraps here and there, and this kept him going. As he continued his exploration of the maze, his confidence grew, and he learned a lot about himself and the process of change.
He wrote these lessons on the walls of the maze, hoping that his stubborn friend would find them.
Here are some of the most memorable quotes:
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
If you do not change, you can become extinct
Smell the cheese often so that you know when it’s getting old
Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese
When you stop being afraid, you feel good
Imagining yourself enjoying new cheese leads you to it
The quicker you let go of old cheese the faster you
It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation
Old beliefs do not lead to new cheese.
With these guiding thoughts, Hem was able to find new cheese. It was more than he could ever dream of, and he wished his friend would see things the same way. But everyone has their journey. We all have to follow the writings on the wall.
Lessons from Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Jordan
- Change is inevitable: Whether you like it or not, the cheese will move
The main takeaway from Who Moved My Cheese? is that change is inevitable. Change is the nature of things, and if you don’t change fast enough, you will go extinct. Hew and Haw were slow to recognize that things around them had changed, and as a result, when it came time to pivot, they reacted too slowly. Why? Because they had grown comfortable. When you recognize that things in life will never remain the same, you can’t become comfortable. You will be on the lookout for new opportunities. This requires being nimble like mice. They may not have a lot of intelligence, but mice have a good sense of smell that points them to new cheese.
It helps if you notice small changes early because it will help you to adapt to big changes to come. Dr. Johnson puts it best when he says:
Smell the cheese often to know when it is getting old
The point is, you should never be like Ham, who felt entitled when the cheese wasn’t there. Wisdom comes from knowing that things change and acting accordingly.
2. Be brave: Ask yourself: “what would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”
Dr. Johnson makes a strong case that you’ve got to be brave in life because, as he puts it, it is better to get into the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation. You might not know what you are going to get, but it doesn’t matter. When Hew and Haw chose to remain in Cheese Section C, they grew tired, hungry, and irritable. But when you are out there looking for new cheese stations, life is exciting and full of possibilities.
When you are unsure what to do, and these moments will come, ask yourself, what would I do if I wasn’t Afraid? The answers you get will keep you moving.
One way to nature courage is to envision the future you want. Think of the things that lie ahead and compare them with what you have at the moment. You will find that going through some hard times is far more valuable than having any feelings of entitlement. The journey is also full of exciting moments.
3. Follow the writings on the wall
Is there a strategy for adopting change? Yes, and it’s called the writings on the wall.
It has the following steps:
- Change happens: They keep moving the cheese
- Anticipate change: Get ready for the cheese to move
- Monitor change: Smell the cheese often to know when it’s getting old
- Adapt to change quickly: The quicker you let go of old cheese, the faster you will enjoy new cheese
- Change: Move with the cheese
- Enjoy the change: Savor the adventures and enjoy the taste of new cheese
- Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again
4. Everyone has their journey to make
Finally, Who Moved my Cheese? Implies that we all have our journeys to make. You can’t force people to act the way you want.
You’ve got to give people the space to change their mindset. Like Hew, everyone soon learns that there is no point in being entitled in a universe where change is the only constant.
