Who Moved My Cheese?
An A-Mazing Way To Deal With Change In Your Work And In Your Life
Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is an amusing
and enlightening story of four characters who live in a 'Maze' and look for 'Cheese' to nourish the
m and make them happy.
Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are little people' - beings the size of mice who look a
nd act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw. 'Cheese' is a metaphor for what you want to h
ave in life - whether it's a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, good health, or s
piritual peace of mind. And 'The Maze' is where you look for what you want - the organization you wo
rk in, or the family or community you live in.
In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually, one of them deals with it
successfully, and writes what he has learned from his experience on the maze walls.
When you come to see 'The Handwriting on the Wal ', you can discover for yourself how to deal with c
hange, so that you can enjoy less stress and more success (however you define it) in your work and i
n your life.
Written for all ages, this story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights can last f
or a lifetime.
Who Moved My Cheese?
Contents
Parts of Al of Us
A Gathering: Chicago
Who Moved My Cheese?: The Story
Four Characters
Finding Cheese
No Cheese!
The Mice: Sniff & Scurry
The Little people: Hem & Haw
Meanwhile, Back In the Maze
Getting Beyond Fear
Enjoying The Adventure
Moving With The Cheese
The Handwriting On The Wal
Tasting New Cheese
Enjoying Change!
A Discussion: Later That Same Day
New Cheese !
Parts of All of Us
The Simple and The Complex The four imaginary characters
depicted in this story —the mice: "Sniff" and "Scurry;' and the Little people: "Hem" and "Haw" —are
intended to represent the simple and the complex parts of ourselves, regardless of
our age, gender, race or nationality.
Sometimes we may act like
Sniff
Who sniffs out change early, or
Scurry
Who scurries into action, or
Hem
Who denies and resists change as he fears
it will lead to something worse, or
Haw
Who learns to adapt in time when he sees
changing can lead to something better!
Whatever parts of us we choose to use,
we all share something in common:
a need to find our way in the Maze
and succeed in changing times.
A Gathering
Chicago
One sunny Sunday in Chicago, several former classmates, who were good friends in school, gathered fo
r lunch, having attended their high school reunion the night before. They wanted to hear more about
what was happening in each other's lives. After a good deal of kidding, and a good meal, they settle
d into an interesting conversation.
Angela, who had been one of the most popular people in the class, said, "Life sure turned out differ
ently than I thought it would when we were in school. A lot has changed."
"It certainly has," Nathan echoed. They knew he had gone into his family's business, which had opera
ted pretty much the same and had been a part of the local community for as long as they could rememb
er. So, they were surprised when he seemed concerned. He asked, "But, have you noticed how we don't
want to change when things change?"
Carlos said, "I guess we resist changing, because we're afraid of change."
"Carlos, you were Captain of the football team" Jessica said. "I never thought I'd hear you say anyt
hing about being afraid!"
They all laughed as they realized that although they had gone off in different directions—from worki
ng at home to managing companies—they were experiencing similar feelings.
Everyone was trying to cope with the unexpected changes that were happening to them in recent years.
And most admitted that they did not know a good way to handle them.
Then Michael said, "I used to be afraid of change. When a big change came along in our business, we
didn't know what to do. So we didn't adjust and we almost lost it.
"That is," he continued, "until I heard a funny little story that changed everything."
"How so?" Nathan asked.
"Wel , the story changed the way I looked at change—from losing something to gaining some-thing—and
it showed me how to do it. After that, things quickly improved—at work and in my life.
"At first I was annoyed with the obvious simplicity of the story because it sounded like something w
e might have been told in school.
"Then I realized I was really annoyed with myself for not seeing the obvious and doing what works wh
en things change.
"When I realized the four characters in the story represented the various parts of myself, I decided
who I wanted to act like and I changed.
"Later, I passed the story on to some people in our company and they passed it on to others, and soo
n our business did much better, because most of us adapted to change better. And like me, many peopl
e said it helped them in their personal lives.
"However there were a few people who said they got nothing out of it. They either knew the lessons a
nd were already living them, or, more commonly, they thought they already knew everything and didn't
want to learn. They couldn't see why so many others were benefiting from it.
"When one of our senior executives, who was having difficulty adapting, said the story was a waste o
f time, other people kidded him saying they knew which character he was in the story—meaning the one
who learned nothing new and did not change.'"
"What's the story?" Angela asked.
"It's called. Who Moved My Cheese?"
The group laughed. "I think I like it already," Carlos said. "Would you tell us the story? Maybe we
can get something from it."
"Sure," Michael replied. "I'd be happy to—it doesn't take long." And so he began: