“Who Moved My Cheese,” a bestseller by Spencer Johnson published in 1998, is a parable about the inevitability of change, the ways in which we typically deal with it, and how revising our attitude toward change can reduce stress and increase success. Like all parables, it’s told as a story that you can relate clearly to your life.
The story takes place in a maze, where four characters search for and consume cheese. Cheese represents happiness or satisfaction in its various forms — for instance, security, prestige, or wealth.
Two characters, Sniff and Scurry, are mice who take an industrious, uncomplicated trial-and-error approach to finding cheese, They don’t overthink things, instead trying out various routes until one day they find a large store of cheese.
The other two characters, Hem and Haw, are little humans who apply more sophisticated thinking and analytical skills to the daily search. They, too, find the same large stockpile of cheese as the mice.
But the two have very different attitudes toward their situation. The humans Hem and Haw take the cheese for granted, assuming it will always be there. By contrast, the mice stay alert to their surroundings. They notice that the quality and supply of the cheese are slowly dwindling.
One day the cheese is gone. How the characters cope with this change offers lessons in surviving and thriving despite the inevitable changes in life and the workplace.
The simple-minded mice don’t overthink things. They quickly accept the changed situation for what it is, not cursing the world or the environment for its unfairness. They adapt to the change and immediately head out to look for new cheese. And while it takes concerted effort, they eventually find happiness in the form of a huge new pile of cheese.
In contrast, the humans Hem and Haw are shocked to lose the cheese. They had felt entitled to it, and they curse the world for its unfairness. They sit around, waiting for the cheese to reappear, and they become increasingly frustrated when it doesn’t. Hem yells, “Who moved my cheese?”
Eventually, hunger gnawing at him, Haw realizes his situation isn’t going to improve unless he changes his attitude and behavior. Going back out to the maze to find new cheese is scary, and it’ll take hard work. But he envisions the joy of finding cheese again, and it pushes him outward. He leaves behind Hem, who refuses to move and continues fuming at the unfairness of his situation.
In his journey, Haw overcomes his psychological barriers to adapting to change. He realizes that his fear of going back out to find new cheese was overblown — he had let the fear build up in his mind, and in reality it wasn’t that bad. He encounters setbacks in the maze, but he realizes he’s still happier taking control rather than being a victim of his situation. He continues imagining enjoying new cheese, which motivates him to push further. As he learns each of these lessons, he writes messages on the wall for Hem to read, should he ever decide to search for new cheese himself.
Finally, he finds a new giant pile of cheese, even bigger than the first. Sniff and Scurry have already been there for some time, happily enjoying the cheese. Haw reflects on how far he has come since the first cheese pile ran out, and he resolves to treat future change differently.
It’s easy to draw parallels from the story to unsettling changes in our own lives — for instance, changes in a job, relationship, or health. The characters’ flaws and successes reflect our own tendencies when confronting change: Like Haw, we may resist, complain, and deny change because we’ve become complacent or afraid. Or we can be like Sniff and Scurry, staying on our toes, preparing for future change, not overanalyzing things, and being ready to adapt without fear.
Even when we adapt, change is initially challenging, and “Who Moved My Cheese” offers a road map for navigating change in a way that minimizes stress.
The key takeaways are:
No matter what environment we operate in — whether a town, city, family, relationship, workplace, or other setting — change is inevitable. “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson is a parable about a place that changed, and how its inhabitants reacted. Through the characters’ triumphs and travails, the story offers lessons and tips for coping successfully with change in our lives by changing our attitudes and behavior.
The parable unfolds in a maze, where four characters — two mice (Sniff and Scurry) and two tiny humans (Hem and Haw), search for cheese, which represents happiness. They get pretty good at this. The mice use their simple, rodent-specific talents of sniffing out cheese and scurrying around until they find it. Hem and Haw use their human thinking and analytical skills to also find cheese. They find a huge supply and all four enjoy its benefits for quite a while.
One day the maze dwellers confront a crisis: The cheese is gone. All four characters must adapt in one way or another to their changed circumstances.
The mice are the best equipped at the outset.
Because he rejects change, Hem is the character most people wouldn’t want to be, but we all probably share some of his characteristics some of the time.
Haw is the character who experiences the most change in the story. Initially, like Haw, he’s upset, overwhelmed and also in shock that the cheese has disappeared. At first he follows Hem’s lead in sitting around complaining and waiting for the cheese to reappear. He whines about the injustice of it all.
But eventually Haw realizes that things aren’t going to improve unless he acts. Despite Hem’s attempts to discourage him, Haw strikes out on his own to find new cheese. He is afraid of failing, but he overcomes his fear by asking himself, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” He keeps going.
Taking control increases his confidence, and he starts to enjoy moving in a new direction. He finds some small pieces of new cheese, which he takes back to the starting point to share with Hem, but Hem isn’t interested in trying the new cheese or looking for more. He still just wants things to return to the way they used to be. Haw realizes he can’t change Hem — Hem will have to change himself, or not.
So Haw returns to his search for new cheese, and finally comes upon the large new stockpile that the mice had found earlier. After celebrating success, he reflects on the experience and pledges to anticipate change and adapt quickly in the future.
This simple parable can give you insights into your own attitudes about change, which can help you be more successful in the future.
Which character would you most prefer to be lost in a maze with, and why? (Sniff, Scurry, Hem, or Haw)
What does cheese personally represent for you?
Who or what controls your cheese? Who has the largest impact on the abundance or quality of your cheese?
Two chapters appearing before and after the cheese story (The Gathering and The Discussion) recount conversations among friends dealing with change and considering how to apply the lessons of the story in their lives and workplaces.
These may be useful in prompting reflection on changes in your life and how you’ve coped, as well as suggesting areas in which the principles could be helpful. For instance, you might understand what’s going wrong in a relationship, or how to deal with a recent change in your career or life.
(On the other hand, you might also take a second to reflect on the narrative and what it means to you, before reading on.)
As old friends at a reunion compare their lives and confess to being unsettled by change, one classmate relates the cheese story. The friends talk about which characters they resembled when experiencing change. Some lessons or conclusions they share from their lives are:
Change is inevitable, but it can be addressed successfully. Here’s a guide on what to do, and what not to do.
What to do to handle change successfully:
Be prepared for change: Pay attention to signs of change in your environment, whether it’s layoffs at your workplace, new aches and pains, or strains in your home life. Consider how potential changes could affect you and develop a plan to handle them - for instance, by learning new skills.
Let go of the past: When things change, move forward quickly. The longer you wait, the more resistance you build to moving, and the harder it’ll be to adapt later.
Adapt—Be open-minded to new things: There are always experiences and opportunities available beyond those you are currently familiar with. You might like them even more than what you used to have.
Imagine success: Envisioning what success looks like, and imagining yourself succeeding, can improve your attitude. When you think about what you will gain, rather than what you are losing, you realize change can be for the better.
Handle your fears: Fear can have one of two effects: 1) It can paralyze you, if you imagine all that can go wrong if you leave your familiar ground, or 2) it can spur you into action if you fear that things will get worse if you don’t do something. The second fear is productive and healthy.
Learn to enjoy change: New experiences, discoveries, and achievements are rewarding, usually more so than continuing to do the same things.
Be prepared for continuous change: Change is a natural part of life. Change should only be a surprise if you aren’t paying attention, or if you’re operating on erroneous assumptions — for instance, that you’re entitled to having things a certain way.
What not to do when handling change:
Don’t ignore change and wait for things to return to “normal:” When change happens, it’s natural to hope initially that things will return to the way they were. But if the world really has changed, the longer you entertain that false hope, the more difficult it will be for you to move forward again.
Don’t try to bring back the past: Sometimes people react to change by working harder in the hope they can stem the tide of change. But that approach is futile. What used to work may no longer work in the new situation.
Don’t complain about the unfairness of it all: When change impacts you, it’s easy to get hung up on the “unfairness” of having your work or home life disrupted. But if you get stuck on that thought, you’ll end up hurting yourself. Fair or unfair, the change has happened. Now you have to deal with it.
Don’t refuse to adapt: Resisting inevitable change might feel satisfying for a brief period, but staying static in the face of change could eventually lead to extinction.
(Shortform exclusive section)
Let’s put it all together by talking about a common change in many people’s lives — job changes. If your job is redefined or eliminated, applying the principles in “Who Moved My Cheese” can help you deal with it successfully.
To start with, watch for change by paying attention to company statements, workload and structural changes, and industry trends. If you sniff out change, you can prepare for change by getting your personal finances in order, adding a part-time job, learning a new skill to develop your job in a different direction, or moving to a new company.
Don’t try to hold on to the past (don’t wait for the cheese to reappear) by ignoring warning signs, resisting new skill requirements, or by just working harder at what you know. Changing work can be scary, and it’s tempting to be in denial, but the longer you do this, the more you hurt yourself.
To combat the fear, envision something better (picture new cheese) — this can be an opportunity to do something you’ve always wanted to do, but couldn’t because the job tied you down. Now that you’re free of old constraints, imagine yourself succeeding in a new role. Focus on what you can gain through change rather than what you might lose. Possibilities include a chance to use latent creativity in a different job, having new experiences, or moving to a different part of the world.
Don’t let fear paralyze or hold you back from trying something new, whether it’s learning a new skill at the same company, or doing something different. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone, because doing something offers a better chance of success than doing nothing. If you don’t move quickly to adapt you may lose your best chance. For instance, others will learn new skills and fill jobs that could have been yours.
Learn to enjoy change — it can offer rewards such as greater income, new relationships, or greater job satisfaction from using more of your talents. Finally, expect and prepare for continuous change by always growing and learning in your personal and professional life.
The moral of the cheese story is that the end of the old can also be the beginning of something better.
Change is natural. If you pay attention, you might detect the change coming long before it happens.
Are there some signs of change in your workplace or personal life? What are they, and what change might be coming?
What are some concrete steps you can take to prepare for this change?
Picturing what success looks like, and imagining yourself succeeding, can help you get there.
What would be your equivalent of sitting on a large pile of cheese? Picture your success in vivid detail - what does the world look like? What are you doing? How do you feel? How do others feel?
What stepping stones can you put in place to get there?
Even when you recognize that you must “move with the cheese,” it can be difficult to leave your comfort zone due to fear.
When’s a time you overcame your fear in the past? What was the result? How did your life improve (or not)?
What lessons did you learn that you can apply to something you’re hesitant to do today?
What would you do today if you weren’t afraid? Be bold.
When we notice change occurring, we may waste time overanalyzing what’s already happened or what might happen, instead of simply taking action to move forward.
Think about a time when overanalyzing held you back. How did you eventually move forward?
What could have improved if you had acted earlier?
Are you overanalyzing a situation today? What would you do if you stopped overanalyzing and did what you thought was best?
If you expect change to happen, you’ll be better prepared when it does. Think about how to better prepare for changes.
How could your company or organization better prepare for unexpected changes?
How could you make yourself more resilient to future changes? This can be for your professional or personal life.