The book "Who Stole My Cheese?" in a 10-minute reading format: reviews of the best books, only the most important and useful.
Johnson's background is in medicine: he has a bachelor's degree in psychology, was the chief communications officer for Medtronic, conducted medical research, and was a consultant to the University of Southern California Medical Branch. His book Who Stole My Cheese? sold 12 million copies. Spencer Johnson has written a number of other "minute" books with Kenneth Blanchard. Their book, The One Minute Manager, became a bestseller.
IN A NUMBER OF WORDS: The ability not only to accept change, but also to create it is the hallmark of an active person.
QUOTE: “He understood that the fastest way to change was to laugh at your own stupidity.”
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In 1998, Spencer Johnson wrote one of the most famous motivational parables of the decade. A story called “Who Stole My Cheese” was top 3 on the New York Times bestseller list for almost 5 years. This small and seemingly frivolous story has sold more than 26 million copies and been translated into 37 languages.
To this day, it is considered the standard of motivational storytelling and has helped change the lives of many people. What's so special about it?
There is some elusive magic in it. This story certainly points out many of the obstacles that people face in their daily lives. Subtly and elusively, the parable catches you, grabs you by the heartstrings and doesn’t let go.
It was translated into Russian a long time ago, however, the quality of the translation is didn't suit. And that’s why I recently finished my version, which I bring to your attention.
After the parable, we’ll talk about how it can be related to our trading affairs. Yes, you yourself will understand everything.
The story may seem strange at first - some mice, people, labyrinths... but be patient. It is worth reading to the end.
Spencer Johnson. Who stole my cheese?
Once upon a time, in a distant land, there lived four creatures. They ran through the maze in search of delicious cheese with which they could fill their bellies and feel happy.
The two mice's names were Sniffer and Shustrik. There were also two little men - the size of mice, but otherwise like ordinary people. Their names were Mummy and Squishy.
These creatures were very small, so you couldn’t immediately tell what they were doing there. But if he looks closely Yes, what an interesting world was opening up before you.
Every day the mice and men spent in the maze in search of their special piece of cheese.
The mice - Sniffer and Shustrik - could not boast of special intelligence. What can we take from them, simple rodents? But they have excellent instincts for finding crumbs of hard cheese, which mice love so much.
The little people - Mummy and Squishy - have full-fledged brains, and they have so many ideas. And the main one is to find Cheese (with a capital “C”). Cheese that will make them happy and successful.
So different, mice and little men, did the same thing every morning. They put on tracksuits, running shoes (and mice too - what amazing creatures), left their houses and went into the maze in search of their favorite cheese.
The labyrinth consisted of corridors and rooms. And some of them had very tasty cheese. But there were also dark alleys, dead ends and narrow passages that led nowhere. It was easy to get lost in the maze. But for those who dared to dive into these endless corridors, a real reward could await them.
Mice have very simple intelligence. Therefore, they used a primitive, far from the best method of constant trial and error. The Sniffer was looking for an approximate route, using his wonderful nose, sensitive to smells, and Shustrik ran ahead. They often got into dead ends, ran in the wrong direction, and generally crashed into walls.
But the little men Mummy and Squishy relied on their own, complex method of searching for cheese, which made full use of their intellect and previous experience. Although emotions and fantasies constantly complicated everything.
And one day they all, in such different ways, found exactly what they had always been looking for. A special cheese that was hiding at Cheese Station A.
Now every morning the mice and men ran straight to Cheese Station A. A little time passed, and this became their main route.
Sniffer and Shustrik woke up early in the morning and ran through the maze, always along the same route.
Having run to the place, they took off their running sneakers, tied them together and hung them around their necks - in case they were suddenly needed. Well, then we enjoyed the fragrant cheese.
Mummy and Squishy also ran to Cheese Station A every morning to try the delicacies there.
However, over time, everything began to change.
Gradually, Mummy and Squishy woke up later, got dressed more and more slowly, and slowly, waddled, walked to Cheese Station A. In the end, the cheese was there, why rush somewhere?
They didn't wonder where the cheese came from or who left it there. They were content with him just being there.
Arriving at Cheese Station A, Mummy and Squishy settled in there as if at home. They hung their sneakers on the wall and wore flip-flops. They felt very full, cozy and comfortable, because there was plenty of cheese.
“How great,” said Mummy. “This cheese will last us a lifetime.” The little people felt successful and happy. It seemed to them that all problems were behind them.
A little more time passed. Mummy and Squishy began to count cheese at Cheese Station A his. There was so much cheese that they moved closer to it, and their entire social life now took place right at the Station.
Mummy and Squishy decorated the walls of their homes with pictures of cheese, which made them so happy. On one of them it was written:
Sometimes Mummy and Squishy invited friends and showed off their cheese. They pointed at it and said: “What a wonderful cheese, isn’t it?” Sometimes they shared it with friends, and sometimes not.
“We deserve this cheese,” said Mummy. “We had to work long and hard to find him.” Then he took a fresh piece and devoured it with pleasure on both cheeks. Then Mummy, with a satisfied smile on his face, fell asleep right on the spot.
Every evening the little men walked slowly back to their houses, full of cheese, and every morning they left for a new portion.
Time has passed.
Mumli and Squishy's confidence grew into arrogance. They settled in so well that they stopped paying attention to anything.
But Sniffer and Shustrik continued their usual route. They came early in the morning, roamed around Cheese Station A, looking into all the nooks and crannies, checking to see if anything had changed. Then they sat down to eat.
One early morning the mice came running to the Station and saw that there was no cheese.
They weren't surprised. The Sniffer and Shustrik have long noticed that there is less and less cheese every day. So their instincts were to prepare for the inevitable.
The mice looked at each other, took off their running shoes from their necks, put them on and laced them up. Mice keep things simple. After all, they don’t have as many complex thoughts as humans.
For mice, both the problem and the answer are extremely simple: the situation at Cheese Station A has changed. So, it’s time for Sniffer and Shustrik to change.
They looked at the maze. The sniffer raised his nose, twitched it and nodded to Shustrik. He took off, and now the two mice were already running through the maze as fast as they could.
The mice ran in search of the New Cheese.
Later in the day, Mummy and Squishy came to Cheese Station A. They did not pay any attention to the minor changes that occurred day by day, and believed that there would always be cheese at the Station.
What they saw plunged them into shock and despair.
"Like this? No cheese?” cried Mummy. He screamed and shouted: “No cheese? No cheese at all? It was as if the louder he screamed, the faster the cheese would return.
“Who stole my cheese?” he wailed.
Finally, he put his hands on his belt, his face flushed and he let out a desperate cry: “This is not fair!”
Squishy just shook his head in despair. He also thought that the cheese would not go anywhere from the Station. He stood there for a very long time, frozen in surprise. Squishy was completely unprepared for what happened.
Mumble was yelling something, but Squishy didn’t listen to him. He didn’t want to accept what happened and simply closed in on himself.
The behavior of little men cannot be called reasonable or effective, but what can you do - it can be understood.
Finding cheese was so difficult. This fact was important to them, and not only the fact that they ate this cheese every single day.
Having discovered the cheese, the little men received, as it seemed to them, an inexhaustible source of happiness. Everyone had their own idea of what cheese does, taking into account personal desires and preferences.
For some, finding cheese meant purely material wealth. For others, it could be good health or a pleasant feeling of well-being.
For Squishy, cheese meant security, a loving family in the future and life in a cozy house on Cheddar Street.
For Mummy, owning cheese meant becoming the Big Boss and owning a huge mansion on Cheese Hill.
Cheese was very, very important to them. And the little men spent a lot of time trying to decide what to do next. The only thing on their minds was “What to do?” All they came up with was to search the entire Cheese Station A and make sure that there really was no more cheese.
Sniffer and Shustrik had long since run away. Mummy and Squishy continued to mark time.
They whined and complained because what was happening was so unfair. Mummy began to get depressed. What if the cheese doesn't appear tomorrow? He had very big plans for this cheese. What will happen to them now?
The little people couldn't believe it. How did this even happen? No one even warned them. This is not right, it shouldn’t be this way. Everything could have been completely different.
Mummy and Squishy returned home that evening, hungry and upset. But before leaving, Squishy wrote on the wall:
The next day, Mummy and Squishy ran out of the house and returned to Cheese Station A, where they hoped to somehow find the lost cheese.
Nothing has changed, the cheese has disappeared. The little people just stood there, confused, frozen in place.
Squishy closed his eyes as tightly as he could and covered his ears with his hands. He wanted to completely detach himself from what was happening. Yes, he was not interested in the fact that the supply of cheese was decreasing every day. It looked as if he had disappeared overnight.
Mummy thought about what had happened over and over again until his complex brain and the value system embedded in it began to work to their fullest. “Why did they do this to me, huh? - he was perplexed. - What, in the end, is going on?
Finally, Squishy opened his eyes, looked around and said: “By the way, where are Sniffer and Shustrik? Maybe they know something that we don’t know?”
Mumble snorted: “What do they even know? These are mice. They are simply reacting to what happened. Stupid creatures. And we are little people. We are much smarter than them and we will figure everything out ourselves.”
“I know we’re smarter,” said Squishy. “But for now we are behaving completely absurdly.” You see, Mummy, everything has changed. Maybe it's time for us to accept these changes and move on?
- Why on earth should we change? - Mummy was indignant. - We are little people. Special creatures. And this should not happen to us. And if it happens, you need to take advantage of it.
“What other benefits?” asked Squishy.
- And the one to which we have every right.
- Right to what? - Squishy did not let up.
- The right to cheese, of course.
- What joy is this?
“So that it’s not our problem,” said Mummy. “Someone else is involved here, so let him answer for what happened.”
“Listen,” said Squishy. - Maybe we can stop worrying so much about what happened and just find the New Cheese?
“What else,” said Mummy. “I’ll get to the bottom of the truth and find out whose fault it is.”
While Mummy and Squishy were trying to decide what to do next, Sniffer and Shustrik were on their way for a long time. They went into the very depths of the labyrinth, ran along its narrow corridors and looked for cheese at every Cheese Station that they came across along the way. All they were interested in was finding the New Cheese.
They didn't encounter anything along the way until they suddenly came across a new place - Cheese Station N. The mice squealed with delight: the station was full of New Cheese. Before their eyes was the largest supply of cheese that the mice had ever seen in their lives.
Meanwhile, Mummy and Squishy were still sitting at Cheese Station A and discussing what had happened. There was no cheese - problems began. They were angry, confused and blamed each other for what happened.
Squishy constantly thought about mice. Did Sniffer and Shustrik find what they were looking for? Perhaps they had a hard time, because running through the maze is very difficult. But these searches cannot last forever, right?
Sometimes Squishy imagined Sniffer and Nimble on a huge pile of New Cheese, with happy faces. How great it would be to go into the maze and find fresh, fragrant New Cheese. He could literally taste it.
The more clearly Squishy imagined the delicious picture of the New Cheese, the more he wanted to rush away from the Cheese Station.
- Come on, let's go! - he exclaimed suddenly.
“No, no, pipes,” muttered Mummy. - I'm fine here. It’s comfortable and cozy, I know everything here. And there, in the labyrinth, it’s dangerous.
“Not at all,” said Squishy. - We ran through the labyrinth, did you forget? And we can run again.
“I’m too old for such games,” answered Mummy. “And I don’t want to get lost there at all, it’s not serious.” Is it true?
Fear washed over Squishy again, and the hope of finding the New Cheese again disappeared.
All the following days the little men continued the same thing. They came to Cheese Station A and, not finding cheese there, returned home, taking with them only doubts and fears.
They tried not to pay attention to what was happening, but it was difficult. It was becoming more and more difficult to fall asleep, every day there was less and less strength, and more and more irritation.
Their homes no longer provided comfort and peace. The people could not sleep, and their short dreams were full of fears and nightmares. They looked in them and could not find cheese.
But Mummy and Squishy continued to return every day to Cheese Station A. And they simply waited there.
Mummy said: “We just need to make more efforts and then it will turn out that everything is fine. The cheese is probably just somewhere nearby. Perhaps right behind this wall.”
The next day, they brought construction tools - a hammer and a chisel. Mumble was holding a chisel, and Squishy was hitting it with a hammer. And so they made a hole in the wall of the Cheese Station. We looked into it - emptiness. There was no cheese.
Disappointed, they returned home with the hope of solving their problem. The next time, they came earlier, worked longer, sparing no effort. There was a huge hole in the wall.
The difference between activity and productivity began to dawn on Squishy. “Perhaps,” said Mumble, “we should just sit still and wait to see what happens next. Sooner or later, the cheese will be returned."
Squishy wanted to believe it. So they returned home to rest and reluctantly trudged to Station A every morning. But the cheese never showed up.
The little men became weak from stress and hunger. Squishy is tired of just sitting and waiting for change. He suddenly realized: the longer they sit without cheese, the worse the consequences will ultimately be.
It became obvious that the situation could not be worse.
Finally, one day he began to laugh at himself: “Mumble, just look at us. We do the same thing over and over again and are surprised that nothing has changed. If it weren't so stupid, it would be even funnier."
Squishy did not want to run into the maze again, because he could get lost there and had no idea where he could find the New Cheese.
But he sat and laughed at his fears, realizing what they had done to him. He asked Mummy: “Where are our running shoes?” We had to do some digging, because the little people threw everything away after they found the cheese at Cheese Station A. They thought they would never need the sneakers again.
Mummy watched as Squishy put on his sneakers and asked: “You’re not going into the maze again, are you? Why don’t we just wait for the cheese to come back?”
“Because you still don’t understand,” Squishy answered. “I don’t want to go into the labyrinth, but it dawned on me that our cheese will no longer be returned.” Never. Time to look for New Cheese."
Mummy disagreed: “But what if there is no more cheese? And even if there is somewhere, what if we never find it in our lives?
“I don’t know,” Squishy said. He asked these questions too often and again felt the fear that prevented him from moving on.
He asked himself: “Where am I more likely to find cheese - here or in the maze?”
Squishy imagined himself entering the maze with a smile on his face. This picture surprised him. Suddenly he felt better. Yes, he could get lost in the maze, but the confidence grew inside him that he could find the New Cheese and all the good things that came with it. Squishy gathered all his courage.
Then he allowed his imagination to paint the most authentic and realistic image he could. The image where he found the New Cheese and enjoys its magical taste.
He saw himself eating holey Swiss cheese, orange cheddar and American cheese, Italian mozzarella and divine French Camembert and...
Then he heard Mumble's words and suddenly realized: they were still at Cheese Station A.
Squishy said: “Sometimes, Mummy, life changes in such a way that it will never be the same. Now that time has come. That is life! She doesn’t stand still - it’s time for us to move too.”
Squishy looked at his skeptical friend and tried to convince him, but Mummy’s fears turned into anger, he did not want to listen to anything.
They both looked so stupid that Squishy couldn't help but laugh.
Going into the labyrinth made him feel more alive. Now that he can laugh at himself, it's time to move on.
Squishy laughed and said loudly: “It’s maze time!” Mummy didn’t react at all and didn’t even smile.
Squishy took a small sharp pebble and wrote one important thought on the wall so that Mummy could think about it.
As usual, he drew cheese around the words to cheer up his friend, infect him with optimism and lightness. Something that would help him in his search for the New Cheese. But Mummy never looked at this thought. It read:
Squishy gained strength and looked eagerly at the labyrinth. How did he end up without cheese, why did it all turn out this way?
Perhaps there is no cheese in the maze at all. Perhaps he won't find it. But it was precisely these fears that deprived him of his strength, killing hope.
Squishy smiled. Mummy constantly thought about who took his cheese. But for Squishy, only one thing was important: “Why didn’t I look for the New Cheese earlier?”
He entered the labyrinth and looked back at such a familiar place where he wanted to return. Even though there was no more cheese there.
Squishy wondered if he really wanted to go into the labyrinth. He drew a new text on the wall and looked at it for a while:
Squishy thought. Sometimes fear is useful. Sometimes you are afraid of something that could become even worse due to your inaction. Such fear can become a stimulus for change. But there is nothing good when fear prevents you from moving on.
He looked to the right, into a part of the labyrinth he had never been to, and felt fear.
Then he took a deep breath, turned towards the labyrinth and slowly ran towards the unknown.
On the way, Squishy was worried that he had lost too much time at Cheese Station A. They had not had cheese for so long that the little man was almost exhausted. Running through the maze was much more difficult than before.
He decided that if the cheese disappeared again, he would come to his senses much faster and begin to change. It will be much easier this way. Then Squishy smiled: “Still, better late than never.”
However, Squishy still had doubts. Everything in the labyrinth was too confusing and incomprehensible. A lot has changed since he was last here.
When it seemed to him that there was a straight road ahead, he got lost in the corridors. Two steps back and one step forward - that's how it all went. It wasn't easy. But Squishy understood - returning to the labyrinth and looking for cheese again was not at all as scary as he thought.
After some time, he thought about how realistic it was to find the New Cheese. What if he set himself a task that is impossible in principle? Then he laughed, realizing that there was nothing to eat anyway - so why worry?
Whenever he felt discouraged, Squishy reminded himself what it was all for. As bad as it is, just sitting without cheese is much, much worse. It is better to be the master of your own destiny than to expect mercy from someone.
When Squishy was remembering the past, he suddenly realized that the cheese at Cheese Station A did not disappear in an instant, as he thought. The cheese was decreasing gradually, and its remains were too old. And the taste was no longer the same as before.
In some places, mold appeared on Old Cheese, although he did not notice it. I had to admit that I didn’t want to notice. All the signs of a future catastrophe were before his eyes - but he chose not to see them.
Squishy realized that if he had paid close attention to the condition of the cheese, its disappearance would not have been a surprise. This is probably exactly what Sniffer and Shustrik did.
He decided to be extremely careful from now on. Don't be afraid of changes and follow them. From now on, he will trust his instincts to see the coming changes and prepare for them.
Squishy stopped and drew on the wall of the labyrinth:
After some time had passed in fruitless searches, Squishy found a huge Cheese Station, very interesting. However, disappointment awaited him inside - there was no cheese.
“I’ve felt this feeling too often,” Squishy thought. He wanted to give up. Physical strength was simply not enough anymore. He was clearly lost and his chances of survival were close to zero.
Maybe we should go back to Cheese Station A. At least Mummy will be there, and it won't be so lonely together.
But then he asked himself again: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
It seemed to Squishy that he had already overcome his fears, but, as it turned out, he was much more afraid than he could admit to himself. Moreover, it was difficult to even say what exactly caused the greatest horror. Now that he was so weak, Squishy just didn't want to be alone. Fears and doubts still pushed him back.
I wonder if Mummy went into the labyrinth or just sits there, shackled in horror? Then, Squishy remembered when he felt good in the maze - when he just moved on.
He wrote a new reminder on the wall, which could be useful for Mummy if he follows him:
Squishy looked at the dark corridor ahead. What's hidden in it? What can you find there?
What horrors can be found there? He began to imagine the worst situations, the worst nightmares that could happen to him. He scared himself to death.
And suddenly he laughed. He suddenly realized: his fears were simply making everything much worse. So he acted as if these fears did not exist and moved straight into the dark corridor.
Moving along the dark corridor, Squishy began to smile. Without even realizing it, he found spiritual support. He simply accepted what would happen to him - whatever it was. So that it doesn’t lie there, in the dark, unknown depths of the labyrinth.
Surprisingly, he was getting better and better with every step. “It’s strange why I feel so good,” thought Squishy. “After all, I haven’t found any cheese and I have no idea where I’m going.”
But then he understood everything. And I stopped to write this down:
Squishy suddenly realized: only fear had stopped him all this time. But as soon as we started moving forward, the fear was left behind.
Now he clearly felt the cold, refreshing breath of wind in the labyrinth. Squishy took a deep breath and felt stronger and stronger. As it turns out, if you put aside your fears, everything becomes much better and more interesting than it initially seemed.
Squishy hasn't felt this good for a very long time. So long ago that he had forgotten what it was like to feel like this.
To consolidate his success, he began to draw a new image in his mind. In all the smallest details, he imagined himself sitting among his favorite cheeses, from cheddar to the most delicate brie. He imagined himself eating any cheese he wanted, and this picture inspired him. He then imagined how great it would be to savor every bite.
The more clearly the image of the New Cheese became visible, the more obvious the simple fact became: cheese can be found. And Squishy wrote on the wall:
“Why didn’t I do this before,” Squishy was surprised.
With redoubled strength he ran through the labyrinth. He soon spotted the new Cheese Station and was surprised to find small pieces of New Cheese.
Squishy ran into the Cheese Station with great anticipation. Alas, what a disappointment - it was empty. Someone has already been here and after him only crumbs remained. Squishy understood that if he had been quicker, he would have gotten a lot of delicious New Cheese here.
Squishy decided to return and ask if Mummy was ready to go with him.
Returning back, he stopped to write on the wall:
After some time, Squishy returned to Cheese Station A and found Mummy. He offered him pieces of New Cheese, but was refused.
Mumble appreciated the friendly gesture, but said, “I don’t think I’ll like this New Cheese. This is not the taste I'm used to at all. I want my cheese back. And I won’t budge until I get what I need.”
Squishy could only shake his head regretfully and return to his search. He really missed his friend in these dark corridors, however, Squishy liked to look for something new. Even before he found the New Cheese pieces, he realized what made him so happy. And it wasn't cheese at all.
He really liked not being afraid. Just don't be afraid and move forward.
Realizing this, Squishy was no longer as helpless as then, remaining at Cheese Station A, where the cheese had long since run out. Just the thought that fear did not stop him, and that he was doing everything right, allowed him to feel a surge of strength.
Squishy realized that it was only a matter of time before he found what he needed. In fact, he already found it. Suddenly everything became clear:
Squishy has once again become convinced that what you are afraid of turns out to be not at all as scary as you thought. The fear you allow to take over your mind is far worse than any situation you might find yourself in.
He was so afraid of not finding the New Cheese that he didn’t even think about starting the search. However, since the beginning of the journey, he has already found enough cheese to continue. All that remained was to move on in search of new pieces. The very prospect of finding something new inspired him.
Fears and doubts are what prevented us from understanding such simple things. He was constantly worried that there wouldn't be enough cheese or that the cheese would disappear, sooner or later. All thoughts were only about bad consequences.
However, now that Cheese Station A is behind us, everything has changed.
He once believed that cheese should not disappear. That this is wrong. However, it has now become clear that changes happen whether you like it or not. Changes can only take you by surprise if you are completely unprepared for them and did not expect them.
Realizing how his thoughts had changed, Squishy stopped and drew on the wall of the corridor:
Squishy still had not found the New Cheese, however, he ran through the maze and thought about what he had learned and understood.
Squishy realized: new thoughts lead to new actions. He behaved completely differently than when he constantly returned to the same Station, where there had been no cheese for a long time.
He realized that if you change your thoughts, what you do changes. You may think that changes will be wrong and harmful. And you will resist them. Or you can believe that the search for the New Cheese will allow you to become different.
It all depends on what you choose to believe. Squishy wrote on the wall:
Squishy knew that he would have been in much better shape if he had left Cheese Station A much earlier. His body and spirit would be much stronger. And he would have done a much better job of finding the New Cheese. Perhaps if he had expected changes from the very beginning, he would have already found the cheese instead of lamenting the loss of something that could not be returned.
Squishy gathered his strength and decided to continue exploring the labyrinth. He came across small pieces of cheese here and there, restoring faith in himself and his strength.
Realizing how far he had gone into the labyrinth, Squishy was glad that he had left notes on the walls. After all, they will help Mummy get through the labyrinth if he decides to leave Cheese Station A.
Squishy could only hope that he was running in the right direction. I wonder if Mummy will be able to find his way in the maze by reading these inscriptions?
Squishy wrote down on the wall a thought that he had been thinking about for some time:
Now Squishy was parting with the past and adapting to the future. He continued his search through the labyrinth, feeling strong and fast. And, after some time, suddenly it happened.
Just when it seemed like he had been wandering through the labyrinth for an eternity, his journey - or at least part of it - suddenly came to an end.
He found the New Cheese at Cheese Station N!
Once at the Station, Squishy shook his head in amazement. Colossal reserves of cheese were piled up everywhere. He had never seen so much cheese in his life. Moreover, many varieties were completely unknown to him.
Dumbfounded by surprise and trying to understand whether he was dreaming all this, he suddenly noticed his old friends - Sniffer and Shustrik.
Sniff greeted Squishy with a nod of his head, and Nimble waved his paw. Their tight little bellies clearly hinted that the mice had spent a lot of time here.
Squishy greeted them and was soon enjoying pieces of his favorite cheese. He took off his sneakers and tracksuit and put them nearby in case he needed them. He then pounced on New Cheese. Having eaten to his fill, he raised a piece of the freshest cheese above his head and exclaimed: “Long live change!”
Looking at the cheese, Squishy wondered what he had learned.
It became clear that the fear of change forced him to cling to the illusion of the Old Cheese, which had long since disappeared.
So what made him change? Was it the fear of starving to death? Well, maybe that helped too.
He smiled and remembered: changes began from the moment he learned to laugh at himself and everything he did wrong. He realized that the easiest way to change is to laugh at your own stupidity. Then you can free yourself from fears and begin to move on.
Squishy realized that he had learned a lot from Sniffer and Nimble. They did not complicate anything, did not waste their days in useless ranting or thinking. When the situation changed and the cheese disappeared, they changed themselves and ran to look for the New Cheese. He will remember this lesson.
Squishy then used his remarkable mind in a way that mice cannot. He thought about the mistakes he had made in the past and drew conclusions from them for the future. He understood what allows him to cope with change.
- You need to remember that everything is simple. Be flexible and move forward.
- There is no need to complicate your life or confuse yourself with endless fears.
- If you notice that small changes have begun, you need to be prepared for the fact that big ones will follow them.
- You need to adapt quickly, because if you don’t do this, you may not be ready at all for the upcoming changes.
- As it turns out, the main obstacle on the path to a new life is you. And that nothing will change until you yourself will change.
- Perhaps the most important lesson is that there is always New Cheese. It doesn't matter whether you believe in him or not. And that you will definitely find it if you go looking for it.
Of course, some fears are necessary - they help to avoid real danger. However, almost all of his fears were completely stupid and simply prevented him from changing when it was so necessary.
At first he didn’t like the changes, but then it became clear that this was the only way out, allowing him to find a new cheese. And he found himself - even better than before.
When Squishy remembered everything he had learned, he thought about his friend Mummy. I wonder if Mummy read his inscription at Cheese Station A and on the walls of the labyrinth?
Did Mummy understand that he needed to accept the loss of Old Cheese and move on? Will he dare to enter the labyrinth and find something that will change his life for the better?
Squishy wondered if he should return to Cheese Station A for Mummy. Provided, of course, that he can return back. By finding Mumble, he could show him how to deal with his fears. But Squishy suddenly realized that he had already done everything he could for his friend.
Mummy needs to find his way, get out of his personal prison and go through his fears. No one will do this for him, no one will be able to persuade or convince him. He needs to somehow understand the need for change.
Squishy knew that he had left an excellent path for Mummy, which he could use if he wanted.
He sat down and wrote down all his discoveries on the largest wall of Cheese Station N. Having drawn a large piece of cheese, he wrote these thoughts right on it and smiled at this list:
Change is inevitable
The cheese won't always stay in the same place.
Be ready for change
Cheese can disappear at any moment
Notice the changes
Smell the cheese often to know when it starts to spoil.
Accept what happened quickly
The sooner you get rid of the Old Cheese, the sooner you will find the New
Change
Go get some cheese
Enjoy the changes!
Love the journey and taste the New Cheese!
Be ready to meet new changes and enjoy them
Sooner or later, the cheese inevitably disappears
Squishy realized what work he had done on himself since he left Mummy at Cheese Station A. And he knew that he could relax again in a comfortable environment. Therefore, every day he examined Cheese Station N and checked the condition of the cheese. Changes will no longer take him by surprise.
Squishy had plenty of New Cheese, but he still regularly ran out into the maze in search of new corridors. He knew it was safer to know his options ahead of time than to relax and forget everything he had learned.
Suddenly Squishy heard some noise in the maze. He was approaching and it became clear that someone was coming.
Maybe it's Mummy? What if he's already around the corner?
Squishy sincerely wished - like many times before - that his friend would still have enough strength to get here...
Afterword
Everyone will take something different from this parable. Everyone in their life has a story, and more than one, that was associated with the search for metaphorical cheese.
In trading, cheese reminded me of a strategy that a beginner finds and which gives wonderful results in the first days. Here it is - a bird of happiness in your hands. There is no need to study, look for something, think, be flexible and strong. No, you just follow the arrows of the strategy that you found on Google and think that it will always be like this.
Then the cheese starts to spoil - the strategy is working worse and worse, but you don’t want to notice it. After all, she brought in so much money, she is so reliable and beautiful.
Stories of traders who earn large sums, lose everything and again enter the labyrinth are a classic example of the Squishy from real life.
And only when the cheese disappears - and with it the deposit - it becomes clear that we need to move on. And this is scary - because suddenly no strategies work at all, and there is no cheese at all in the maze? What if you find her, but she stops working again and you lose money? What if... or... these were exactly the fears Squishy experienced as he looked at the scary corridors of the labyrinth.
Which turned out to be not at all as scary as he imagined.
Only moving forward will help you find the New Cheese. Trading is a continuous search. And if you love the process itself, it will inevitably lead to your Cheese Station full of delicious cheese. But even there you will be ready for changes - because cheese does not last forever. Or, like Mummy, you will become an old grumbler, disillusioned with life, who pours out his bitterness, groans in comments about losses and does not want to change.
Tom Butler-Bowdon
Who stole my cheese? Spencer Johnson (review)
©Tom Butler-Bowdon 2004. First published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing, in 2004. This translation is published by arrangement with Nicholas Brealey Publishing
©Viryazova O.O., translation, 2011
Decor. Eksmo Publishing House LLC, 2011
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Who stole my cheese?
“He realized that he had learned something useful about how to move on from his friends, the mice Sniff and Scarry. They kept things simple—they didn't analyze things too much and didn't overcomplicate things. When the situation changed and the cheese was stolen, they also changed and left after the cheese.
He will remember this."
“He understood that the fastest way to change was to laugh at your own stupidity.”
End of introductory fragment.
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