SPENCER JOHNSON, MD WHO MOVED MY CHEESE LYRICS
[00:00:399]<Who Moved My Cheese> by Spencer Johnson
[00:01:419]PARTS OF ALL OF US
[00:03:993]The Simple and The Complex
[00:06:964]The four imaginary characters depicted in this
[00:09:565]story-the mice: "Sniff' and "Scurry," and the
[00:13:662]little people: "Hem" and "Haw"-are intended to
[00:17:081]represent the simple and the complex parts of
[00:20:001]ourselves, regardless of our age, gender, race,
[00:23:460]or nationality.
[00:24:825]Sometimes we may act like
[00:26:729]Sniff
[00:27:726]Who sniffs out change early, or
[00:30:447]Scurry
[00:31:503]Who scurries into action, or
[00:33:567]Hem
[00:34:810]Who denies and resists change as he fears it
[00:37:611]will lead to something worse, or
[00:39:436]Haw
[00:40:676]Who learns to adapt in time when he sees
[00:43:138]changing leads to something better!
[00:45:371]Whatever parts of us we choose to use, we all
[00:47:964]share something in common: a need to find our
[00:50:785]way in the maze and succeed in changing times.
[02:47:451]The Story Behind The Story
[02:49:404]by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D.
[02:50:715]I am thrilled to be retelling you "the story
[02:53:855]behind the story" of Who Moved My Cheese?
[02:57:391]because it means the audio program is complete
[03:00:491]and is available for all of us to listen to, enjoy
[03:04:199]and share with others. This is something I've
[03:07:189]wanted to see happen ever since I first heard
[03:09:452]Spencer Johnson tell his great "Cheese" story,
[03:12:273]years ago, before we wrote our book The One
[03:15:294]Minute Manager together.
[03:17:008]I remember thinking then how good the story was
[03:20:542]and how helpful it would be to me from that
[03:23:333]moment on.
[03:25:018]Who Moved My Cheese? is a story about change
[03:28:596]that takes place in a Maze where four amusing
[03:31:636]characters look for "Cheese"-cheese being a
[03:34:936]metaphor for what we want to have in life,
[03:37:677]whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a
[03:41:115]big house, freedom, health, recognition,
[03:45:501]spiritual peace, or even an activity like
[03:48:561]jogging or golf.
[03:50:385]Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is,
[03:53:724]and we pursue it because we believe it makes us
[03:56:366]happy. If we get it, we often become attached to
[03:59:595]it. And if we lose it, or it's taken away, it
[04:03:214]can be traumatic.
[04:05:426]The "Maze" in the story represents where you
[04:08:626]spend time looking for what you want. It can be
[04:11:537]the organization you work in, the community you
[04:14:766]live in, or the relationships you have in your
[04:17:756]life.
[04:18:943]I tell the Cheese story that you are about to
[04:21:385]read in my talks around the world, and often
[04:24:574]hear later from people about what a difference
[04:27:455]it has made to them.
[04:29:309]Believe it or not, this little story has been
[04:32:180]credited with saving careers, marriages and
[04:35:849]lives!
[04:37:653]One of the many real-life examples comes from
[04:40:902]Charlie Jones, a well-respected broadcaster for
[04:44:271]NBC-TV, who revealed that hearing the story of
[04:47:969]Who Moved My Cheese? saved his career. His job
[04:51:538]as a broadcaster is unique, but the principles
[04:54:937]he learned can be used by anyone.
[04:57:877]Here's what happened: Charlie had worked hard
[05:01:087]and had done a great job of broadcasting Track
[05:03:718]and Field events at an earlier Olympic Games, so
[05:06:738]he was surprised and upset when his boss told
[05:09:400]him he'd been removed from these showcase events
[05:12:001]for the next Olympics and assigned to Swimming
[05:14:523]and Diving.
[05:16:039]Not knowing these sports as well, he was
[05:17:963]frustrated. He felt unappreciated and he became
[05:21:382]angry. He said he felt it wasn't fair! His anger
[05:24:721]began to affect everything he did.
[05:28:209]Then, he heard the story of Who Moved My Cheese?
[05:32:017]After that he said he laughed at himself and
[05:34:918]changed his attitude. He realized his boss had
[05:37:720]just "moved his Cheese." So he adapted. He
[05:40:849]learned the two new sports, and in the process,
[05:43:890]found that doing something new made him feel
[05:46:262]young.
[05:47:368]It wasn't long before his boss recognized his
[05:50:060]new attitude and energy, and he soon got better
[05:53:042]assignments. He went on to enjoy more success
[05:56:670]than ever and was later inducted into Pro
[05:59:750]Football's Hall of Fame-Broadcasters' Alley.
[06:04:275]That's just one of the many real-life stories
[06:06:528]I've heard about the impact this story has had
[06:09:130]on people-from their work life to their love
[06:11:871]life.
[06:13:077]I'm such a strong believer in the power of Who
[06:15:510]Moved My Cheese? that I gave a copy of an early
[06:18:611]pre-publication edition to everyone (more than
[06:21:951]200 people) working with our company. Why?
[06:25:340]Because like every company that wants to not
[06:29:255]only survive in the future but stay competitive,
[06:32:843]The Ken Blanchard Companies are constantly
[06:35:086]changing. They keep moving our "Cheese." While
[06:38:804]in the past we may have wanted loyal employees,
[06:41:785]today we need flexible people who are not
[06:44:606]possessive about "the way things are done around
[06:47:516]here."
[06:48:513]And yet, as you know, living in constant white
[06:51:533]water with the changes occurring all the time at
[06:54:783]work or in life can be stressful, unless people
[06:58:092]have a way of looking at change that helps them
[07:00:840]understand it. Enter the Cheese story.
[07:04:159]When I told people about the story and then
[07:07:648]gave them a copy you could
[07:09:893]almost feel the release of negative energy
[07:12:679]beginning to occur. Person after person from
[07:16:158]every department went out of their way to thank
[07:18:580]me and told me how helpful (it) had
[07:22:212]been to them already in seeing the changes going
[07:25:311]on in our company in a different light. Believe
[07:28:571]me, this brief parable takes little time to read
[07:34:016]but its impact can be profound.
[07:37:056]As you turn the pages, you will find three
[07:39:741]sections in this book. In the first, A
[07:43:562]Gathering, former classmates talk at a class
[07:46:641]reunion about trying to deal with the changes
[07:49:601]happening in their lives. The second section is
[07:53:759]The Story of Who Moved My Cheese?, which is the
[07:56:007]core of the program.
[07:58:298]In the third section, A Discussion, people
[08:01:299]discuss what The Story meant to them and how
[08:04:140]they are going to use it in their work and in
[08:06:273]their lives
[08:07:778]Some readers of this book's early manuscript
[08:10:254]preferred to stop at the end of The Story,
[08:12:654]without reading further, and interpret its
[08:15:261]meaning for themselves. Others enjoyed reading A
[08:18:849]Discussion that follows because it stimulated
[08:22:029]their thinking about how they might apply what
[08:24:391]they'd learned to their own situation.
[08:26:903]In any case, I hope each time you listen to Who
[08:30:758]Moved My Cheese? you will find something new and
[08:33:758]useful in it, as I do, and that it will help you
[08:37:018]deal with change and bring you success, whatever
[08:40:528]you decide success is for you.
[08:43:229]I hope you enjoy what you discover and I wish
[08:46:398]you well. Remember: Move with the Cheese!
[08:55:341]A Gathering
[08:57:963]Chicago
[08:59:767]One sunny Sunday in Chicago, several former
[09:02:917]classmates, who were good friends in school,
[09:03:547]gathered for lunch, having attended their high
[09:05:959]school reunion the night before. They wanted to
[09:09:009]hear more about what was happening in each
[09:11:012]other's lives. After a good deal of kidding, and
[09:14:122]a good meal, they settled into an interesting
[09:16:574]conversation.
[09:18:219]Angela, who had been one of the most popular
[09:20:382]people in the class, said, "Life sure turned out
[09:23:224]differently than I thought it would when we were
[09:25:383]in school. A lot has changed."
[09:28:853]"It certainly has," Nathan echoed. They knew he
[09:32:172]had gone into his family's business, which had
[09:34:524]operated pretty much the same and had been a
[09:36:628]part of the local community for as long as they
[09:38:611]could remember. So, they were surprised when he
[09:40:854]seemed concerned. He asked, "But, have you
[09:43:675]noticed how we don't want to change when things
[09:46:117]change?"
[09:47:403]Carlos said, "I guess we resist changing because
[09:50:632]we're afraid of change."
[09:52:466]"Carlos, you were Captain of the football team,"
[09:55:069]Jessica said. "I never thought I'd hear you say
[09:57:841]anything about being afraid!"
[10:00:263]They all laughed as they realized that although
[10:03:102]they had gone off in different directions-from
[10:05:145]working at home to managing companies-they were
[10:07:826]experiencing similar feelings.
[10:10:258]Everyone was trying to cope with the unexpected
[10:12:830]changes that were happening to them in recent
[10:14:813]years. And most admitted that they did not know
[10:17:874]a good way to handle them.
[10:19:748]Then Michael said, "I used to be afraid of
[10:22:220]change. When a big change came along in our
[10:24:961]business, we didn't know what to do. So we
[10:28:091]didn't do anything differently and we almost lost it.
[10:31:724]"That is," he continued, "until I heard a funny
[10:33:394]little story that changed everything."
[10:36:378]"How so?" Nathan asked.
[10:38:561]"Well, the story altered the way I looked at
[10:41:159]change. And afer that, things quickly improved
[10:44:006]for me - at work and in my life.
[10:46:963]"Then I passed the story on to some people in
[10:49:495]our company and they passed it on to others, and
[10:52:087]soon our business did much better, because most
[10:54:629]of us adapted to change better. And like me,
[10:58:326]many people said it helped them in their
[10:59:926]personal lives.
[11:01:582]"What's the story?" Angela asked.
[11:04:156]"It's called Who Moved My Cheese?"
[11:07:933]The group laughed. "I think I like it already,"
[11:10:624]Carlos said. "Would you tell us the story?
[11:13:693]"Sure," Michael replied. "I'd be happy to-it
[11:16:993]doesn't take long." And so he began:
[11:22:308]The Story of Who Moved My Cheese?
[11:27:653]Once, long ago in a land far away, there lived
[11:31:936]four little characters who ran through a maze
[11:35:146]looking for cheese to nourish them and make them
[11:37:824]happy.
[11:39:020]Two were mice named "Sniff and "Scurry" and two
[11:43:432]were little people - beings who were as small as
[11:46:592]mice but who looked and acted a lot like people
[11:49:822]today. Their names were "Hem" and "Haw."
[11:54:714]Due to their small size, it would be easy not to
[11:57:066]notice what the four of them were doing. But if
[11:59:670]you looked closely enough, you could discover
[12:01:943]the most amazing things!
[12:04:684]Every day the mice and the little people spent
[12:07:649]time in the maze looking for their own special
[12:10:798]cheese.
[12:12:094]The mice, Sniff and Scurry, possessing only
[12:15:144]simple rodent brains, but good instincts,
[12:18:226]searched for the hard nibbling cheese they
[12:21:076]liked, as mice often do.
[12:23:718]The two little people, Hem and Haw, used their
[12:26:736]brains, filled with many beliefs and emotions,
[12:29:584]to search for a very different kind of
[12:31:607]Cheese-with a capital C-which they believed
[12:34:827]would make them feel happy and successful.
[12:38:435]As different as the mice and little people were,
[12:41:086]they shared something in common: Every morning,
[12:43:838]they each put on their jogging suits and running
[12:46:250]shoes, left their little homes, and raced out
[12:49:130]into the maze looking for their favorite cheese.
[12:52:420]The maze was a labyrinth of corridors and
[12:55:430]chambers, some containing delicious cheese. But
[12:59:885]there were also dark corners and blind alleys
[13:02:887]leading nowhere. It was an easy place for anyone
[13:05:994]to get lost.
[13:07:178]However, for those who found their way, the maze
[13:10:169]held secrets that let them enjoy a better life.
[13:13:887]The mice, Sniff and Scurry, used the simple
[13:17:405]trial-and-error method of finding cheese. They
[13:20:596]ran down one corridor, and if it proved empty,
[13:23:537]they turned and ran down another. They
[13:26:009]remembered the corridors that held no cheese and
[13:28:541]quickly went into new areas.
[13:31:403]Sniff would smell out the general direction of
[13:34:296]the cheese, using his great nose, and Scurry
[13:37:615]would race ahead. They got lost, as you might
[13:40:286]expect, went off in the wrong direction and
[13:42:798]often bumped into walls.
[13:44:719]However, the two little people, Hem and Haw
[13:48:398]had very complex brains with beliefs and emotions
[13:52:508]that made life in the maze more complicated
[13:55:677]and challenging.
[13:57:027]They relied on more sophisticated methods of finding
[14:00:095]Cheese. They depended on their ability to think and learn
[14:03:911]from their past experiences.
[14:05:947]Although their abilities were sometimes clouded
[14:08:987]by the way they looked at things.
[14:11:292]Eventually in their own way, they all discovered
[14:14:648]what they were looking for.
[14:16:565]They each found their own kind of
[14:18:189]cheese one day at the end of one of the
[14:20:526]corridors in Cheese Station C.
[14:23:873]Every morning after that, the mice and the
[14:26:414]little people dressed in their running gear and
[14:29:016]headed over to Cheese Station C. It wasn't long
[14:32:624]before they each established their own routine.
[14:35:973]Sniff and Scurry continued to wake early every
[14:39:083]day and race through the maze, always following
[14:42:063]the same route.
[14:44:037]When they arrived at their destination, the mice
[14:46:140]took off their running shoes, tied them together
[14:48:722]and hung them around their necks-so they could
[14:51:264]get to them quickly whenever they needed them
[14:53:022]again. Then they enjoyed the cheese.
[14:56:970]In the beginning Hem and Haw also raced toward
[14:59:770]Cheese Station C every morning to enjoy the
[15:02:432]tasty new morsels that awaited them.
[15:05:183]But after a while, a different routine set in
[15:08:055]for the little people.
[15:09:909]Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later,
[15:13:796]dressed a little slower, and walked to Cheese
[15:16:668]Station C. After all, they knew where the Cheese
[15:20:127]was now and how to get there.
[15:23:062]They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or
[15:25:573]who put it there. They just assumed it would be
[15:28:334]there.
[15:29:600]As soon as Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station
[15:32:212]C each morning, they settled in and made
[15:35:382]themselves at home. They hung up their jogging
[15:38:048]suits, put away their running shoes and put on
[15:40:799]their slippers. They were becoming very
[15:43:062]comfortable now that they had found the Cheese.
[15:46:204]"This is great," Hem said. "There's enough
[15:49:323]Cheese here to last us forever." The
[15:52:085]little people felt happy and successful, and
[15:54:567]thought they were now secure.
[15:56:790]It wasn't long before Hem and Haw regarded the
[15:59:986]Cheese they found at Cheese Station C as their
[16:02:767]cheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that
[16:06:625]they eventually moved their homes to be closer
[16:09:196]to it, and built a social life around it.
[16:12:496]To make themselves feel more at home, Hem and
[16:14:848]Haw decorated the walls with sayings and even
[16:18:137]drew pictures of Cheese around them which made
[16:21:247]them smile. One read:
[16:23:549]Having Cheese Makes You Happy
[16:26:311]Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends
[16:28:883]by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station
[16:31:644]C, and point to it with pride, saying, "Pretty
[16:35:314]nice Cheese, huh?" Sometimes they shared it with
[16:38:474]their friends and sometimes they didn't.
[16:42:710]"We deserve this Cheese," Hem said. "We
[16:45:710]certainly had to work long and hard enough to
[16:47:684]find it." He picked up a nice fresh piece and
[16:50:744]ate it.
[16:52:369]Afterwards, Hem fell asleep, as he often did.
[16:57:393]Every night the little people would waddle home,
[17:00:323]full of Cheese, and every morning they would
[17:02:636]confidently return for more.
[17:05:290]This went on for quite some time.
[17:08:081]After a while Hem's and Haw's confidence grew
[17:11:780]into the arrogance of success. Soon they became
[17:15:488]so comfortable they didn't even notice what was
[17:18:520]happening.
[17:20:085]As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued
[17:23:528]their routine. They arrived early each morning
[17:27:545]and sniffed and scratched and scurried around
[17:30:455]Cheese Station C, inspecting the area to see if
[17:33:555]there had been any changes from the day before.
[17:36:635]Then they would sit down to nibble on the
[17:38:898]cheese.
[17:40:244]One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and
[17:43:672]discovered there was no cheese.
[17:46:483]They weren't surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry
[17:49:933]had noticed the supply of cheese had been
[17:52:146]getting smaller every day, they were prepared
[17:54:887]for the inevitable and knew instinctively what
[17:58:027]to do.
[17:59:562]They looked at each other, removed the running
[18:01:914]shoes they had tied together and hung
[18:04:282]conveniently around their necks, put them on
[18:06:834]their feet and laced them up.
[18:09:694]The mice did not overanalyze things.
[18:12:754]To the mice, the problem and the answer were
[18:15:665]both simple. The situation at Cheese Station C
[18:19:325]had changed. So, Sniff and Scurry decided to
[18:23:014]change.
[18:24:668]They both looked out into the maze. Then Sniff
[18:27:689]lifted his nose, sniffed, and nodded to Scurry,
[18:31:486]who took off running through the maze, while
[18:33:560]Sniff followed as fast as he could.
[18:36:431]They were quickly off in search of New Cheese.
[18:40:079]Later that same day, Hem and Haw arrived at
[18:44:145]Cheese Station C. They had not been paying
[18:46:956]attention to the small changes that had been
[18:49:208]taking place each day, so they took it for
[18:52:139]granted their Cheese would be there.
[18:54:861]They were unprepared for what they found.
[18:58:371]"What! No Cheese?" Hem yelled. He continued
[19:02:859]yelling, "No Cheese? No Cheese?" as though if he
[19:07:833]shouted loud enough someone would put it back.
[19:11:481]"Who moved my Cheese?" he hollered.
[19:15:619]Finally, he put his hands on his hips, his face
[19:19:187]turned red, and he screamed at the top of his
[19:22:118]voice, "It's not fair!"
[19:26:603]Haw just shook his head in disbelief. He, too,
[19:31:487]had counted on finding Cheese at Cheese Station
[19:34:468]C. He stood there for a long time, frozen with
[19:39:232]shock. He was just not ready for this.
[19:43:478]Hem was yelling something, but Haw didn't want
[19:46:798]to hear it. He didn't want to deal with what was
[19:49:509]facing him, so he just tuned everything out.
[19:54:402]The little people's behavior was not very
[19:56:253]attractive or productive but it was
[19:59:113]understandable.
[20:00:918]Finding Cheese wasn't easy, and it meant a great
[20:03:898]deal more to the little people than just having
[20:05:881]enough of it to eat every day.
[20:08:702]Finding Cheese was the little people's way of
[20:11:752]getting what they thought they needed to be
[20:13:716]happy. They had their own ideas of what Cheese
[20:16:946]meant to them, depending on their taste.
[20:20:006]For some, finding Cheese was having material
[20:23:943]things. For others it was enjoying good health,
[20:28:041]or developing a spiritual sense of well-being.
[20:32:486]For Haw, Cheese just meant feeling safe, having
[20:36:593]a loving family someday, and living in a cozy
[20:39:782]cottage on Cheddar Lane.
[20:42:882]To Hem, Cheese was becoming A Big Cheese in
[20:46:820]charge of others and owning a big house atop
[20:50:191]Camembert Hill.
[20:52:274]Because Cheese was important to them, the two
[20:54:905]little people spent a long time trying to decide
[20:57:587]what to do. All they could think of was to keep
[21:01:045]looking around Cheeseless Station C to see if
[21:04:828]the Cheese was really gone.
[21:07:529]While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem
[21:10:969]and Haw continued to hem and haw.
[21:16:195]Haw started to get depressed. What would
[21:19:594]happen if the Cheese wasn't there tomorrow? He
[21:22:893]had made future plans based on this Cheese.
[21:26:696]The little people couldn't believe it. How could
[21:29:538]this have happened? No one had warned them. It
[21:33:102]wasn't right. It was not the way things were
[21:36:063]supposed to be.
[21:37:787]Hem and Haw went home that night hungry and
[21:41:086]discouraged. But before they left, Haw wrote on
[21:45:243]the wall:
[21:46:998]The More Important Your Cheese Is To You
[21:50:483]The More You Want To Hold On To It
[21:54:173]The next day Hem and Haw left their homes, and
[21:57:770]returned to Cheese Station C again, where they
[22:00:660]still expected, somehow, to find their Cheese.
[22:05:523]The situation hadn't changed; the Cheese was no
[22:08:802]longer there. The little people didn't know what
[22:11:314]to do. Hem and Haw just stood there, immobilized
[22:15:587]like two statues.
[22:17:979]Haw shut his eyes as tight as he could and put
[22:21:288]his hands over his ears. He just wanted to block
[22:24:722]everything out. He didn't want to know the
[22:27:094]Cheese supply had gradually been getting
[22:29:597]smaller. He believed it had been moved all of a
[22:32:936]sudden.
[22:34:411]Hem analyzed the situation over and over and
[22:37:890]eventually his complicated brain with its huge
[22:41:259]belief system took hold. "Why did they do this
[22:45:516]to me?" he demanded. "What's really going on
[22:49:265]here?"
[22:51:134]Finally, Haw opened his eyes, looked around and
[22:55:603]said, "By the way, where are Sniff and Scurry?
[23:00:976]Do you think they know something we don't?"
[23:04:196]Hem scoffed, "What would they know?"
[23:08:214]Hem continued, "They're just simple mice. They
[23:12:789]just respond to what happens. We're
[23:15:211]little people. We're special. We should
[23:18:471]be able to figure this out."
[23:20:816]"I know we're smarter," Haw said, "but we don't
[23:24:660]seem to be acting smarter at the moment. Things
[23:28:229]are changing around here, Hem. Maybe we need to
[23:31:608]change and do things differently."
[23:35:296]"Why should we change?" Hem asked. "We're
[23:38:666]little people. We're special. This sort of thing
[23:42:663]should not happen to us. Or if it does, we
[23:46:361]should at least get some benefits."
[23:49:359]"Why should we get benefits?" Haw asked.
[23:52:550]"Because we're entitled," Hem claimed.
[23:56:816]"Entitled to what?" Haw wanted to know.
[24:00:943]"We're entitled to our Cheese."
[24:03:751]"Why?" Haw asked.
[24:07:484]"Because, we didn't cause this problem," Hem
[24:10:699]said. "Somebody else did this and we should get
[24:13:998]something out of it."
[24:15:613]Haw suggested, "Maybe we should stop analyzing
[24:19:191]the situation so much and just get going and
[24:22:660]find some New Cheese."
[24:24:903]"Oh no," Hem argued. "I'm going to get to the
[24:29:190]bottom of this."
[24:31:339]While Hem and Haw were still trying to decide
[24:34:070]what to do, Sniff and Scurry were already well
[24:37:280]on their way. They went farther into the maze,
[24:41:118]up and down corridors, looking for cheese in
[24:44:364]every Cheese Station they could find.
[24:47:484]They didn't think of anything else but finding
[24:49:625]New Cheese.
[24:51:498]They didn't find any for sometime until they
[24:53:900]finally went into an area of the maze where they
[24:56:442]had never been before: Cheese Station N.
[25:01:469]They squealed with delight. They found what they
[25:04:928]had been looking for: a great supply of New
[25:08:472]Cheese.
[25:09:768]They could hardly believe their eyes. It was the
[25:12:061]biggest store of cheese the mice had ever seen.
[25:16:227]In the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in
[25:19:716]Cheese Station C evaluating their situation.
[25:23:962]They were now suffering from the effects of
[25:26:264]having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated
[25:29:615]and angry and were blaming each other for the
[25:32:236]situation they were in.
[25:34:306]Now and then Haw thought about his mice friends,
[25:38:263]Sniff and Scurry, and wondered if they had found
[25:41:043]any cheese yet. He believed they might be having
[25:44:601]a hard time, as running through the maze usually
[25:47:711]involved some uncertainty. But he also knew that
[25:52:217]it was likely to only last for a while.
[25:55:157]Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry
[25:58:526]finding New Cheese and enjoying it. He thought
[26:02:154]about how good it would be for him to be out on
[26:04:211]an adventure in the maze, and to find fresh New
[26:07:321]Cheese. He could almost taste it.
[26:11:388]The more clearly Haw saw the image of himself
[26:14:090]finding and enjoying the New Cheese, the more he
[26:17:828]saw himself leaving Cheese Station C.
[26:21:675]"Let's go!" he exclaimed, all of a sudden.
[26:25:453]"No," Hem quickly responded. "I like it here.
[26:29:211]It's comfortable. It's what I know. Besides it's
[26:33:382]dangerous out there."
[26:35:522]"No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through
[26:39:395]many parts of the maze before, and we can do it
[26:42:048]again."
[26:43:338]"I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And
[26:46:624]I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting lost
[26:48:777]and making a fool of myself. Are you?"
[26:52:426]With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and
[26:56:642]his hope of finding New Cheese faded.
[26:59:712]So every day, the little people continued to do
[27:02:653]what they had done before. They went to Cheese
[27:05:584]Station C, found no Cheese, and returned home,
[27:09:720]carrying their worries and frustrations with them.
[27:13:449]They tried to deny what was happening, but found
[27:16:630]it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the
[27:19:769]next day, and were becoming irritable.
[27:23:417]Their homes were not the nurturing places they
[27:26:377]once were. The little people had difficulty
[27:29:098]sleeping and were having nightmares about not
[27:32:140]finding any Cheese.
[27:34:004]But Hem and Haw still returned to Cheese Station
[27:36:945]C and waited there every day.
[27:40:516]Hem said, "You know, if we just work harder
[27:44:085]we'll find that nothing has really changed that
[27:46:995]much. The Cheese is probably nearby. Maybe they
[27:51:341]just hid it behind the wall."
[27:54:488]The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools.
[27:58:465]Hem held the chisel while Haw banged on the
[28:01:887]hammer until they made a hole in the wall of
[28:04:399]Cheese Station C. They peered inside but found
[28:09:283]no Cheese.
[28:10:948]They were disappointed but believed they could
[28:13:288]solve the problem. So they started earlier,
[28:16:727]stayed longer, and worked harder. But after a
[28:21:184]while, all they had was a large hole in the
[28:24:298]wall.
[28:25:833]Haw was beginning to realize the difference
[28:28:375]between activity and productivity.
[28:32:711]"Maybe," Hem said, "we should just sit here and
[28:37:189]see what happens. Sooner or later they have to
[28:39:979]put the Cheese back."
[28:41:923]Haw wanted to believe that. So each day he went
[28:46:209]home to rest and returned reluctantly with Hem
[28:49:223]to Cheese Station C. But Cheese never
[28:53:392]reappeared.
[28:55:186]By now the little people were growing weak from
[28:58:505]hunger and stress. Haw was getting tired of just
[29:01:855]waiting for their situation to improve. He began
[29:05:235]to see that the longer they stayed in their
[29:07:738]Cheeseless situation, the worse off they would be.
[29:12:178]Haw knew they were losing their edge.
[29:16:156]Finally, one day Haw began laughing at himself.
[29:20:354]"Haw, haw, look at us. We keep doing the same
[29:24:122]things over and over again and wonder why things
[29:28:044]don't get better. If this wasn't so ridiculous,
[29:31:753]it would be even funnier."
[29:34:249]Haw did not like the idea of having to run
[29:36:972]through the maze again, because he knew he would
[29:39:433]get lost and have no idea where he would find
[29:42:144]any Cheese. But he had to laugh at his folly
[29:45:296]when he saw what his fear was doing to him.
[29:48:755]He asked Hem, "Where did we put our running
[29:52:064]shoes?" It took a long time to find them because
[29:55:627]they had put everything away when they found
[29:57:758]their Cheese at Cheese Station C, thinking they
[30:00:988]wouldn't be needing them anymore.
[30:03:243]As Hem saw his friend getting into his running
[30:06:424]gear, he said, "You're not really going out into
[30:09:614]the maze again, are you? Why don't you just wait
[30:12:914]here with me until they put the Cheese back?"
[30:16:961]"Because, you just don't get it," Haw said. "I
[30:21:719]didn't want to see it either, but now I realize
[30:25:331]they're never going to put yesterday's Cheese
[30:28:292]back. It's time to find New Cheese."
[30:32:840]Hem argued, "But what if there is no Cheese out
[30:36:968]there? Or even if there is, what if you don't
[30:40:795]find it?"
[30:42:291]"I don't know," Haw said. He had asked himself
[30:46:171]those same questions too many times and felt the
[30:49:541]fears again that kept him where he was.
[30:53:361]He asked himself. "Where am I more likely to
[30:57:070]find Cheese-here or in the Maze?"
[31:02:084]He painted a picture in his mind. He saw himself
[31:05:922]venturing out into the Maze with a smile on his
[31:09:691]face.
[31:11:345]While this picture surprised him, it made him
[31:14:106]feel good. He saw himself getting lost now and
[31:17:955]then in the Maze, but felt confident he would
[31:20:896]eventually find New Cheese out there and all the
[31:24:516]good things that came with it. He gathered his
[31:27:656]courage.
[31:29:082]Then he used his imagination to paint the most
[31:33:110]believable picture he could-with the most
[31:36:209]realistic details-of him finding and enjoying
[31:41:323]the taste of New Cheese.
[31:44:592]He saw himself eating Swiss cheese with holes in
[31:48:290]it, bright orange Cheddar and American cheeses,
[31:53:187]Italian mozzarella and wonderfully soft French
[31:56:607]Camembert cheese, and . . .
[31:59:558]Then he heard Hem say something and realized
[32:02:969]they were still at Cheese Station C.
[32:06:188]Haw said, "Sometimes, Hem, things change and
[32:11:695]they are never the same again. This looks like
[32:14:615]one of those times. That's life! Life moves on.
[32:19:709]And so should we."
[32:22:102]Haw looked at his emaciated companion and tried
[32:26:050]to talk sense to him, but Hem's fear had turned
[32:30:069]into anger and he wouldn't listen.
[32:33:529]Haw didn't mean to be rude to his friend, but he
[32:36:958]had to laugh at how silly they both looked.
[32:40:477]As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel
[32:43:766]more alive, knowing that he was finally able to
[32:47:205]laugh at himself, let go and move on.
[32:51:913]Haw laughed and announced, "It's MAZE time!"
[32:57:735]Hem didn't laugh and he didn't respond.
[33:03:009]Haw picked up a small, sharp rock and wrote a
[33:06:408]serious thought on the wall for Hem to think
[33:09:050]about. As was his custom, Haw even drew a
[33:12:639]picture of cheese around it, hoping it would
[33:15:221]help Hem to smile, lighten up, and go after the
[33:19:041]New Cheese. But Hem didn't want to see it.
[33:22:850]It read:
[33:25:342]If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct.
[33:30:665]Then, Haw stuck his head out and peered
[33:34:004]anxiously into the maze. He thought about how
[33:37:066]he'd gotten himself into this cheeseless
[33:39:151]situation.
[33:40:977]He had believed that there may not be any Cheese
[33:44:058]in the maze, or he may not find it. Such fearful
[33:47:546]beliefs were immobilizing and killing him.
[33:50:847]Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, "Who
[33:55:213]moved my Cheese?" but Haw was wondering, "Why
[34:00:326]didn't I get up and move with the Cheese
[34:02:999]sooner?"
[34:04:445]As he started out into the maze, Haw looked back
[34:07:596]to where he had come from and felt its comfort.
[34:11:278]He could feel himself being drawn back into
[34:13:830]familiar territory-even though he hadn't found
[34:17:225]Cheese there for some time.
[34:19:811]Haw became more anxious and wondered if he
[34:22:681]really wanted to go out into the maze. He wrote
[34:26:120]a saying on the wall ahead of him and stared at
[34:28:813]it for some time:
[34:31:042]What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid
[34:35:978]He thought about it.
[34:37:719]He looked to his right, to the part of the maze
[34:40:334]where he had never been, and felt the fear.
[34:44:451]Then, he took a deep breath, turned right into
[34:48:041]the maze, and jogged slowly, into the unknown.
[34:54:203]As he tried to find his way, Haw worried, at
[34:57:521]first, that he might have waited too long in
[35:00:212]Cheese Station C. He hadn't had any Cheese for
[35:03:793]so long that he was now weak. It took him longer
[35:08:041]and it was more painful than usual to get
[35:10:305]through the maze. He decided that if he ever got
[35:13:447]the chance again, he would get out of his
[35:16:039]comfort zone and adapt to change sooner. It
[35:20:426]would make things easier.
[35:22:891]Then, Haw smiled a weak smile as he thought,
[35:26:292]"Better late than never."
[35:29:053]During the next several days, Haw found a little
[35:32:165]Cheese here and there, but nothing that lasted
[35:34:956]very long. He had hoped to find enough Cheese to
[35:38:496]take some back to Hem and encourage him to come
[35:41:421]out into the maze.
[35:43:185]But Haw didn't feel confident enough yet. He had
[35:46:426]to admit, he found it confusing in the maze.
[35:49:438]Things seemed to have changed since the last
[35:51:330]time he was out here.
[35:53:115]Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he
[35:55:986]would get lost in the corridors. It seemed his
[35:58:926]progress was two steps forward and one step
[36:01:986]backward. It was a challenge, but he had to
[36:05:754]admit that being back in the maze, hunting for
[36:08:034]Cheese, wasn't nearly as bad as he feared it
[36:11:044]might be.
[36:12:789]As time went on he began to wonder if it was
[36:15:432]realistic for him to expect to find New Cheese.
[36:20:029]He wondered if he had bitten off more than he
[36:22:122]could chew. Then he laughed, realizing that he
[36:25:711]had nothing to chew on at the moment.
[36:28:622]Whenever he started to get discouraged he
[36:30:727]reminded himself that what he was doing, as
[36:33:468]uncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in
[36:35:821]reality much better than staying in the
[36:38:165]Cheeseless situation. He was taking control,
[36:42:311]rather than simply letting things happen to him.
[36:45:342]Then he reminded himself, if Sniff and Scurry
[36:48:033]could move on, so could he!
[36:51:442]Later, as Haw looked back on things, he realized
[36:55:269]that the Cheese at Cheese Station C had not just
[36:58:968]disappeared overnight, as he had once believed.
[37:02:547]The amount of Cheese that had been there toward
[37:04:959]the end had been getting smaller, and what was
[37:07:939]left had grown old. It didn't taste as good.
[37:11:438]Mold may even have begun to grow on the Old
[37:14:152]Cheese, although he hadn't noticed it. He had to
[37:17:642]admit however, that if he had wanted to, he
[37:20:733]probably could have seen what was coming. But he
[37:24:332]didn't.
[37:25:578]Haw now realized that the change probably would
[37:28:899]not have taken him by surprise if he had been
[37:31:541]watching what was happening all along and if he
[37:35:001]had anticipated change. Maybe that's what Sniff
[37:38:921]and Scurry had been doing.
[37:41:273]He decided he would stay more alert from now on.
[37:45:540]He would expect change to happen and look for
[37:48:650]it. He would trust his basic instincts to sense
[37:52:867]when change was going to occur and be ready to
[37:56:487]adapt to it.
[37:58:274]He stopped for a rest and wrote on the wall of
[38:01:005]the Maze:
[38:02:371]Smell The Cheese Often So You Know
[38:06:554]When It Is Getting Old
[38:10:201]Sometime later, after not finding Cheese for
[38:13:007]what seemed like a long time, Haw finally came
[38:16:157]across a huge Cheese Station which looked
[38:19:859]promising. When he went inside, however, he was
[38:23:544]most disappointed to discover that the Cheese
[38:25:847]station was empty.
[38:28:236]"This empty feeling has happened to me too
[38:31:190]often," he thought. He felt like giving up.
[38:36:408]Haw was losing his physical strength. He knew he
[38:39:658]was lost and was afraid he would not survive. He
[38:43:446]thought about turning around and heading back to
[38:45:610]Cheese Station C. At least, if he made it back,
[38:49:218]and Hem was still there, Haw wouldn't be alone.
[38:53:257]Then he asked himself the same question again,
[38:56:098]"What would I do if I weren't afraid?"
[39:01:252]Haw thought he was past his fear, but he was
[39:04:445]afraid more often than he liked to admit, even
[39:07:366]to himself. He wasn't always sure what he was
[39:11:065]afraid of, but, in his weakened condition, he
[39:15:184]knew now he was simply fearful of going on
[39:18:018]alone. Haw didn't know it, but he was running
[39:22:107]behind because he was still weighed down by
[39:25:437]fearful beliefs.
[39:27:939]Haw wondered if Hem had moved on, or if he was
[39:31:709]still paralyzed by his own fears. Then, Haw
[39:35:599]remembered the times when he had felt his best
[39:38:112]in the maze. It was when he was moving along.
[39:42:130]He wrote on the wall, knowing it was as much a
[39:44:582]reminder to himself as it was a marking for his
[39:47:543]friend Hem, hopefully, to follow:
[39:51:188]Movement in a new direction
[39:53:930]helps you find new cheese.
[39:57:399]Haw looked down the dark passageway and was
[40:00:380]aware of his fear. What lay ahead? Was it empty?
[40:06:137]Or worse, were there dangers lurking? He began
[40:10:865]to imagine all kinds of frightening things that
[40:13:877]could happen to him. He was scaring himself to
[40:16:839]death.
[40:18:646]Then he laughed at himself. He realized his
[40:21:278]fears were making things worse. So he did what
[40:25:896]he would do if he wasn't afraid. He moved in a
[40:28:849]new direction.
[40:30:883]As he started running down the dark corridor he
[40:33:736]began to smile. Haw didn't realize it yet, but
[40:38:857]he was discovering what nourished his soul. He
[40:42:505]was letting go and trusting what lay ahead for
[40:45:917]him, even though he did not know exactly what it
[40:48:827]was.
[40:50:104]To his surprise, Haw started to enjoy himself
[40:53:805]more and more. "Why do I feel so good?" he
[40:58:541]wondered. "I don't have any Cheese and I don't
[41:02:030]know where I am going."
[41:04:194]Before long, he knew why he felt good.
[41:07:845]He stopped to write again on the wall:
[41:11:399]When you move beyound your fear,
[41:13:861]you feel free.
[41:16:563]Haw realized he had been held captive by his own
[41:20:111]fear. Moving in a new direction had freed him.
[41:24:828]Now he felt the cool breeze that was blowing in
[41:28:377]this part of the maze and it was refreshing. He
[41:31:887]took in some deep breaths and felt invigorated
[41:34:988]by the movement. Once he had gotten past his
[41:37:948]fear, it turned out to be more enjoyable than he
[41:41:238]once believed it could be.
[41:44:091]Haw hadn't felt this way for a long time. He had
[41:48:048]almost forgotten how much fun it was.
[41:51:825]To make things even better, Haw started to paint
[41:55:025]a picture in his mind again. He saw himself in
[41:58:644]great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of
[42:02:174]a pile of all his favorite cheeses-from Cheddar
[42:05:863]to Brie! He saw himself eating the many cheeses
[42:09:641]he liked, and he enjoyed what he saw. Then he
[42:13:769]imagined how much he would enjoy all their great
[42:16:779]tastes.
[42:18:543]The more clearly he saw the image of himself
[42:20:813]enjoying New Cheese, the more real and
[42:24:054]believable it became. He could sense that he was
[42:27:852]going to find it.
[42:29:646]He wrote:
[42:30:932]Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese Even Before
[42:34:870]I Find It, Leads Me To It.
[42:38:439]Haw kept thinking about what he could gain
[42:41:419]instead of what he was losing.
[42:43:963]He wondered why he had always thought that a
[42:46:285]change would lead to something worse. Now he
[42:50:254]realized that change could lead to something
[42:53:834]better.
[42:55:319]"Why didn't I see this before?" he asked
[42:58:541]himself.
[43:00:642]Then he raced through the maze with greater
[43:03:046]strength and agility. Before long he spotted a
[43:06:944]Cheese Station and became excited as he noticed
[43:09:705]little pieces of New Cheese near the entrance.
[43:13:804]They were types of Cheeses he had never seen
[43:16:028]before, but they looked great. He tried them and
[43:19:997]found that they were delicious. He ate most of
[43:22:920]the New Cheese bits that were available and put
[43:25:553]a few in his pocket to have later and perhaps
[43:28:096]share with Hem. He began to regain his strength.
[43:32:891]He entered the Cheese Station with great
[43:35:183]excitement. But, to his dismay, he found it was
[43:39:132]empty. Someone had already been there and had
[43:43:298]left only the few bits of New Cheese.
[43:46:887]He realized that if he had moved sooner, he
[43:49:976]would very likely have found a good deal of New
[43:52:877]Cheese here.
[43:54:822]Haw decided to go back and see if Hem was ready
[43:57:972]to join him.
[43:59:627]As he retraced his steps, he stopped and wrote
[44:02:717]on the wall:
[44:04:552]The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner
[44:08:519]You Find New Cheese.
[44:11:430]After a while Haw made his way back to Cheese
[44:14:461]Station C and found Hem. He offered Hem bits of
[44:18:340]New Cheese, but was turned down.
[44:21:726]Hem appreciated his friend's gesture but said,
[44:25:165]"I don't think I would like New Cheese. It's not
[44:29:182]what I'm used to. I want my own Cheese back and
[44:32:660]I'm not going to change until I get what I
[44:35:074]want."
[44:36:483]Haw just shook his head in disappointment and
[44:39:793]reluctantly went back out on his own. As he
[44:43:661]returned to the farthest point he had reached in
[44:45:894]the maze, he missed his friend, but realized he
[44:49:761]liked what he was discovering. Even before he
[44:53:062]found what he hoped would be a great supply of
[44:55:923]New Cheese, if ever, he knew that what made him
[44:59:571]happy wasn't just having Cheese.
[45:03:461]He was happy when he wasn't being run by his
[45:06:592]fear. He liked what he was doing now.
[45:12:205]Knowing this, Haw didn't feel as weak as he did
[45:15:834]when he stayed in Cheese Station C with no
[45:18:536]Cheese. Just realizing he was not letting his
[45:21:618]fear stop him and knowing that he had taken a
[45:24:189]new direction nourished him and gave him
[45:26:940]strength.
[45:28:764]Now he felt that it was just a question of time
[45:31:771]before he found what he needed. In fact, he
[45:34:850]sensed he had already found what he was looking for,
[45:38:940]He smiled as he realized:
[45:41:792]It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In
[45:45:878]A Cheeseless Situation
[45:48:789]Haw realized again, as he had once before, that
[45:52:697]what you are afraid of is never as bad as what
[45:55:907]you imagine. The fear you let build up in your
[45:59:148]mind is worse than the situation that actually
[46:02:327]exists.
[46:04:142]He'd been so afraid of never finding New Cheese
[46:07:674]that he didn't even want to start looking. But
[46:10:476]since starting his journey he had found enough
[46:13:180]Cheese in the corridors to keep him going. Now
[46:16:070]he looked forward to finding more. Just looking
[46:19:460]ahead was becoming exciting.
[46:22:304]His old thinking had been clouded by his worries
[46:25:036]and fears. He used to think about not having
[46:27:998]enough Cheese, or not having it last as long as
[46:31:457]he wanted. He used to think more about what
[46:33:950]could go wrong than what could go right.
[46:37:759]But that had changed in the days since he had
[46:39:952]left Cheese Station C.
[46:42:594]He used to believe that Cheese should never be
[46:45:117]moved and that change wasn't right.
[46:49:443]Now he realized it was natural for change to
[46:52:216]continually occur, whether you expect it or not.
[46:56:570]Change could surprise you only if you didn't
[46:59:490]expect it and weren't looking for it.
[47:02:741]When he realized he had changed his beliefs, he
[47:05:701]paused to write on the wall:
[47:08:661]Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese
[47:14:297]Haw hadn't found Cheese yet, but as he ran
[47:17:388]through the Maze, he thought about what he had
[47:19:869]already learned.
[47:21:963]Haw now realized that his new beliefs were
[47:25:143]encouraging new behaviors. He was behaving
[47:28:303]differently than when he kept returning to the
[47:30:665]same cheeseless station.
[47:33:008]He knew when you change what you believe, you
[47:36:159]change what you do.
[47:38:872]You can believe that a change will harm you and
[47:41:153]resist it. Or you can believe that finding New
[47:45:393]Cheese will help you, and embrace the change.
[47:50:467]It all depends on what you choose to believe.
[47:54:265]He wrote on the wall:
[47:56:867]When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New
[48:00:187]Cheese, You Change Course.
[48:04:148]Haw knew he would be in better shape now if he
[48:07:328]had embraced the change much sooner and left
[48:10:000]Cheese Station C earlier. He would feel stronger
[48:14:117]in body and spirit and he could have coped
[48:16:559]better with the challenge of finding New Cheese.
[48:19:271]In fact, he probably would have found it by now
[48:22:303]if he had expected change, rather than wasting
[48:25:255]time denying that the change had already taken
[48:27:747]place.
[48:29:182]He used his imagination again and saw himself
[48:32:363]finding and savoring New Cheese. He decided to
[48:36:434]proceed into the more unknown parts of the Maze,
[48:40:333]and found little bits of Cheese here and there.
[48:44:041]Haw began to regain his strength and confidence.
[48:49:001]As he thought back on where he had come from,
[48:51:618]Haw was glad he had written on the wall in many
[48:54:340]places. He trusted that it would serve as a
[48:57:420]marked trail for Hem to follow through the maze,
[49:01:128]if he chose to leave Cheese Station C.
[49:04:439]He just hoped he was heading in the right
[49:06:355]direction. He thought about the possibility that
[49:09:515]Hem would read The Handwriting On The Wall and
[49:12:575]find his way.
[49:14:489]He wrote on the wall what he had been thinking
[49:16:873]about for some time:
[49:19:075]Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To
[49:23:664]The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.
[49:26:965]By now, Haw had let go of the past and was
[49:30:694]adapting to the present.
[49:33:286]He continued on through the maze with greater
[49:36:366]strength and speed. And before long, it
[49:39:995]happened.
[49:41:702]When it seemed like he had been in the maze
[49:43:659]forever, his journey-or at least this part of
[49:46:919]his journey-ended quickly and happily.
[49:51:135]Haw proceeded along a corridor that was new to
[49:54:057]him, rounded a corner, and found New Cheese at
[49:58:674]Cheese Station N!
[50:01:495]When he went inside, he was startled by what he
[50:04:378]saw. Piled high everywhere was the greatest
[50:08:535]supply of Cheese he had ever seen. He didn't
[50:12:235]recognize all that he saw, as some kinds of
[50:14:967]Cheese were new to him.
[50:17:120]Then he wondered for a moment whether it was
[50:19:095]real or just his imagination, until he saw his
[50:23:311]old friends Sniff and Scurry.
[50:26:780]Sniff welcomed Haw with a nod of his head, and
[50:30:448]Scurry waved his paw. Their fat little bellies
[50:34:008]showed that they had been here for some time.
[50:37:608]Haw quickly said his hellos and soon took bites
[50:40:977]of every one of his favorite Cheeses. He pulled
[50:44:316]off his shoes, tied the laces together, and hung
[50:47:794]them around his neck in case he needed them
[50:50:185]again. Sniff and Scurry laughed. They nodded
[50:54:214]their heads in admiration. Then Haw jumped into
[50:58:081]the New Cheese. When he had eaten his fill, he
[51:01:760]lifted a piece of fresh Cheese and made a toast.
[51:05:748]"Hooray for Change!"
[51:09:625]As Haw enjoyed the New Cheese, he reflected on
[51:13:383]what he had learned.
[51:15:476]He realized that when he had been afraid to
[51:17:701]change he had been holding on to the illusion of
[51:20:900]Old Cheese that was no longer there.
[51:24:539]So what was it that made him change? Was it the
[51:28:480]fear of starving to death? Haw smiled as he
[51:32:986]thought it certainly helped.
[51:35:487]Then he laughed and realized that he had started
[51:38:249]to change as soon as he had learned to laugh at
[51:41:169]himself and at what he had been doing wrong. He
[51:45:067]realized the fastest way to change is to laugh
[51:48:267]at your own folly-then you can let go and
[51:52:703]quickly move on.
[51:54:654]He knew he had learned something useful about
[51:56:867]moving on from his mice friends, Sniff and
[51:59:827]Scurry. They kept life simple. They didn't
[52:03:717]overanalyze or overcomplicate things. When the
[52:07:096]situation changed and the Cheese had been moved,
[52:10:505]they changed and moved with the Cheese. He would
[52:14:473]remember that.
[52:16:347]Haw had also used his wonderful brain to do what
[52:20:017]little people do better than mice.
[52:23:124]He reflected on the mistakes he had made in the
[52:25:678]past and used them to plan for his future. He
[52:30:204]knew that you could learn to deal with change:
[52:33:863]You could be more aware of the need to keep
[52:35:847]things simple, be flexible, and move quickly.
[52:41:129]You did not need to overcomplicate matters or
[52:44:051]confuse yourself with fearful beliefs.
[52:47:311]You could notice when the little changes began
[52:50:547]so that you would be better prepared for the big
[52:52:271]change that might be coming.
[52:54:828]He knew he needed to adapt faster, for if you do
[52:58:396]not adapt in time, you might as well not adapt
[53:01:647]at all.
[53:03:341]He had to admit that the biggest inhibitor to
[53:05:425]change lies within yourself, and that nothing
[53:09:154]gets better until you change.
[53:12:734]Perhaps most importantly, he realized that there
[53:15:973]is always New Cheese out there whether you
[53:18:806]recognize it at the time, or not. And that you
[53:21:788]are rewarded with it when you go past your fear
[53:25:726]and enjoy the adventure.
[53:28:505]He knew some fear should be respected, as it can
[53:32:414]keep you out of real danger. But he realized
[53:35:384]most of his fears were irrational and had kept
[53:38:594]him from changing when he needed to.
[53:42:442]He didn't like it at the time, but he knew that
[53:45:125]the change had turned out to be a blessing in
[53:47:388]disguise as it led him to find better Cheese.
[53:52:223]He had even found a better part of himself.
[53:55:503]As Haw recalled what he had learned, he thought
[53:58:693]about his friend Hem. He wondered if Hem had
[54:01:914]read any of the sayings Haw had written on the
[54:04:541]wall at Cheese Station C and throughout the
[54:07:232]Maze.
[54:08:768]Had Hem ever decided to let go and move on? Had
[54:13:194]he ever entered the Maze and discovered what
[54:15:846]could make his life better?
[54:18:281]Or was Hem still hemmed in because he would not
[54:21:762]change?
[54:24:329]Haw thought about going back again to Cheese
[54:26:963]Station C to see if he could find Hem-assuming
[54:30:445]that Haw could find his way back there. If he
[54:33:526]found Hem, he thought he might be able to show
[54:36:068]him how to get out of his predicament. But Haw
[54:39:008]realized that he had already tried to get his
[54:41:820]friend to change.
[54:43:704]Hem had to find his own way, beyond his comforts
[54:48:414]and past his fears. No one else could do it for
[54:51:493]him, or talk him into it. He somehow had to see
[54:55:749]the advantage of changing himself.
[54:59:038]Haw knew he had left a trail for Hem and that he
[55:02:305]could find his way, if he could just read The
[55:05:027]Handwriting On The Wall.
[55:07:470]He went over and wrote down a summary of what he
[55:09:754]had learned on the largest wall of Cheese
[55:11:828]Station N. He drew a large piece of cheese
[55:15:248]around all the insights he had learned,
[55:17:889]and smiled as he looked at what he had learned:
[55:19:935]The Handwriting On The wall
[55:21:138]Change Happens
[55:23:292]They Keep Moving The Cheese
[55:26:395]Anticipate Change
[55:28:578]Get Ready For The Cheese To Move
[55:32:027]Monitor Change
[55:34:161]Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is
[55:37:503]Getting Old
[55:39:168]Adapt To Change Quickly
[55:41:447]The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese,
[55:44:385]The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese
[55:47:734]Change
[55:49:389]Move With The Cheese
[55:52:280]Enjoy Change!
[55:54:762]Savor The Adventure
[55:56:576]And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese.
[56:00:954]Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again
[56:05:510]They Keep Moving The Cheese
[56:09:403]Haw realized how far he had come since he had
[56:11:865]been with Hem in Cheese Station C, but knew it
[56:15:275]would be easy for him to slip back if he got too
[56:17:768]comfortable. So each day he inspected Cheese
[56:21:653]Station N to see what the condition of his
[56:24:295]Cheese was. He was going to do whatever he could
[56:27:456]to avoid being surprised by unexpected change.
[56:32:172]While Haw still had a great supply of Cheese, he
[56:35:254]often went out into the maze and explored new
[56:38:155]areas to stay in touch with what was happening
[56:40:788]around him. He knew it was safer to be aware of
[56:43:927]his real choices than to isolate himself in his
[56:46:929]comfort zone.
[56:48:716]Haw heard what he thought was the sound of
[56:50:960]movement out in the maze. As the noise grew
[56:54:050]louder, he realized that someone was coming.
[56:58:178]Could it be that Hem was arriving? Was he about
[57:01:608]to turn the corner?
[57:03:871]Haw said a little prayer and hoped-as he had
[57:07:989]many times before-that maybe, at last, his
[57:12:057]friend was finally able ...
[57:15:581]To Move With The Cheese And Enjoy It
[57:21:041]the end.. .. or is it a new beginning?
[57:36:060]A Discussion
[57:37:341]Later That Same Day
[57:42:329]When Michael finished telling the story, he
[57:45:135]looked around the room and saw his former
[57:46:950]classmates smiling at him.
[57:49:392]Several thanked him and said they got a good
[57:51:396]deal out of the story.
[57:53:250]Nathan asked the group, "What would you think of
[57:56:110]getting together later and maybe discussing it?"
[57:58:911]Most of them said they would like to talk about
[58:00:791]it, and so they arranged to meet later for a
[58:03:250]drink before dinner.
[58:06:359]That evening, as they gathered in a hotel
[58:08:843]lounge, they began to kid each other about
[58:11:257]finding their "Cheese" and seeing themselves in
[58:13:615]the maze.
[58:15:152]Then Angela asked the group good-naturedly, "So,
[58:18:433]who were you in the story? Sniff, Scurry, Hem or
[58:21:951]Haw?"
[58:23:287]Carlos answered, "Well, I was thinking about
[58:25:802]that this afternoon. I clearly remember a time
[58:28:892]before I had my sporting goods business, when I
[58:31:555]had a rough encounter with change.
[58:34:078]"I wasn't Sniff-I didn't sniff out the situation
[58:37:608]and see the change early. And I certainly wasn't
[58:40:468]Scurry-I didn't go into action immediately.
[58:43:798]"I was more like Hem, who wanted to stay in
[58:46:699]familiar territory. The truth is, I didn't want
[58:50:707]to deal with the change. I didn't even want to
[58:53:180]see it."
[58:55:065]Michael, who felt like no time had passed since
[58:57:802]he and Carlos were close friends in school,
[58:59:774]asked, "What are we talking about here, buddy?"
[59:03:073]Carlos said, "An unexpected change of jobs."
[59:07:299]Michael laughed. "You were fired?"
[59:11:058]"Well let's just say I didn't want to go out
[59:13:660]looking for New Cheese. I thought I had a good
[59:16:790]reason why change shouldn't happen to me. So, I
[59:19:682]was pretty upset at the time."
[59:22:284]Some of their former classmates who had been
[59:24:904]quiet in the beginning felt more comfortable now
[59:27:396]and spoke up, including Frank, who had gone into
[59:30:627]the military.
[59:32:232]"Hem reminds me of a friend of mine," Frank
[59:34:300]said. "His department was closing down, but he
[59:37:132]didn't want to see it. They kept relocating his
[59:39:942]people. We all tried to talk to him about the
[59:42:515]many other opportunities that existed in the
[59:44:719]company for those who wanted to be flexible, but
[59:48:018]he didn't think he had to change. He was the
[59:51:138]only one who was surprised when his department
[59:53:361]closed. Now he's having a hard time adjusting to
[59:56:502]the change he didn't think should happen."
[59:59:334]Jessica said, "I didn't think it should happen
[60:02:285]to me either, but my 'Cheese' has been moved
[60:04:788]more than once."
[60:06:664]Many in the group laughed, except Nathan.
[60:10:512]"Maybe that's the whole point," Nathan said.
[60:13:502]"Change happens to all of us."
[60:15:915]He added, "I wish my family had heard the Cheese
[60:18:817]story before this. Unfortunately we didn't want
[60:22:066]to see the changes coming in our business, and
[60:24:908]now it's too late-we're having to close many of
[60:27:911]our stores."
[60:30:385]That surprised many in the group, because they
[60:32:877]thought Nathan was lucky to be in a secure
[60:34:992]business he could depend on, year after year.
[60:38:562]"What happened?" Jessica wanted to know.
[60:41:831]"Our chain of small stores suddenly became old
[60:44:842]fashioned when the mega-store came to town with
[60:47:215]its huge inventory and low prices. We just
[60:50:386]couldn't compete with that.
[60:52:339]"I can see now that instead of being like Sniff
[60:54:903]and Scurry, we were like Hem. We stayed where we
[60:58:612]were and didn't change. We tried to ignore what
[61:01:912]was happening and now we are in trouble. We
[61:04:506]could have taken a couple of lessons from Haw."
[61:08:265]Laura, who had become a successful business-
[61:10:269]woman, had been listening, but had said very
[61:12:583]little until now. "I thought about the story
[61:15:564]this afternoon too," she said. "I wondered how I
[61:18:425]could be more like Haw and see what I'm doing
[61:20:927]wrong, laugh at myself, change, and do better."
[61:25:104]She said, "I'm curious. How many here are afraid
[61:28:913]of change?" No one responded, so she suggested,
[61:34:497]"How about a show of hands?"
[61:37:805]Only one hand went up. "Well, it looks like
[61:41:434]we've got one honest person in our group!" she
[61:44:074]said. And then continued, "Maybe you'll like
[61:47:200]this next question better. How many here think
[61:50:420]other people are afraid of change?" Practically
[61:54:438]everyone raised their hands. Then they all
[61:57:360]started laughing.
[61:59:095]"What does that tell us?"
[62:01:209]"Denial," Nathan answered.
[62:03:733]"Sure," Michael admitted, "sometimes we're not
[62:06:484]even aware that we're afraid. I know I wasn't.
[62:10:540]When I first heard the story, I loved the
[62:12:314]question, 'What would you do if you weren't
[62:15:215]afraid?'"
[62:17:129]Then Jessica added, "Well, what I got from the
[62:19:642]story is that change is happening everywhere and
[62:22:494]that I will do better when I can adjust to it
[62:24:854]quickly.
[62:26:260]"I remember years ago when our company was
[62:28:252]selling our encyclopedia as a set of more than
[62:30:684]twenty books. One person tried to tell us that
[62:33:605]we should put our whole encyclopedia on a single
[62:36:027]computer disk and sell it for a fraction of the
[62:38:469]cost. It would would cost
[62:40:312]us so much less to manufacture, and so many more
[62:43:302]people could afford it. But we all resisted."
[62:47:280]"Why did you resist?" Nathan asked.
[62:49:722]"Because, we believed then that the backbone of
[62:51:817]our business was our large sales force, who
[62:54:309]called on people door-to-door. Keeping our sales
[62:56:887]force depended on the big commissions they
[62:59:010]earned from the high price of our product. We
[63:01:741]had been doing this successfully for a long time
[63:04:453]and thought it would go on forever."
[63:07:255] "So you thought your old Cheese was
[63:09:200]your only Cheese.", Nathan said.
[63:11:881]"Yes, and we wanted to hang on to it.
[63:14:839]"When I think back on what happened to us, I see
[63:17:780]that it's not just that they 'moved the Cheese,'
[63:20:611]but that the 'Cheese' has a life of its own and
[63:22:994]eventually runs out.
[63:25:127]"Anyway, we didn't change. But a competitor did
[63:27:679]and our sales fell badly. We've been going
[63:31:109]through a difficult time. Now, another big
[63:34:356]technological change is happening in the
[63:36:160]industry and no one at the company seems to want
[63:38:483]to deal with it. It doesn't look good. I think I
[63:41:563]could be out of a job soon."
[63:43:726]"It's MAZE time!" Carlos called out. Everyone
[63:47:415]laughed, including Jessica.
[63:49:877]Carlos turned to Jessica and said, "It's good
[63:52:558]that you can laugh at yourself."
[63:54:871]Frank offered, "That's what / got out of the
[63:57:249]story. I tend to take myself too seriously. I
[64:01:287]noticed how Haw changed when he could finally
[64:03:650]laugh at himself and at what he was doing. No
[64:06:820]wonder he was called Haw."
[64:09:154]Angela asked, "Do you think that Hem ever
[64:11:983]changed and found New Cheese?"
[64:14:425]Elaine said, "I think he did."
[64:16:968]"I don't," Cory said. "Some
SPENCER JOHNSON, MD WHO MOVED MY CHEESE lyrics are property and copyright of their owners and are provided for educational purposes and personal use only.