The book that has inspired me the most is ‘Who moved my cheese’, by Spencer Johnson. This is a book that imparted deep insights about life, change and human behavior in a way that transformed my thinking entirely. In this article you will find who moved my cheese analysis with focus on the various characters Sniff, Scurry Hem and Haw.
Who moved my cheese is a small 90-page book, but the lessons it imparts, lasts a whole lifetime. I first got acquainted with the book when one of my professors in my Change Management Course, gave it as a reading assignment. The book immediately caught my attention as it seemed to be more of a story than a self help or philosophy book. It is a story of 4 characters -Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw, who are stuck in a maze. The antics of the character and how the story unfolded was amusing and interesting at the same time. The story goes something as follows:
Who moved my cheese analysis
List of Contents
Hem and Haw are miniature humans and Skip and Scurry are mice. They represent different aspects inherent in us- Sniff is one who sniffs out the advent of change, Scurry is the one who takes action, Hem is the one who resists change and Haw is the one who learns to adapt to change. ‘Cheese ‘stands for anything that we consider good and valuable in our lives. It can be a job, a relationship, a position or a phase in life. When change hits us and our ‘Cheese’ moves or gets over, we react in ways that are displayed by the various characters.
It took me about 20 mins to read through the whole book. After I put the book down, I realized the impactful way in which truths about coping with change was taught to me. I took it up again immediately and went through it, clarifying and exploring each of those truths highlighted as lessons. Here are just few of these profound lessons:
- They keep moving the cheese (Change is constant)
- Sniff the cheese regular to know when the cheese is getting old (Anticipate change)
- Faster you let go of the old cheese the sooner you can enjoy the new cheese (Adapt to change quickly)
- Enjoy the new cheese (Savor the change)
I relate to the character Haw the most because I do not particularly like change, but when change happens, I do accept and adapt. I make it a point now, to be also like Sniff and anticipate change more often. Hem is the character which resists change and wants things to remain as it was. I notice those feelings in myself at times but I know that the cheese will not come back no matter how we complain or rant. Like Scurry the mouse we need to take quick and decisive action and move forward.
Let is now discuss the characteristics of Hem and haw as well as Sniff and Scurry.
What did you observe with respect to characters in the story “who moved my cheese”?
Let us discuss how these characters actually represent us. To be more accurate type of responses we go through when faced with change.
Character analysis of Hem and Haw in Who move my cheese
Hem and Haw are little humans in the story. But they actually Hem and Haw are characteristics we find in ourselves. Hem and Haw stands mostly for a sense of indecisiveness and frustration we feel when things change around us and we are unprepared for it. Let us take Hem and analyze his character in more detail. Hem is angry and resentful when he sees that the cheese has vanished. He also feels entitled to the good he had just because he has been receiving it for some time. When we humans get our benefits (good) from a source we tend to take it for granted never questioning its sustainability for the long term. It can be our career or relationships which we assume will always remain the same and continue being good. But the nature of things in our world is that everything changes, nothing that we see around us is permanent. If we continue craving for the old times and not look to what can be in the future, like Hem we become stuck in life and eventually suffer because we have become sullen and stubborn. We tend refuse to entertain ideas of change and want things as it were.
Haw’s character on the other hand is initially sharing the same anger and frustration as Hem but come to the realization that it is futile to stay and expect things to get back to as it were earlier. He looks beyond the seeming lack of opportunity and understand the need for embracing uncertainty than feel threatened by it. Slowly, as he takes the steps to find cheese (new opportunity) he starts feeling energized and excited. He eventually has fun in the process and when he does find new cheese he realizes that it may not be permanent.
Character analysis of Sniff and Scurry in Who move my cheese
Sniff and Scurry are mice in the story which makes them devoid of the emotional of anger, frustration and self-righteousness that tend to keep humans in the quagmire of confusion and stagnancy. While they partake of the good (cheese) they are not very perturbed about it getting over. They are actually accepting the fact that it will get over. Sniff keeps checking the amount of the cheese left and scurry is ready to move on to the next cheese. While they are mentioned as mice in the story these are ideal characteristics we can develop as human beings to ensure that we keep moving and keep learning and growing.
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Who moved my cheese lessons
We do not have to get attached to the cheese or whatever is going good in our lives. We can enjoy the good while it lasts with the perfect understanding that it will get over sometime and we will have to move on. When fears and resentment come knocking on our doors, we will politely refuse to open the door and let them into our minds. Dwelling in negative emotions is detrimental to our personal growth and happiness. Rather we can acknowledge our feeling and deal with our fears so that we are empowered and not stuck. Blaming others or circumstance can hardly change our life situations, in fact we become more entrenched in our misery. Dealing with fears involves acknowledging why we feel that way and assessing our perceptions which may need to change of the reality. Once you change your perception about a situation you feeling about it changes as well.
Who moved my cheese meaning
Who moved my cheese stands for how we as human being deal with change in our life. It is a mirror that reflects to us the disempowering behaviors and emotions that affect us all when faced with changes. It also charts out the path we need to take when faced with changes through the characters Haw, Sniff and Scurry. Hem characterizes the people who get stuck because they are unable to cope with the changes. The depiction of the empowering and disempowering behaviors through simple characters is the reason why the story is so effective.
What does the cheese represent?
Cheese represents what we consider as good in our lives. A good career, source of income, relationships and specific places we humans consider as good. This is what cheese stands for.
As humans when we start receiving our good from a perceived source, we tend to take it for granted and even feel a sense of entitlement. We also become complacent and do not keep learning or continuously improving our skills and abilities. This is what cheese does to us. This is the danger the book warns us about. Not being vigilant and letting ourselves become complacent and attached to certain specific sources of good can be the most harmful thing a human can do. It will be devastating when the source is no longer there or has nothing else to give. Keeping options open, embracing uncertainty and being excited about changes are the right mindset to adopt in our lives if we want to keep moving and keep prospering.
Summary (What is the main message of who moved my cheese?)
The main message of the book who moved my cheese is that we as human being need to embrace change as the reality of our lives. Dealing with changes will not be so hard when we adopt the right perspective on change and what we consider as good.
I wholeheartedly recommend the book to anyone who is finding it difficult to adapt to change or seeking ways to cope with change. It is a short book but it has lessons that can transform your life.
If you liked the who moved my cheese analysis you will absolutely love the book
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Who moved my cheese assignment
Want to learn the lessons of who moved my cheese? Here is a free who move my cheese assignment workbook, that you can download and apply the lessons of who moved my cheese book to your own life.
Who moved my cheese training
If you want to use the concepts and create a training for your team, please follow the instructions below:
1. Download the pdf assignment above and print them out
based on the number of participants
2. Start the session by giving participants the objectives
of the program i.e., 1) To understand the key lesson of who moved my cheese
book and 2) To understand how to apply it to our life and work
3. Once you have finished narrating the story explain the
key lessons
4. Put people in group of 3-6 and have them discuss how
the lessons can be applied to themselves and their work
5. Have each group present key insights relevant to
themselves and their work
6. Conclude with highlighting each lesson and its
significance and end the training
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