It’s a powerful little book, and if you haven’t read it, you should.
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D. gives you a whole new perspective on why so many of us fail to embrace change as an opportunity.
We’ve all been there at one time or another. We have a job. Been in that job for a number of years. Watched others in the company advance. Sit back and keep waiting for our moment of advancement, but it never comes. We get angry and blame our employer, believing that we have an entitlement, when in fact, these events are simply an opportunity.
Are You Sniff and Scurry? Or Hem and Haw?
In getting his message across, Spencer Johnson uses four creatures that everyone can relate to. Sniff and Surry are mice and Hem and Haw are tiny mice-sized people. They live in a maze and must venture out each day searching for cheese in order to survive. Of course, they’ve gotten quite accustomed to finding a nice portion of cheese in the same spot every day, until one day it’s no longer there. Sniff and Scurry waste no time setting off to find new cheese in another location, while Hem and Haw waste time in stressing out and worrying about their dilemma. Meanwhile, Sniff and Scurry have utilized their time wisely and have found cheese elsewhere, living life quite comfortably.
Although simplistic, the book reminds all of us that with change comes opportunities. We can choose to venture out and seek our fortune, or simple sit back and waste valuable time trying to over analyze why an event occurred.
The Wisdom of Helen Keller
One of our most beloved writers and Americans, Helen Keller, embodies the result of faith and perseverance. As stated by the American Foundation for the Blind; “The story of Helen Keller is the story of a child who, at the age of 19 months, suddenly lost her hearing and vision, and who, against overwhelming odds and with a great deal of persistence, grew into a highly intelligent and sensitive woman who wrote, spoke, and labored incessantly for the betterment of others. So powerful a symbol of triumph over adversity did she become that she has a definite place in the history of our time and of times to come.”
It was Ms. Keller who once said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens. But often we spend so much time looking at the closed doors that we cannot see the doors that have been opened for us.”
Embracing Change
No one likes change. We are all creatures of habit, preferring each morning to return to our “cheese location,” and resting assured that we are secure.
However, life is about change. It’s change that is the evitable factor in our lives. So we have two options. We can embrace change as a opportunity and advance our careers. Or we can sit back and complain, and hope the circumstances will change.
Which approach do you really think will benefit you the most?
Change is what makes life. LIfe is change from the beginning to the end. WE all have to embrace it to move forward. I read this book for my nursing class. I feel that a lot of older generation nurses need to read this book because our profession changes constantly. I am going to hand some copies out for Christmas.
Patrice, excellent gift idea! And you are so correct. When you understand that change is an inevitable fact of life, you are able to ride the ebb and flow with less stress. Thanks for sharing.