Who Moved My Cheese? Essay -- Book Reviews Spencer Johnson

Change is one of those unique subjects that can be perceived differently by any one individual. You might ask three people what their personal definition of change is and receive three different answers. Some people offer very little resistance to change, they consider it the spice of life; it prevents stagnancy and maintains excitement through diversity. Some people view change like the U.S. viewed Russia during the cold war, as an inevitable threat that we must constantly monitor and prepare for. Other people react to change like an ostrich reacts to danger. They just stick their head in a hole and pretend it doesn't exist. Change is constantly happening all the time to everyone in someway or another. Whether or not change is accepted does not alter the fact that it exists however the way you accept change can alter the way you exist. The book titled, Who Moved My Cheese?, written by Spencer Johnson, M.D. is a parable that reveals how change is dealt with differently by individuals. In this story there are four characters, two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two "little people", named Hem and Haw, who are about the size of mice but act and think much like humans. These four characters are in a maze searching for cheese. The cheese is a metaphor for the things that make you happy in life like a successful career, happy marriage, financial security, materialistic possessions etc. The maze represents where you might be looking for these things for example your company, home, or town. Change plays a key element in this parable. Change happens when the four characters run out of cheese, which was once abundant at their location in the maze. Each of the characters reacts a little differently to this change, some reactions ... ... than not people much like Haw find that their fears are of lesser threat than they have imagined them to be. Many times fear is only a self-contrived obstacle that prevents personal progress. Whether or not change is accepted does not alter the fact that it exists however the way you accept change can alter the way you exist. Hem's existence was obviously negatively affected by his inability to accept change. The mice quickly moved on to a better existence after accepting change without hesitation. Haw learned that his hesitation to acceptance of change caused him precious time without cheese. As Haw learned in the parable, accepting change, anticipating change, being aware of change and enjoying change can lead to living a happier and more prosperous life. Works Cited Johnson M.D., Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese? New York: G.P. Putman's Sons, 1998,2002