Who moved by Cheese by Spencer Johnson

I procrastinated reading this book to the point I had to renew it. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that The National Library Board no longer charges a SGD 0.50 fee for renewals. I wonder if NLB will ever remove the SGD 1.55 handling fee it presently imposes for reservation of books though. It will be great if it does because I have been doing a lot of that but even if it doesn't, reserving your books online means that you will get get that book you have been meaning to read and you have a choice of collecting it at any library branch of your choice.

I finished this #1 best seller in all of half an hour and wondered at the end of reading it, why the hell I had procrastinated reading such a fabulous book which was not only life-changing but a short simple easy-read.

In a snapshot, the book is about 4 different characters who live in a Maze and look for Cheese to nourish them and keep them happy. Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry and two are human-like creatures named Hem and Haw. Cheese is the metaphor for what one wants out of life, whether it is a good job, money, loving relationship or even an activity like fishing. Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it we often become attached to it and if we lose it, it can be traumatic. Maze is where you look for what you want - your family, the organisation you work for. In the story, the 4 characters are hit with unexpected change. The Cheese Station (Station C) which they found cheese at no longer had any cheese.

In his foreword, the author tells us that the two mice do better when they are faced with change because they keep things simple while the two human-like creatures' complex brains and human emotions complicate things. In the story of the 4 characters, he repeats this again "Sometimes they did well but at other times, their powerful human beliefs and emotions took over and clouded the way they looked at things. It made life in the Maze more complicated and challenging."

The lessons that The Slog takes away from the books are:

1) SMELL THE CHEESE OFTEN SO U KNOW WHEN IT IS GETTING OLD - Always be prepared that the Cheese may be taken away ie be alert and expect that change will happen and look for it Hem and Haw became complacent after finding Cheese Station C and they lost their sense of urgency. In fact, as the author said "Their success grew into the arrogance of success. Soon they became so comfortable until they didn't even notice what was happening." Be like Sniff and Scurry who would inspect for any changes to the Cheese before enjoying it. NOTICING SMALL CHANGES EARLY HELP YOU TO ADAPT TO THE BIGGER CHANGES THAT ARE TO COME.

2) THE QUICKER YOU LET GO OF OLD CHEESE, THE SOONER YOU FIND NEW CHEESE - Do not over-analyze change. Sniff and Scurry decided to change because the situation at Cheese Station C had changed. Unlike Hem and Haw who raved at the injustice because there was no longer any cheese, who pointed fingers and spent time wondering why this happened to them, Sniff and Scurry moved on straight away to find New Cheese. In fact, when Hew found a new station with some cheese, he realised he would have found a great deal more cheese if he had moved sooner. He would also have found New Cheese earlier if he had expected change instead of wasting time denying that the change had already taken place.

3) IT IS SAFER TO SEARCH IN THE MAZE THAN REMAIN IN A CHEESELESS SITUATION - Do not let fear of the uncertainty hold you back. Ask yourself what you would do if you weren't afraid? Instead paint a positive picture of yourself venturing out with a smile on your face and then paint the most believeable picture you can - with the most realistic details of you finding and enjoying the New Cheese. When you stop being afraid, you feel good!

4) IMAGINING YOURSELF ENJOYING YOUR NEW CHEESE LEADS YOU TO IT - Along the way, if you are wondering if you have bitten off more than you can chew, remind yourself that whatever you are doing, no matter how uncomfortable it is at the moment, is in reality much better than staying in the Cheeseless situation. U are taking control rather than letting things happen to you.

5) MOVEMENT IN A NEW DIRECTION HELPS YOU FIND NEW CHEESE - The times you feel best are when you are moving along moving for new cheese. Let go and trust what lies ahead of you even though you do not know what it is.

6) OLD BELIFES DOES NOT LEAD U TO NEW CHEESE - When you change what you belief, you change what you do. When you see you can find and enjoy New Cheese, you change course. Haw realised he had started to change when he had learned to laugh at himself and at what he had been doing wrong. The fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly - then you can let go and quickly move on.

7) The biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself and until you change, nothing gets better.

8) Most importantly, THERE IS ALWAYS NEW CHEESE OUT THERE, WHETHER U RECOGNISE IT AT THE TIME OR NOT. And that you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.

9)The "Old Cheese" may be just old behavior and isntead of letting go of the relationship, what we really need to let go of is the behavior that is the cause of our bad relationships. And then move on to a better way of thinking anda cting. The New Cheese is a new relationship with the same person.

The Slog Reviews: 10/10 and well-deserved.