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Today’s book summary

Who Moved My Cheese?

by Spencer Johnson

A tiny fable about four characters in a maze, and why some people thrive when change moves the cheese.

The golden nuggets

01

Change happens. They keep moving the cheese.

Cheese is whatever you want in life - a job, money, love, health, peace of mind. It will not stay put forever, so stop expecting it to.

02

Anticipate change. Get ready for the cheese to move.

The cheese at Station C did not vanish overnight - it got smaller and older first. Expect the move and you will never be shocked by it.

03

Smell the cheese often, so you know when it is getting old.

Sniff and Scurry checked the supply every morning, so they were ready. Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are coming.

04

If you do not change, you can become extinct.

Haw wrote this on the wall after watching Hem demand his cheese back as if it were his by right. Old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese.

05

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheese.

Haw wasted hungry weeks clinging to an empty station before he moved. Letting go fast is not losing - it is what starts the finding.

06

Ask yourself: what would you do if you were not afraid?

Haw wrote this question on the wall in the middle of his search. The fear you build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists - and when you move beyond fear, you feel free.

07

Move with the cheese. Searching the maze beats staying where there is none.

Blame and complaining found Hem nothing. Haw learned it is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation - movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.

08

Picture yourself enjoying the new cheese, even before you find it.

Haw imagined the taste of new cheese in detail, and the picture pulled him forward. Imagining yourself enjoying it leads you to it.

09

Enjoy change. Savor the adventure and the taste of new cheese.

Haw learned to laugh at his own folly, and found that was the fastest way to change. Once he enjoyed the hunt, change stopped feeling like pure loss.

10

Be ready to change quickly - and enjoy it again and again.

Even with plenty at Station N, Haw kept his running shoes handy and kept exploring new corridors. The new cheese will move too; staying ready is the whole game.

You’re halfway there

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The book, in short

The book opens at a reunion in Chicago, where a group of old classmates compare notes on how much their lives have changed. One of them, Michael, tells a short fable that helped the people at his company handle change - and the rest of the book is that fable, plus the discussion it sparks.

In the fable, four characters live in a Maze and run through it every day looking for Cheese. Cheese stands for anything you want in life: a good job, money, health, love, or peace of mind. The Maze is where you look for it - your company, your community, your habits. Two characters are mice: Sniff, who sniffs out change early, and Scurry, who acts fast. The other two are Little People, Hem and Haw, who think, feel, and overthink the way people do.