I want to review an amazing little book called WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? By Dr. Spenser Johnson. It’s about change and how to deal with it effectively. The 4 characters are 2 mice, Sniff and Scurry, and 2 Littlepeople called Hem and Haw. They live in a maze and spend their time looking for and eating cheese. The gist is that the cheese supply at Cheese Station C dwindles and dies. The lesson lies in what the 4 do about it. How do they deal with change? (Cheese, is obviously a metaphor for anything. Use your imagination to fill in that blank.)  Sniff and Scurry run off into the maze to find new cheese. They eventually do after several days of hunger and uncertainty. Hem isn’t moving anywhere. He’s staying at Cheese Sta. C until more cheese arrives. Haw finally faces his own fears and ventures into the maze in search of cheese. The following are his insights that he writes on the wall along the way.

1              having cheese makes you happy

2              the more important your cheese is to you, the more you want to hang onto it.

3              If you do not change, you can become extinct.

4              What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

5              Smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old.

6              Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.

7              When you stop being afraid, you feel good!

8              Imagining yourself enjoying new cheese leads you to it. (This is the Law of Attraction. Just saying.)

9              The quicker you let go of old cheese, the quicker you find new cheese.

10          It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheese-less situation.

11          Old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese. (“ a belief is only a thought you keep thinking.” Abraham).

12          When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese, you change course.

13          Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.  (MAP)

After my husband and I read this book, we applied the principals to our life. We were able to call out old habits and patterns as “old cheese”. This strategy disfused any feelings of animosity between us and we were able to move forward toward “new cheese”.

Here is “the writing on the wall."

Needless to say, I recommend you get this book. In fact, get several copies to give away.