These days, I have been reading at home and tidying up my bookshelf. I accidentally found a small book called Who Moved My Cheese?. I bought it more than ten years ago. I did not have strong feelings when I read it for the first time. My work and life were full of uncertainty at that time. I only thought cheese meant a stable job, an ideal life and a sense of security.
After so many years, I read this book again. My life experiences made me understand that cheese will never stay the same. Real safety will not keep unchanged forever. We should get ready for changes and have the courage to start again at any time.
This book is thin with only a little more than a hundred pages. It does not have complex storylines. But it becomes popular around the world for its simple and deep story. It becomes a life guide for many people who feel lost. The book tells the adventures of two small mice and two little people. It shows that the adult world is always changing. We can only move forward well if we learn to adapt.
Some people think this book only simplifies complex life issues into a theory of facing change. It ignores the real difficulties and feelings that people have when they meet changes.
However, I do not agree with this opinion. The book does not tell us how to deal with every change. It uses a simple story to remind people who enjoy comfort and refuse to make changes. When changes come, we should not worry too much and we should face our fears directly.
The four characters in the book react differently when the cheese is gone. This shows how people really act when facing changes. Sniff can clearly notice small changes early and starts to look for new cheese ahead of time. Scurry never likes to stay in comfort. When the cheese is gone, he takes action at once and steps out of his comfortable life. Hem is a stubborn person. He gets used to comfort after he has cheese. When the cheese disappears, he only complains and waits. He finally stays in the old maze and does nothing. Haw is afraid and complains a lot at first. But he later finds the chance to grow. In the end, he beats his fear and walks into the maze. He finds new cheese in the maze and changes himself.
What impresses me most is the contrast between these characters. Some people keep their old cheese because they are afraid of the unknown. They finally end up in an empty place with no hope. This makes people feel sorry and helpless. People who step out of their comfort zones and look for new cheese also face the unknown and fear. But they choose to face changes with their actions.
Our lives often stay between these two choices. Sometimes we do not want to change. Sometimes we hope to move forward. This book makes us face our own laziness. It reminds us to take action at important moments. We should not complain. We should let go of bad feelings when we are in trouble.
When I read this book again, I thought of my own experiences and the experiences of people around me.
In the past, I also made excuses and lied to myself just like Hem. I was satisfied with the present life and did not want to leave my stable life to look for new chances. I did not realize the truth until changes pushed me out of my comfort zone. Real stability does not mean keeping everything the same. I have a friend who worked in a company for fifteen years. He refused to make changes with the industry. He lost his job when the industry declined and fell into difficult situations. Another friend kept learning and improving at work. He successfully changed his job when the company adjusted its business.
We often ask who moved my cheese, but we seldom think about where to find new cheese. Nothing in this world stays stable forever. Work, love and health can all change. Complaining does not make any sense. The loss of cheese is not the end. It tells us to stay careful and learn to change ourselves when needed.