At times amusing, at times enlightening, “Who Moved My
Cheese” is an account of four mice in search of the proverbial “cheese”, and their different ways of dealing with the situation when they find that their stock of “cheese” is no longer there. In this book, “Cheese” is used as a metaphor for an object of desire, be it work, wealth, possessions or something else altogether.
Told in the
form of a modern parable, this book is about
change – the effect of change in our lives and our ability to anticipate and deal with change. Change (in some form or the other) is inevitable,
feels the author, and we will be successful in life only if do not resist it and learn to move along with it. We do not
know what this change will be, we do not know what form it will take, but what we do know is that change there will be and when it comes in our lives we must learn to accept it and adapt to it. In the words of the author, we must learn to
read the handwriting on the wall. The author teaches us not to be afraid of change. For the author feels that change need not be “The end”; instead, it can represent a new dawn or a new beginning.
The author feels that
people tend to become attached to the way things are done. He makes a case for greater flexibility in our approach and in our attitudes. He feels this is necessary if we are to survive and to compete in a changing environment. At the same time the author warns us that people become comfortable doing what they do, that some people never change and they have to pay a price for it. People have a choice – they can either become the agents of change, or its victim.
The great worth of this book is that it is simple to read and simple to understand. The central message of this book (the inevitability of change in our lives) is lucidly and forcefully presented. The important lessons to be learned have been highlighted in the form of illustrations. And the book suggests several ways to cope with this change. Just seventy-five pages long, in these busy and fast-moving times any working person will be able to spare the couple of hours needed to read this book. In sum, Dr. Spencer Johnson’s success is more than well deserved. For this is not a story about business, but this is a story that business cannot do without.