Who Moved My Cheese

The Big Idea

Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life Ð'- whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, or spiritual peace of mind. Cheese is what we think will make us happy, and when circumstances take it away, different people deal with change in different ways. Four characters in this delightful parable represent parts of ourselves whenever we are confronted with change. Discover how you can let change work to your advantage and let it lead you to success!

The Maze

Four characters live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. The maze is where you spend time looking for what you want. It may be the organization you work in, the relationships you have in your life, or the community you live in.

Parts of All of Us

Two of the characters named Sniff and Scurry are mice. They represent parts of us that are simple and instinctive. Hem and Haw are the little people, representing those complex parts of us as human beings. Sometimes we are like Sniff, who anticipates change early by sniffing it out, or Scurry, who quickly scurries into action and adapts. Maybe we are more like Hem, who denies change and resists it out of fear, or Haw, who learns to adapt in time when he sees something better. Whatever part of us we choose, we all share the common need to find our way in the maze of life and succeed in changing times.

Wisdom in a Nutshell from Who Moved My Cheese?

Ð'* Anticipate change.

Ð'* Adapt quickly.

Ð'* Enjoy change.

Ð'* Be ready to change quickly, again and again.

Ð'* Having Cheese makes you happy.

Ð'* The more important your Cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.

Ð'* If you do not change, you can become extinct.

Ð'* Ask yourself "What would I do if I weren't afraid?"

Ð'* Smell the Cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

Ð'* Movement in a new direction helps you find New Cheese.

Ð'* When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.

Ð'* Imagining myself enjoying New Cheese, even before I find it, leads me to it.

Ð'* The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find New Cheese.

Ð'* It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situation.

Ð'* Old beliefs do not lead you to New Cheese.

Ð'* When you see that you can find and enjoy New Cheese, you change course.

Ð'* Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.

Ð'* Read the Handwriting on the Wall

Ð'* Change happens. They keep moving the Cheese.

Ð'* Move with the Cheese and enjoy it!

The Story Behind the Story

Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. relates how the Cheese story has made a difference in the lives of many people all over the world. This simple parable has been credited with saving careers, marriages, and lives! NBC-TV Olympic broadcaster Charlie Jones heard the story and it helped him overcome his anger about being transferred from his usual Track and Field assignment to Swimming and Diving, where he had little experience. He realized his boss had "moved his cheese", so he adapted, learned the two new sports, and in the process, found that doing something new made him feel young.

His boss soon recognized his new attitude and energy, and gave him better assignments. Charlie went on to enjoy more success and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Broadcaster's Alley.

A Gathering

One sunny Sunday in Chicago, a group of former classmates gathered for lunch to catch up on each other's lives, having attended their high school reunion the night before. The topic came around to change, and how each person experienced it. Michael tells the group The Story.

Who Moved My Cheese?

Everyday Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry went about their business collecting and eating cheese. Every morning, the mice and little men put on their jogging suits and running shoes, left their homes, and raced around the maze looking for their favorite Cheese.

They each found their own kind of cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C. Every morning the mice and men headed over to Cheese Station C and soon they established their own routines.

Sniff and Scurry woke up early everyday, always following the same route. The mice would arrive at the station, tie their running shoes together, and hang them around their necks so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed to.

Hem and Haw followed the same routine for a while, but later on, they awoke a little later each day, dressed slower, and walked to Station C, always assuming there would be Cheese waiting for them. In fact, the little people put away their running shoes, and grew very comfortable in Station C. Later, this over-confidence turned into arrogance.

The mice, on the other hand, always inspected the area, and noticed the Cheese supply was getting smaller every day.

One morning they discovered there was no more cheese. The mice did not overanalyze things, they knew it was coming, so they simply untied their running shoes from their necks and put them on. The mice wasted no time and immediately ventured into the maze in search of New Cheese.

Hem and Haw arrived later, and having taken their Cheese for granted, they were surprised to find there was no more cheese. Hem yelled, "Who moved my Cheese?"

Because the Cheese was so important to them, the two little people spent too much time deciding what to do. They couldn't believe the Cheese was gone.

After much whining, Haw suggested,

MAYBE