Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

Book Review: Who Moved My Cheese? "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson is a thought-provoking book that invites readers to reflect deeply on their approach to change and personal growth. For me, it provided a fresh lens to examine my mindset, my reactions to life's circumstances, and the reasons behind those reactions. The story uses four characters—Sniff, Scurry (mice), and Hem, Haw (little people)—to represent different attitudes toward change. This clever characterization drew me in and made the lessons relatable. I resonated most with Sniff, as I see myself as someone who looks ahead and is always searching for new opportunities. However, I also see myself evolving into Scurry, focusing on action and implementation—a shift I find empowering. There wasn’t anything I disliked about the book; its simplicity and relatability were its greatest strengths. It's a short, impactful read that captures attention and encourages self-reflection and implementation. The storytelling is so compelling that it blurs the line between a quick read and a lifelong lesson. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to my team, organization, family, and anyone eager for self-improvement. Whether you're navigating personal challenges or professional hurdles, this book offers timeless insights. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The storytelling, actionable insights, and brevity make it a standout. While it’s a quick read, its true value lies in applying its lessons to real-life situations. Deon C Freeman 12/15/24

I was recommended to read this book and I am glad I took the time to listen to that person and read it. A very good book.

Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple but surprisingly insightful book about dealing with change at work and in life. This was recommended to me by a mentor, and I can see why. The story uses a clear, memorable fable to illustrate how people respond differently to change, whether they resist it, deny it, or adapt and move forward. While the message is straightforward, it’s effective, especially when you’re navigating workplace transitions or uncertainty. What works best is how quickly the lessons land. The book is easy to read but encourages reflection about mindset, flexibility, and personal responsibility during change. Overall, this is a useful, accessible read that works well as a conversation starter or leadership recommendation, particularly in professional settings.

I’ve had the hardcover book for quite some time but never picked it up. I ordered the kindle version and read it in one day. I wish I’d read it sooner. I cried through the first half of the book. It is a fantastic read for anyone and any situation. Share it with family, friends, coworkers. This book is so beneficial for work life and personal life.

Back in 2021 during the pandemic this book was buzzing through social media so of course I had to get a copy. I absolutely love the message(s) and how I can use in everyday life. A must read over and over and over!!!!

There are a few books that everyone, regardless of their profession, should read. Among these would be Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography; How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger; How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie; The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill; and this one, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, M. D. Critics will tell you that this book is simplistic. It reads very much like a child's story book. The critics would be right that it is simplistic and it is very much like a child's story book. Like Bill Cosby used to say at the beginning of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, "If you aren't careful, you just might learn something." The book is divided into four parts. The first part tells how the story and the book came into being. We read a discussion of how applicable the book is in many different settings and how valuable the book is to read. This is very much like preaching to the choir. Obviously, the reader has been sold on reading the book because they have already begun to do that at that point. Some readers may find themselves skipping past that part of the book or, at the very least, thinking, "Just get on with it already." As the reader reaches the second part of the book, they read about a class reunion where people who knew one another years before come together to catch up on old times. The friends talk about how life has changed and what they thought to be true years ago proved to be incorrect. One of the friends mentions the story and how it helped them to deal with life's changes. The book shifts to the actual story. In the story, the reader is told about four characters, two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two little people, Hem and Haw. The four characters are all faced with the same situation. They have cheese and then one day the cheese is gone. Cheese is a metaphor for whatever it is in life the reader values. How the different characters deal with the loss of the cheese is significant to the story and helps the reader learn more about themselves, and those around them, and how everyone handles change. The book then shifts back to a discussion among the friends who discuss how they applied the story to their lives and what changes they were able to make in their personal and professional lives. Discussion is made as to how the lesson could have helped had it been learned earlier and how it could be applied in the future. The book is a very quick read and could probably be read in one sitting. Long ago, I read it to my children and they loved it. They learned from it and, for a while, the kids referred to different parts of the story and how it applied to current life events for our family. I purchased this book from Amazon years ago and it has been an important part of my library ever since. You may wish to borrow it free from your local library but, ultimately, you will want to obtain a copy for your own library.

This washed my brain inside out. I only wish I had read this piece of Gold earlier in life . I bought the kindle version for less than $2. Its surprising how people have not paid much attention to this topic and there are only few books out there that explain how to deal with change. I loved this book and would have my family and friends read this too. The parable is so much intriguing yet simple. It made me think where I stand and represent whom (among the 4 characters) in the story. Yes it is only a parable with a couple pages of discussion on the parable. I do not understand the negative criticism here on the reviews. I think their dissatisfaction is valid if they expected this book to come at a lower price( paper copy) or if they expected long pages of discussion. In my opinion, the number of pages do not really matter that much. It is more about how the book hits you just right so that you are able to assimilate and see changes happening fast and easy. Most of the tough questions in life have real simple answers. Thank you for this amazing book. Edit: After reading some of the negative responses from the readers I now understand why this book failed to impress everyone equally . I would like to share my way of looking at it.Sometimes people cannot adjust well to changes in life. For instance, moving from school to high school to college and so on. In all these cases you know you want to move ahead but have to prepare yourself and grow to become a more capable person. Not that you are inadequate but because different situations demand different responsibilities and skills. It is always best to be proactive in life and seize control rather than barely manage stuff thrown at you. But most importantly these new situations must be desired by you . Its a totally different story when you want to impress your own self . Many people wish to challenge themselves and grow. But if you look at it from a different perspective, you are sure to hate this book. If you think that the book orders you to change according to somebody else's ( boss , your company etc) wish and that this is the only way to "survive" then you might want to step back and get a new perspective that serves you. No, it does want to train you to happily and maturely succumb to changes imposed on you. Do not chase after the cheese that someone else is moving away for their benefit. This chase must be your own life story. For eg - when I moved out of my city to pursue college, I did not know what to do! I could not let go of my best friends back home and I felt challenged with the new curriculum . I figured everything was very different from school. Now I strove hard to get into this college ( "my" desire- meaning I moved my cheese) and did not know how to deal with it. This book is helpful for such situations . I had new friendships waiting for me and a different skill set to develop. I had to be okay with the new situation and evaluate how I could grow and become the person that I wanted to be. All this was not to fit in( having to chase the cheese moved by someone else) but because I wanted to learn it . There you go. I hope this helps!

Do you remember the premise of "Inception", the movie by Christopher Nolan? It involved dream-bandits breaking into a man's subconscious to implant an idea that would otherwise bot probably occur to him. Regardless of the fantastical nature of that premise, the point of it is sound: that, in an individual, the merit of an idea is directly proportional to how well the individual is able to conceptualize that idea. Simply telling someone a lesson, and expecting them to be overcome with awe at your wisdom is naïve, and a little arrogant. It is in that spirit that this book tells you much, but teaches you little, and then applauds itself for the good work is has done, is doing, and will do for ages to come. I should say, of course, that the lessons in this book are valuable ones. They talk about change and adaptation, and when and why to engage in both. However, the analogous story presented to explain these concepts was far too long-winded to be engaging. Despite that, it was still a short read- less than a hundred pages for the full thing. This is a sign of less-than-stellar writing. Still, the ending of the book, where there are people discussing how they have had to respond to major changes in their lives, is the most useful part of the book, in my opinion. For the most part, I don't actually think anyone struggling with changing will gain much from this book. As the book itself states, people who are having difficulty changing must realize they need to do so on their own. Actually, what I believe would aid someone like that is a more subtle and engaging story. One that will spark a realization, as opposed to outright declaring that the reader embrace and accept change, and be proactive in their response to it. Imagine if a person was struggling to clean their house. They have the ability and opportunity to do so, but truly don't believe they need to. A story about how someone else cleaned their house and felt better afterwards is not going to convince that person to clean their house. This is where the importance of meaningful subtext and thematic consistency come in, and why I must criticize the simplicity of this story. It is so straightforward, that it doesn't need to be as long as it is- and again, it is actually very short. Ultimately, the lessons presented here are worth learning, but I cannot fathom how those who truly need to learn them will do so with this book. A better way to help someone who needs to embrace change would be to tell them a personal story of your own, or to relate to a time in their life in which a change was encountered and overcome.

Muito bom.

This is a simple book that relates to just about anyone. Read it about 20yrs ago. Got this copy for my child, so reread it. Good reminder, embrace changes and keep up w them. Embrace life!

Amazing book!

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Such a good book