Before bookstores are took over by the Mark Manson hurricane, in the self help section of every bookstore, there are the Dale Carnegie, the Who Moved My Cheese, the Rich Dad Poor Dad, the Think and Grow Rich, the Thinking Fast and Slow, the… okay I admit I can go on and on non stop.
Back to the topic of the day: Lessons from Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson
I ripped through the book in a day last month and figured I can share the book summary and lessons in it so that you don’t have to read it.
- Background: The book is basically about a story, where there are a few miniature characters living in a big maze. Once upon a time, God puts a big piece of cheese (food) in the maze. These miniature characters relied on that as their sole food source. They lived near the cheese. Times were good. One day, the cheese disappeared. Some of the characters were outraged, WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?!!, they said, and they spend all their time thinking who did this to them, why the world is so unfair, why me, but they did not go out and find another cheese. Others, however, took a different approach. Instead of thinking about who removed their only food source, they went on a journey in the big maze in search for another piece of cheese. The book compares and contrasts the two type of personalities and advocate for the latter.
- Adapting to change: The world we living in right now is not 1900s, its not even 2000s, its 2022, with the Internet, and all sorts of technological advancements, our world is moving so fast that while it is ok to use the old mindset, it is more beneficial to you if you are very open to changes and new ways of doing things. The book was published in 1998, and the story applies even more today than back then.
- The book was self-proclaimed to be a “business book” (as evidenced from the words on the cover), but I think this not only applies to people doing business, but careers, or even relationships. Sometimes instead of blaming each other or asking why this happened to me, it may be better to find solutions together or even move on.
- In case you are really ambitious and thinking whether you should get this book and read it, my humble opinion is no. While it is a short read, your time might be better spent on something else. The idea is simple. Just getting the idea of it would be more than enough. There are better books out there that might be more worthy of your time. I appreciate your intention to take action on this though. This is a rare trait in this world.
Hope this helps.
Feat. random pic of me
Ryan
P.S. BONUS TIP: Have you ever heard of the “Victim mentality”? It applies in this story as well. Learn about it and avoid it like plague.