« prev	next »
Edition:	Vermilion (Paperback)
Author:	Spencer Johnson
Published:	March 1999
Pages:	94
ISBN 10:	0091816971
New:	$2.40 (32)
Used:	$0.01 (56)
+ add to my profile

Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable of Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw. Sniff and Scurry are mice and Hem and Haw are are “Little People”—as small as the mice, but look and act a lot like people. Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw live in a “Maze” and look for “Cheese” to nourish them and provide them with the fulfillment of their desires.

The Maze

The Maze represents the place where you look for what it is you want. It may be the organization you work in, the relationships you have in your life, or your home. Some people are content with what they have and resist change, while others are constantly looking for new opportunities.

Parts of All of Us

Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw are the names of the characters in the story. Sniff and Scurry are mice that represent the parts of us that are simple and instinctive. Sniff is always looking for opportunities and is always the first to recognize one. Scurry is the type that quickly scurries into action and adapts. Sometimes people are like Sniff and Scurry. They find it easy to work out, adapt to, and accept changes and can easily move on with their lives.

Hem and Haw are the little people that represent the complex human reflexes that resist change. Hem denies and resists change as he fears change will lead to something worse. Haw is comfortable with his existing circumstances but knows how to adapt when he sees that change may lead to something better.

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 how they handle changes in their life. Michael tells the group the story.

Who Moved My Cheese? The Story

A long time ago, there lived four little characters who ran through a Maze looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Two were mice named Sniff and Scurry; the other two were Hem and Haw, who were little people who looked and acted like people.

Everyday Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw 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. The Maze was a labyrinth of corridors and chambers, some containing delicious cheese.

Sniff and Scurry had simple brains and good instincts; they searched for the hard nibbling cheese they liked, as mice often do. The two little people, Hem and Haw, used their complex brains, filled with many beliefs and emotions, to search for a very different kind of Cheese which they believed would make them feel happy and successful.

Sniff and Scurry used the simple trial-and-error method of finding cheese. They ran down each corridor, remembered the corridors that held no cheese, and quickly went into new areas.

Hem and Haw, on the other hand, used their ability to think and learn from their past experiences. With their complex brains, they developed more sophisticated methods of finding Cheese. Sometimes they did well, but at other times, their powerful human beliefs and emotions took over and clouded the way they looked at things. It made life in the Maze more complicated and challenging for them.

Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw each found their own kind of cheese in one of the corridors called Cheese Station C. Every morning, the mice and little men headed over to Cheese Station C. Soon, each had established his own routine. Sniff and Scurry woke up early every morning and raced through the Maze to Cheese Station C where they sniffed, scratched, and scurried—inspecting the area to see if there had been any changes from the day before. Then they would sit down and nibble on their cheese.

In the beginning, Hem and Haw would also wake early and race toward Cheese Station C. As the days went by, however, their pace slowed, they slept longer, and left their homes later. "We deserve this Cheese,"' Hem said. "We certainly had to work long and hard enough to find it." They were becoming very comfortable now that they had found the Cheese—so comfortable that they did not notice what was happening.

One day, Sniff and Scurry arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was no cheese. They weren’t surprised at all. They already noticed that the supply of cheese had been getting smaller every day. They instinctively knew what to do and were prepared for it.

Hem and Haw, on the other hand, were unprepared. When they arrived later that same day and saw that there was no cheese, Hem yelled, “Who moved my cheese?” and continued screaming. Haw refused to deal with what was happening and tuned everything out. Because Cheese was important to them, Hem and Haw spent a long time trying to decide what to do. All they could think of was to keep looking around Cheese Station C to see if the Cheese was really gone.

While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued searching for the cheese in Cheese Station C until they were overwhelmed with frustration and anger and began blaming each other for the situation they found themselves in.

Hem was bitter and unwilling to leave the cheese station to look for a new cheese. Haw, out of depression, decided to look for new Cheese. As he traveled, Haw discovered new truths and left several writings on the walls of the maze. A few of the writings are:

• The more important your cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.
• Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.
• Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.
• The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese

Haw finally found his way to the new cheese in Cheese Station N. There he sees Sniff and Scurry, who have already found the fresh cheese and have been enjoying it for some time. Haw is sorry that he had not set out in search of the new cheese sooner. He wrote down a summary what he had learned on the largest wall of Cheese Station N:

• Change happens. They keep moving the cheese.
• Anticipate change. Get ready for the cheese to move.
• Monitor change. Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.
• Adapt to change quickly. The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you’ll enjoy new cheese.
• Change! Move with the cheese.
• Enjoy change. Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese.
• Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again. They keep moving the cheese.

A Discussion

That evening, as the friends gather in the hotel lounge, they started to kid each other about seeing themselves in the maze and finding their cheese. They realized that:

• Change happens to everyone.
• Some people are afraid of change but refuse to admit their fear.
• Change is happening everywhere but one can do better when one adjusts very quickly.
• Some people never change and they pay a price for it.
• Some things shouldn’t change. One can move better if he moves with the cheese.

Michael then gave one last thought: “When we saw how well it worked for us, we passed the story along to people we wanted to do business with, knowing their organizations were also dealing with change. We suggested we might be their ‘new cheese’, that is, better partners for them to succeed with. It led to new business.” With their own realizations of change, the alumni decided to call it a night. The group began saying goodbyes and thanked Michael for his wonderful story.