say cheese !!

 I was in a train traveling to Bangalore; as usual I packed my bag an hour prior to my departure and forgot my headphone. Now I have 24 boring hours in the train and I see 2 irritatingly noisy kids shouting and running around, I so wished their parents slept peacefully that night. In the midst of my increasing blood pressure I saw my mother calmly reading a highly philosophical book (as she always does). The book was as heavy as the content am sure. My boredom reached top notch, and I asked mom for a book which I could read as well as understand. She put her hand inside her bag and pulled out 3 books so that probably I’ll leave her alone without any questions or choices. Now I had 3 books, I took one book in my hand and turned straight to the last page and the number was 345. I took the next book and the last page read 296. My face dropped; the third book was thin and the last page read 98. I decided to read that book, I was sure to complete it before I reached. WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? BY DR. SPENCER JOHNSON. The next 2 hours was the most fulfilling and entertaining. I have never been so engrossed and immersed into a book before. After I finished I laid for almost 3 hours self-introspecting what I just read. Indeed an epiphany.

The story revolves around 4 beings 2 of them are mice named “SNIFF” and “SCURRY” and 2 men named “HEM” and “HAW”. It is a metaphorical story where the cheese stands for joy, goals, dreams, happiness etc. and the maze is the environment, the world that one lives in. the cheese station is the point of contentment and sustainability that one does not want to let go and eventually builds a routine around it.

Once these 4 beings decide go on a search for cheese into this highly complex maze. They put their jogging shoes on, Hopping and skipping their way into the many confusing paths. The 2 mice planned to work as a team, so SNIFF would smell and anticipate the existence of the cheese and SCURRY would run into that door looking for it. HEM and HAW made a detailed plan using all their knowledge and technology at their disposal and tried to make a blueprint of the whole maze and planned how they are going to go about finding the cheese. By the time HEM and HAW make their plan SNIFF identifies a large cheese station on their way and SCURRY rushes there to find an abode of cheese. Much to their satisfaction they hang their jogging shoes and dive into the cheese. After a few days HEM and HAW also arrive at this cheese station and hang their shoes and enjoy the cheese to the fullest. They not only enjoy it amongst themselves but also with their near and dear ones. Soon HEM and HAW build their houses near the cheese station and they eventually built a routine around it. Slowly the happiness of seeing the cheese every morning turned into arrogance. SNIFF and SCURRY also came every morning to nibble some cheese but were aware of the change in the quantity of the cheese.

One day SNIFF and SCURRY came early to the cheese station just to find no cheese left. Noticing the cheese supply dwindling, they have mentally prepared beforehand for the arduous but inevitable task of finding more cheese. Hence they weren’t too surprised by the depletion. Happily put their jogging shoes on and set into the maze looking for more cheese. Later that day HEM and HAW arrived at the cheese station just to find the same thing- empty. Angered and annoyed, HEM demands, "Who moved my cheese?" The humans have counted on the cheese supply to be constant, and so are unprepared for this eventuality. After deciding that the cheese is indeed gone they get angry at the unfairness of the situation and both go home starved. Returning the next day, HEM and HAW find the same cheese-less place. Starting to realize the situation at hand, HAW thinks of a search for new cheese. But HEM is dead set in his victimized mind set and dismisses the proposal. HEM just cannot digest the fact that the cheese is over. HAW gave a thought of leaving the cheese station and going to the maze to find more cheese but got easily succumbed to HEM’s thoughts and fear. Everyday HEM and HAW would come to the cheese station and evaluate the situation and go back home discouraged and disheartened. Many a times HAW would imagine SNIFF and SCURRY to have found new cheese and enjoying.  The more HAW saw himself finding new cheese the more he wanted to leave cheese station. He was petrified just by imagining the uncertainty in the maze, but the other side of his head projected image of him eating fresh cheese. This dilemma was increasing day by day and the fear of uncertainty along with HEM always got the better of him and he decided to stay back. Whenever HAW asked HEM to leave he would say “it’s comfortable, we have come a long way, it is dangerous out there, we might get lost, may be this is our fate let’s face it, may be cheese will be restored soon, time will heal”. HAW finally decided to not give much heed to HEM’s words and he thus put his shoes and set out into the maze to find more cheese. He decided to mark every junction so that it would be easy for HEM to follow (if he decides to). The next morning he steps into the maze and takes a chalk and writes “if you do not change you become extinct”. A slight grin dawned into HAW’s face when he thought what HEM would be thinking ‘who moved my cheese?’ the grin vanished when he asked himself ‘ why didn’t I move with the cheese sooner?’.

After a while when the path seemed scarier and murkier, he wondered if he had made the right choice. He then wrote again “what would I do if I am not afraid?” he got the answer and moved freely into the maze again trying to find more cheese. Many times he would get lost into a corridor. He would meet with a lot of dead ends. His progress seemed like 2 steps forward and 1 step backward. Here and there he used to find some morsels of cheese which would keep him going. He got excited to see many new cheese stations, but would get disheartened to see them empty. He then wrote “smell the cheeses often so you know when it is getting old” he often felt like giving up. Loneliness struck him. He often thought how painless and peaceful HEM is. These thought would discourage him but he picked himself up every time and moved forward with courage and hope of finding abundant cheese. He ran down all dark and obscure corner and then smiled at himself and then he wrote “when you move beyond your fear, you are free” he then started regretting to not have started sooner. He took breaks in between and then ate the cheese he had gathered on the way. He again wrote “the quicker you let go of the old cheese, the sooner you will find new” and left some cheese behind for HEM.

 HAW suddenly realised he was happy being run by his fears. He was happy with uncertainty. He was loving that time running to find new cheese and stopped to write “old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese” HAW realised it’s all about what you believe. He was now a changed man and had let gone of the past and the cheese-less times and became more optimistic and enthusiastic. He then moved with greater strength and speed. Before he realised he landed into another cheese station and to his surprise this station was full of overwhelming cheese. He could not believe his eyes. Every step he took inside he saw different varieties of cheese. He quickly nibbled his way through the station. He doubted if this was real or his imagination until he saw SNIFF and SCURRY there. Seeing their bellies he knew they were here for quite some time. He removed his shoes and jumped into the pile of cheese and screamed “hooray for change” on top of his voice. He soon realised what he had learned in the past. He realised that he was afraid of change that did not allow him to move forward. He realised that he had started to change the moment he learnt to laugh at himself and not take himself very seriously. He knew he had learned something from his mice buddies. They kept life simple. They did not brood over the lost cheese. They did not evaluate. They did not question. They simply accepted and moved on. He realised that there is always new cheese out there whether you like it or not and it comes to you as reward when you overcome your own fear. Cautious from past experience, HAW now inspects Cheese Station daily and explores different parts of the maze regularly to prevent any complacency from setting in. As he was brooding over himself he wondered if HEM had read any of the lines he had written on the way. But he felt he had tried enough to convince him and realised it is he himself who can get past his comfort and fears and no one else can. HAW once again carved on one wall of the station“The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists”

HAW exclaims “the truth is, there is change, and it is inevitable. So move with the change, monitor the change, adapt to the change and finally enjoy the change”

This story has been adapted into many corporates and rightly it should be. It speaks volumes about one’s character and impacts deeply on the nature of his work. Many corporates use this as a tool to assign designations and departments. The SNIFFs are used as business analysts and marketing, the SCURRYs are used for sales and administration, HAWs are used as managers and executives for business developments and operations, and finally HEMs are usually counselled and guided to change and if they don’t are laid off.

This story has truly lifted my spirits and I hope it does it to you as well. I would like you to think about yourself and which character do you fit into? The SNIFF- who is constantly reading the situation and smells the change? The SCURRY-who is a sheer go getter and believes in doing more and thinking less? HEM- who is in self-denial of the change, passive and does not want to move out of his comfort zone? HAW- who was succumbed to his fears and starvation but soon realised the truth and overcame his fears and achieved new cheese?

Think about it…