I didn't really plan on reading this book "Who Moved My Cheese?" considering its small size - what could it possibly offer in just 90 pages? There are far bigger self help books lying in wait for me anyway. But the title "Who moved my cheese?" caught my attention, and tempted me to give this book a try - and then I kept reading. The book was pleasantly surprising and I finished it in one sitting!
To be specific, in just two and a half hours I was able to finish the book. It is a short read and I would recommend it to anyone who is new to reading because it is not only educational, but fun at the same time. The "cheese" in the book refers to our desires, things we hold dear.
The book has three sections 1. The gathering 2. The story and 3. The discussion. A group of friends have reunited in some setting and they're discussing how life's turned out for each of them, how life changes so fast in so many ways that it gets difficult to keep up.
Shortly after, the author narrates a story about mice which totally blows away our pre-existing notions about "change". Throughout the story there are these compact quotations which summarize what has been learned so far as the story is being told.
For example:
Spoiler alert: Cheese is not permanent. Things we hold dear, our desires, relationships - everything changes. We have to come to accept that our cheese has been moved. We will chase a new cheese, but we should stop wasting time over our old cheese. As change is natural.
However, despite knowing that change is a part and parcel of life, most of us are scared of change. We get used to the old ways and when change inevitably comes, bam, some of us are doomed. We cry constantly, we complain, and something more.
Here the book advises to "move with the cheese" meaning to come to terms and adapt to change quickly because the faster you let go of the "old cheese" the sooner you are going to find and enjoy the new cheese.
Those people are lucky, I think, who experience changes in life like a roller coaster ride, instead of a train ride. The former is more thrilling after all. Ups and downs also help us become a better person. That is the essence of the book, but the way it is told is quite unique. For many, this book can be life-changing. I would definitely recommend it.
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