Who Moved My Cheese

                                            

One common trait amongst most of us is our reluctance to change. We prefer to follow a dull routine rather than accept change and lead a different life altogether. It’s our refusal to view life from an alternate perspective that makes us mere slaves of destiny. For instance, I find myself glued to my PC watching movies and TV series even on weekends, for I am reluctant n lazy enough to take pain in exploring the outdoors. I thought of another analogy of my denial to change. Being a “Counter-Strike” enthusiast, I found myself stuck n indulged in certain  ‘maps’ over n over again, only  when I dared to switch to others which turned out to be a lot more fascinating n captivating.  The point is when we overcome our fears and learn to laugh at ourselves, there is always a way forward.

In the slender & crisp book “Who Moved My Cheese” (just 90+ pages), the author "Dr Spencer Johnson" points out to this feeble human trait, where he compares ‘Cheese’ with anything that a person can desire in life. The book portrays 4 characters- 2 mice “Sniff & Scurry” and 2 Little-people “Hem & Haw” who run around a maze in search of cheese. These four characterize both the simple and complex nature of our selves. The 4 can be described as:

Sniff - who smells new cheese (change) early

Scurry- who takes quick action to get cheese

Hem-  who constantly resists change and remains confined

Haw-  who learns to adapt to  change when he visualizes his better future

The story comes to a point where they find that the cheese is moved away from its location. The mice take this change as a simple phenomenon and go out looking for new cheese and succeed as they start early. But, Hem & Haw both stay put waiting for the cheese to be moved back to the same place which doesn’t happen. At the end,  ‘Haw’ overcomes his fear and realizes that change provides for better opportunities. It is only then that he finds the huge pile of cheese, a variety of which he had never ever seen before.

Change happens and we ought to anticipate it & monitor even the slightest variation. Ask yourself, what  would you do if you weren't afraid? Consequently, we should learn to adapt to and enjoy change. We should be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again n again...