More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
October 14 - October 19, 2024
While in the past we may have wanted loyal employees, today we need flexible people who are not possessive about “the way things are done around here.”
white water
Everyone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. But in a world that is constantly changing, it is to our advantage to learn how to adapt and enjoy something better.
Remember: Move with the Cheese!
“When I realized the four characters in the story represented the various parts of myself, I decided who I wanted to act like and I changed.
They either knew the lessons and were already living them, or, more commonly, they thought they already knew everything and didn’t want to learn.
“When one of our senior executives, who was having difficulty adapting, said the story was a waste of time, other people kidded him saying they knew which character he was in the story—meaning the one who learned nothing new and did not change.”
wasn’t long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found at Cheese Station C as their cheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that they eventually moved their homes to be closer to it, and built a social life around it.
Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station C, and point to it with pride, saying, “Pretty nice Cheese, huh?” Sometimes they shared it with their friends and sometimes they didn’t.
One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was no cheese. They weren’t surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry had noticed the supply of cheese had been getting smaller every day, they were prepared for the inevitable and knew instinctively what to do.
While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued to hem and haw.
He had made future plans based on this Cheese.
The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It.
He didn’t want to know the Cheese supply had gradually been getting smaller. He believed it had been moved all of a sudden.
Haw suggested, “Maybe we should simply stop analyzing the situation so much and go find some New Cheese?” “Oh no,” Hem argued. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in Cheese Station C evaluating their situation. They were now suffering from the effects of having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated and angry and were blaming each other for the situation they were in.
So every day, the Littlepeople continued to do what they had done before. They went to Cheese Station C, found no Cheese, and returned home, carrying their worries and frustrations with them. They tried to deny what was happening, but found it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the next day, and were becoming irritable. Their homes were not the nurturing places they once were. The Littlepeople had difficulty sleeping and were having nightmares about not finding any Cheese.
Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity.
“we should just sit here and see what happens. Sooner or later they have to put the Cheese back.”
He began to see that the longer they stayed in their Cheeseless situation, the worse off they would be.
“Haw, haw, look at us. We keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don’t get better. If this wasn’t so ridiculous, it would be even funnier.”
“Where did we put our running shoes?” It took a long time to find them because they had put everything away when they found their Cheese at Cheese Station C, thinking they wouldn’t be needing them anymore.
said. “I didn’t want to see it either, but now I realize they’re never going to put yesterday’s Cheese back. It’s time to find New Cheese.”
He asked himself, “Where am I more likely to find Cheese—here or in the Maze?” He painted a picture in his mind. He saw himself venturing out into the Maze with a smile on his face. While this picture surprised him, it made him feel good. He saw himself getting lost now and then in the Maze, but felt confident he would eventually find New Cheese out there and all the good things that came with it. He gathered his courage. Then he used his imagination to paint the most believable picture he could-with the most realistic details-of him finding and enjoying the taste of New Cheese. He saw himself
...more
“Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.”
As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh at himself, let go and move
As was his custom, Haw even drew a picture of cheese around it, hoping it would help Hem to smile, lighten up, and go after the New Cheese.
If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct.
He had believed that there may not be any Cheese in the Maze, or he may not find it. Such fearful beliefs were immobilizing and killing him. Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, “Who moved my cheese?” but Haw was wondering, “Why didn’t I get up and move with the Cheese, sooner?” As he started out into the Maze, Haw looked back to where he had come from and felt its comfort. He could feel himself being drawn back into familiar territory-even though he hadn’t found Cheese here for some time.
He wrote a saying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for some time: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid? He thought about it. He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don’t do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are so afraid that it keeps you from doing anything. He looked to his right, to the part of the Maze where he had never been, and felt the fear. Then, he took a deep breath, turned right into the Maze, and jogged slowly, into the unknown.
He decided that if he ever got the chance again, he would get out of his comfort zone and adapt to change sooner. It would make things easier. Then, Haw smiled a weak smile as he thought, “Better late than never.” During the next several days, Haw found a little Cheese here and there, but nothing that lasted very long. He had hoped to find enough Cheese to take some back to Hem and encourage him to come out into the Maze.
As time went on he began to wonder if it was realistic for him to expect to find New Cheese. He wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Then he laughed, realizing that he had nothing to chew on at that moment.
he started to get discouraged, he reminded himself that what he was doing, as uncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in reality much better than staying in the Cheeseless situation. He was taking control, rather than simply letting things happen to him.
Later, as Haw looked back on things, he realized that the Cheese at Cheese Station C had not just disappeared overnight, as he had once believed. The amount of Cheese that had been there toward the end had been getting smaller, and what was left had grown old. It didn’t taste as good.
He had to admit however, that if he had wanted to, he probably could have seen what was coming. But he didn’t.
the change probably would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and if he had anticipated change. Maybe that’s what Sniff and Scurry had been doing.
He would trust his basic instincts to sense when change was going to occur and be ready to adapt to it.
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old
He thought about turning around and heading back to Cheese Station C. At least, if he made it back, and Hem was still there, Haw wouldn’t be alone. Then he asked himself the same question again, “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?” Haw thought he was past his fear, but he was afraid more often than he liked to admit, even to himself. He wasn’t always sure what he was afraid of, but, in his weakened condition, he knew now he was simply fearful of going on alone. Haw didn’t know it, but he was running behind because he was still weighed down by fearful beliefs.
Haw remembered the times when he had felt his best in the Maze. It was when he was moving along.
Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.
He realized his fears were making things worse. So he did what he would do if he weren’t afraid. He moved in a new direction.
Haw didn’t realize it yet, but he was discovering what nourished his soul. He was letting go and trusting what lay ahead for him, even though he did not know exactly what it was.
“Why do I feel so good?” he wondered. “I don’t have any Cheese and I don’t know where I am going.”
Haw kept thinking about what he could gain instead of what he was losing. He wondered why he had always thought that a change would lead to something worse. Now he realized that change could lead to something better.
He realized that if he had moved sooner, he would very likely have found a good deal of New Cheese here.
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese.
Hem appreciated his friend’s gesture but said, “I don’t think I would like New Cheese. It’s not what I’m used to. I want my own Cheese back and I’m not going to change until I get what I want.”
Even before he found what he hoped would be a great supply of New Cheese, if ever, he knew that what made him happy wasn’t just having Cheese. He was happy when he wasn’t being run by his fear. He liked what he was doing now.
Just realizing he was not letting his fear stop him, and knowing that he had taken a new direction, nourished him and gave him strength.
