Who Moved My Cheese (part 1)?
Two mice, two shrunk down humans, running through a maze…
Not exactly what I would have expected to receive so much value from!
My initial thought went to one of those weird sci-fi movies where people are running through mazes trying to kill each other or avoid being killed by some kind of alien, but obviously…that is not what this book is about!
This book involves four characters…
Sniff - Who is quick to “sniff out” changes happening around him.
Scurry - Who is quick to jump into action.
Hem - Who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse.
Haw - Learns to adapt in time when he sees changing leads to something better.
This book starts out with all of them “enjoying their cheese.” And we love that don’t we? Cheese (figuratively speaking) is sooooo good! ***if you are lactose intolerant, I apologize for this blog. :)
But then, the next morning…IT IS GONE!
We’ve all been there haven’t we?
The job was good and then…it’s gone.
The money was great and then…technology changed.
Your marriage was solid and then…your spouse says the “D-word.”
Your kids are making straight A’s and then…they start acting out.
“Cheese” is synonymous for anywhere in our lives or business where we are pushing back change. Where we are not anticipating change. Or where we refuse to even acknowledge that change is “a thing.”
So…in the story…the cheese is now gone. Here’s what the book says…
“The mice did not overanalyze things. To the mice, the problem and the answer were both simple.”
Wow, how convicting is that? When faced with adversity, the mice…keep it simple and make it happen.
Then, there is us…
“They (us) had not been paying attention to the small changes that had been taking place each day, so they took it for granted their Cheese would be there."
Does this sound like you? It sounds like me…living in the moment enjoying the spoils of my hard work, and not even considering that at some point, this is going to run out.
Then it gets worse…
“‘Who moved my Cheese’ he hollered. Finally, he put his hands on his hips, his face turned red, and he screamed at the top of his voice, ‘it’s not fair!’”
A simple minded mouse realized a problem...then jumped into solution mode.
A smart, sophisticated, complex human, with all the problem solving skills in the world...
THREW A TEMPER TANTRUM like my 4-year-old did yesterday!
It’s not fair.
Have you said that before? I have!
These are three of the worst words we can ever say...Why? For these three reasons...
#1 - You pass all blame.
The moment these words come out of your mouth, you have ZERO ability to change. Because you passed the blame. None of this is his fault. Hem is perfect in every way. Passing the blame is the quickest way to start going backwards away from where you ultimately want to end up.
#2 - You play the victim.
When you say “it’s not fair,” you instantly create a victim mentality. Woe is me....why is my life so hard?
Again, we stifle our ability to grow! When we are the victim, we stay exactly where we are. We just wallow in our self-pity.
John Maxwell says, “You don’t always get what you want, but you always get what you choose.”
Choose not to be a victim! Because as long as your the victim, you’re just living in your life, not taking control of it! And if you don’t take control of it, the world will run you over time and time again!
#3 - You disrespect the truly hard lives of others.
Look around you when you’re having a bad day. For many, your bad day is rainbows and daffodils compared to others.
Parents buried their children yesterday. A wife lost her husband. Children buried their parents. Someone lost their job today. Someone was served divorce papers.
Just pay attention. Someone next to you is pushing through something way more significant than you are. Perspective is everything. Let’s get outside of our own and start seeing others!
So what does this all mean...how do we move forward from this moment?
Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “where in my life and I using “it’s not fair”?”
Have you identified it? Now decide right now in this moment that you will not pass the blame. You will not play the victim. YOu will not disrespect the hard lives of others.
You got this!
Your cheese is going to move over and over again. Anticipate it. Prepare for it. And you YOU start winning.
Thanks for reading. If I can do anything for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.