Nov 07, 2005 04:33 PM
8303 Views
(Updated Nov 07, 2005 04:46 PM)
On an average day, I am a confident, bright and optimistic person. As I wake up every morning, I look forward to every day as it bring interesting challenges along with it.
Sounds good, huh ?
Just wait. And look at the opposite side of this rosy picture.
If by some chance, a new day were to bring a CHANGE (read that in fire red engine colored bold, capital letters), would I remain this confident and self assured ? Oh no !
Press the panic button. Let the adrenaline flow – and watch the anxiety attacks. A flood of ‘What ifs’and a barrage of ‘I can’t deal with this’. Hang on a little longer and you will see me collapsing somewhere with the typical ‘Why do these things happen to only ME ?’
So does that mean that I am as good as my comfort zone ? Though I hate to face this uncomfortable fact, there it is. My comfort zone rules my universe – shift this zone a bit and my entire confidence ebbs away. I am at my best, when I feel that all the little things that I have hoarded (yes, you heard that right – hoarded) like the perfect job, perfect relationships, perfect home, perfect friendships would remain the same – day after day and year after year.
If I had my way - if anything at all has to change, it should change for the better. Or rather, it should change after taking prior permission from me – and even then, it should change after giving me a notice of say, two months so I can be mentally prepared to handle that change.
Sigh ! Wish life was that simple – or organized. Truth is that change occurs when you least expect it – at the most inopportune of moments (or so it seems), at the most inconvenient time (or so we perceive).
If you find yourself agreeing with me – or even identifying with me somewhat – then rush out and get ‘Who moved my cheese ?’You don’t read books ? No problem – the verdict stays. Go out and get this book right now– and read it !!
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The Book
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‘Who moved my cheese’ is the story of four people – Hem, Haw, Scurry and Sniffy -who live in a maze (read life)and their business seems to be the attainment of cheese (read job / home / fame / money). The story begins from the point where they lose their supply of cheese and then stresses on their reactions to the catastrophe and the final outcomes of their individual reactions. Hem is averse to change (Ulp ! sounds like me) while Haw, after some deliberation, decides to meet the challenge of a change head on, deals with the situation and comes out tops.
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The story is not as straightforward as it seems – the text is full of symbolism.As you read it, you will find yourself pausing several times and drawing parallels with your own life, your own dreams, your own reactions. Of course, this book is very inspirational but it is much more than that – it is like a mirror where you see yourself, not as you would like to see – but as you are.
You may also realize that your success story depends on only variable – how do you deal with the CHANGE ? How fast do you realize the gravity of the situation ? How smart are you when it comes to assessing when a positive situation has transformed into a losing proposition ? And finally, how do you make that change work for you ? Because every change is simply an opportunity to get better and get smarter.
Sometimes emotional pain is accompanied with change – but then pain is just an acid to dissolve your resistance to change. The faster you move on from a potentially negative situation, the lesser is the pain.
The good news is that it is a very short book – you may finish reading it within a couple of hours (or less).
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So next time someone moves your cheese - let them. You know how to get some new cheese, don’t you ?
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