''Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.''— Confucius
''We are chameleons, and our partialities and prejudices change place with an easy and blesses facility, and we are soon wonted to the change and happy in it.'' — Mark Twain
INTRODUCTION
I like the quote by Confucius. It is always true. For what we know about the world and worldly things, no one can say they are the wisest. Therefore, change is imminent. Change is difficult as you should be prepared to give something valuable to you (tangible or intangible, moral values or monetary value or socio-psychological value) and thus you will never be able to truly change at all. Unless we are prepared to change completely and give up control of things we have, change is difficult. Change is also difficult as we often over-estimate what we have and under-estimate what we gain by giving up.
Mostly we do not resist change but resist being changed. As Irving Washington once said in certain aspects that there is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse; it is often a comfort to shift one's position and be bruised in a new place. We live in our own world with such a psyche that says
“Tu Cheese Badi hain mast mast.
Tu Cheese Badi hain mast”
to our own Raveena (Meaning thing that is in danger of being changed). If you are not intelligent enough, someone like Anil Thadani will steal away your Raveena.
Change, change and more change. That’s the order of the day. Louis L'Amour states in one of his books that ''Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is convinced that our way is the best way.''
I got this wonderful book a long time ago. This book is effectively small. I have read this book many times over the years. I have felt as refreshing as I was, when I first read the book.
Let us delve into the details of the review first.
The story of Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that can be interpreted as you like, depending on where you feel you are -- at work or in your life.
The PLOT
This book starts with a few high school friends having a reunion after some years to see where they stand in life. After some pages, you delve into the crux of the matter as a story.
There are 4 characters In the story, planned by the author represent a part of us, -- live in a ''Maze'' and look for ''Cheese'' to nourish them and make them happy.
Two are mice named ''Sniff'' and ''Scurry., who always look for cheese and nothing else, even if it takes longer and repetitive routes, (Natural triers) Two are littlepeople named''Hem'' and ''Haw,'' who are the size of mice but look and act a lot like some people. The author means to say that they are people with some intelligence.
Every day they go for cheese and one fine day all the cheese is gone (meaning a change has happened). How each character acts is the story. As the story progresses along, you see many wonderful quotes and a reflection of us. In the end, you are left with a refreshing feeling by reflecting ourselves.
Dr.Spencer Johnson has done an excellent work in coming up with this internationally well known book (translated to some 50+ languages) which has sold over 14 million copies or so.
The Analysis
As said in the introduction, Change is imminent and it will happen. Whether we like it or not, we need to get accustomed to the change. It we don’t change, we will be left behind. This book succeeds immensely inputting this message in a strong manner via reflections. Along the way, we see ourselves reflected as Sniff and Scurry, Hem and Haw. It tells us how we are like Haw, most of the times. It tells you how you need to become a person who is winner or loser by adapting the stance Hem and Haw takes.
Many times, we are driven by our own inner conscience and stance. Sometimes people take a prejudicial stance and lose like Haw does.
Though you may feel that it has many sugarcoated allegories, ultimately you like the book. For the better or for worse, it gives you some classy quotes and tips. On the same note, you can certainly take another stance and say, “What the heck? This does not make any sense.” This is a total junk and all. It certainly takes some patient analysis to come up with an unbiased view. After reading this book many times, I certainly feel that this book is very good in many aspects of our day-to-day life. Be it career related change or changes at home/relationships, monetary change or status change due to many factors”, this book has some message in store for every change scenario.
Just like one can only be given with the means to do something. The implementation or destruction lies in one’s own hands. Hence, this book may not matter to people with a skeptical attitude in life.
This book is very nice and useful., all in all, according to me I sincerely recommend this book to everyone. One beauty of this book is the size of the book. If you are a fast reader, you can finish it in an hour or two. The best course of action is to read it in a single stretch. I have done the same few times and felt the complete effect on me. The only other small book that had such effect in me was “Jonathan Livingstone Seagull” (See my review on the same).
Some Quotable Quotes from the book
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Having Cheese Makes You Happy
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The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese
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Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese
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Movement in a New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese
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Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.
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When you move beyond your fear, you feel free (to change)
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CONCLUSION
This book is a classy one and not to be missed at any cost. Great teacher of sorts, this book is exceptional for day-to-day lessons in life.
READ THIS BOOK NOW
I hope you liked this review. Do RRC as time permits
KALIL
''When a mature and able manager feels bored, he should seriously consider changing jobs, changing companies—or simply retiring. It is not fair to anyone for half a leader to hold a full-time leadership job.''
— James L. Hayes
We would rather be ruined than changed,
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die.
— W. H. Auden
