2012 Book Review: "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson

"Who Moved My Cheese?"
by Spencer Johnson
Reviewed by Joan Carleton

Please finish this first sentence, if you read nothing else of my review: Everyone, from all walks of life, should read "Who Moved My Cheese?." It is a self-described "gem" of a book, which to them means small and valuable, to me, profound and thought-inducing. In simple terms, an 'oldie but goodie,' meant to be picked up off the shelf every so often to remind oneself of life's lessons.

The Cheese Story follows the mice, Sniff and Scurry, and the LittlePeople, Hem and Haw. They all have their different personality traits, which lead them on different routes through the maze to their cheese. The maze is meant to represent life itself, with all its pitfalls and hurdles. The cheese represents all you want and hope to get out of life and all you are working towards.

This is one case of don't judge a book by its size. Though it is small, it would be impossible to describe all of the lessons one could learn from it. Instead, one of my personal favorites: ". . . what you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists."

Reflecting on past reviews, it is interesting the similarities. Though Josh Linkner's "Disciplined Dreaming" is mainly about expanding your creativity, it still holds some of the same values and principles as "Who Moved My Cheese?." One should always be ready for change and have the ability to adapt.

I shut this book and continued to sit, pondering all the questions I had just discovered within its pages. I will leave you with these final thoughts as well: What type of person are you? Do you resist change, or do you tend to shrug your shoulders and adapt easily? What are some areas in your life in which change might be a positive choice to consider?