"Who moved my Cheese?"- Dr. Spencer Johnson

"Who moved my cheese" by Dr Spencer Johnson is an absolutely great and complete book I came across. It gives us the same message as most self help books, but by using an interesting method of story telling. The book has four characters: two mice- Sniff and Scurry, and two tiny people- Hem and Haw. The common thing about these four is that each morning they wake up early and set out into a labyrinth to find their "Cheese". The story is about how these four characters try to adapt to new changes around them. The author tells us that we all are trying to find our "cheese" but the concepts of cheese differ from person to person. For some, it could be the ownership of a company, for some it could be a small beautiful family, for others it could be materialistic things and for some it could be satisfaction. So, cheese = dream. Basically this 'cheese' is what makes us happy. As the characters try to find the "cheese", they come across some life lessons which obviously the author wants to share with us. 

In this blog, I would like to share the lessons I learnt from the book...

1. Finding Cheese:- Finding our 'cheese' isn't easy. We need to struggle and be diligent to find it. We may walk into the wrong path, but do not be discouraged. It will take time to find our 'cheese'. But once you find it, it will be worth all the hard work. "Having cheese makes you happy"

2. Change is inevitable:- We, humans, tend to hold on to things longer than we should. Do not take it for granted, because change is inevitable. Keep noticing the changes around and be ready for any kind of change in the  future. "The more important the cheese is to you, the more you want to hold onto it."

3. New Cheese:- Once you find your 'cheese', do not get comfortable and lazy. If change occurs, do not over analyze things. Probably it's time for you to get out of your comfort zone because out there your 'new cheese' might be waiting. Do not try to find your 'new cheese' in the same location where you already had 'old cheese'. Probably it is time to move on to a new place or perhaps into your maze. "It's Maze time" 

4. Fear :- Mostly, when change occurs, we are reluctant to accept it. We try to reason it out and think of how nice things were earlier. We soon realise we are afraid to accept the change, because 'What if there is no new cheese out there?' or ' What if it is dangerous out there?'. This 'what if' actually tends to ruin our situations. And at such times, we may have a companion who goes through a similar predicament and does not accept change and also instils his fear into us, which delays our adaptability. When afraid to accept a change, just ask yourself, ''what would I do if I wasn't afraid?''

5. Adaptability:- The sooner we adapt, the sooner we find 'new cheese', the better we progress. Adaptability is such an important characteristic to possess. Accepting the change and moving on to a new level is important for the overall growth of a human. While accepting change we may feel lost but sooner or later we will find our path and realise that it isn't that bad to be back in maze. "Adapt to change quickly, the quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy the new cheese." 

6. Affirmations:- Positive affirmations have a great influence on us. Affirming by imagining ourselves achieving the 'new cheese', helps a lot in the new path and leads to our 'cheese'. "When you change what you believe, you change what you do!"

• "Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old"- keep reviewing your 'cheese' for you will know when it is time to change.

• "When you move beyond your fear, you feel free"- At some point, you need to let go off your fear, because holding on to it causes damage. 

• "Move to the new cheese"- Even after you have your 'cheese', it is wise to review it and also find new choices, so that you know what lies ahead in case of a change and does not live in illusion.

Sniff- Who Smells the change in the air and tries adapt as soon as possible.
Scurry- Who Realises change is inevitable and races into the direction of a new path immediately.
Hem- Who does not want to change or let go the 'old cheese'.
Haw- Who is stunt bu change but then adapts and moves on to the 'new cheese' at the right time.

We all know at least one sniff, scurry, Hem and Haw in our lives. But who do we want to be? Definitely, we all do not want to be like HEM.

Are we ready to accept the change and move on to our 'new cheese'? 

PS- All the quotes in this blog are taken from the book- "who moved my cheese" by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
You can watch the original video version of the book here.

The Magical Ingredient

While in a conversation with one of my mentors, he mentioned a very powerful tool especially for teaching and kept on suggesting us to use it as frequently as possible. And the tool is not a mystery; in fact it is something which even a common man is not oblivious to. And it is so common that we forget its impact on us. Appreciation- if used considerably can work wonders. ‘Appreciating a learner motivates him to do better’ was the conclusion of the conversation we had. And this made me think; I actually drifted back to my school days and thought of this tool and its role in moulding me. And questions started popping up- Why do I still look up to that one teacher from my school days? Why is Mrs. Seema my inspiration for teaching? What different did she do in those four years, when she was my English teacher, to change a silent girl to a girl recognized significantly by the whole school. What was the magical ingredient she mixed with teaching? And I acknowledged a fact that the magical ingredient and the tool I stumbled upon recently is the same- Appreciation. Unknowingly, this magical ingredient was used on me and of course bought in miraculous changes. But how do I say it had a huge impact on me? How did I measure?

Let me just take you to my school days and introduce you to my friend. We both had been friends since when we were 3 years old. We were family friends and neighbors. We joined the same school and were classmates for 10 long years. She was known for her bold and extrovert nature whereas I was a reserved child. But we were treated in a bit different way at school. I was always appreciated for my academics and extra-curricular activities. And she was a graceful dancer and had gathered accolades for it, but was condemned for her bold nature and comparatively low grades. She accepted the appreciation but focused more on the criticism. And the criticism led her to rebellious nature. Every year she tended to grow bolder and the criticism increased and hatred grew in her heart for the people who criticized her. Being young, we never recognized these changes. We never knew what appreciation or criticism could do to anyone. And the appreciation I got, brought me to the limelight and so I always tried to maintain the appreciation I received. In college, she started being more aggressive and rebellious and we had to advise her to change a bit. But thinking that it was criticism she completely turned against us- her friends. She started spending time with people who appreciated her- but unfortunately for the wrong things. But all she could see was the appreciation she got, the attention she seeked was hers now. How things changed adversely, we never knew. And one day I received a call which said she committed suicide and she was no more with us. Shocked and broken, I could not digest the news. All we knew was she was struggling with depression and finally gave up. And now the inevitable thought I have is- what if we all appreciated her a bit more? What if she was not criticized, instead appreciated for the talent she had? Would it have changed anything?No, I do not blame anyone for her decision but maybe, just maybe, one line of appreciation just the day before her suicide could have changed her mind from committing it.And today, I cannot say I am the epitome of success but yes I can surely see a clear path leading to my life goals. We both grew up together, but we had different life paths and somewhere ‘appreciation and criticism’ has played a major role.
We never know what impact our words have on others. But my experience has shown the impact of appreciation as well as criticism.

We put in so much effort for that one appreciation from our friends or family or teachers. But how many times have we acknowledged someone’s efforts and appreciated those efforts. When was the last time you appreciated your child, you siblings, your parents and your friends? To nurture a fruitful tree, we need to water it each day. We may not water it during rainy season but it needs extra care during summers. Similarly, to nurture a beautiful human being, we need to appreciate them regularly, appreciate them more in their bad times to motivate them and stand beside them in his good times. And don’t just appreciate others; appreciate yourself as well, for you are a miracle of god. Appreciate everything around you, and you will see the positivity it creates in you and others. Add appreciation as a magical ingredient and see how beautiful your life recipe will turn out!

When was the last time you appreciated someone? When was the last time you felt appreciated?