Be Ready To Change

劉雙

【Abstract】to state the theme that “sometimes， things change and they are never the same again， this looks like one of those times. That's life， Life move on， and so should we” Dr. Spencer Johnson depict a story about change in a maze where four amusing characters look for “cheese”—cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life， whether it is a job， a relationship， money， a big house， freedom， health， recognition， spiritual peace， or even an activity like jogging or golf. Each of us has our own idea of what cheese is， and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it， we often become attached to it. And if we lose it， or its taken away， it can be traumatic. The maze in the story represents where you spend time looking for what you want. It can be the organization you work in， the community you live in， or the relationship you have in your life.

【Key words】change； maze； cheese

Foreword

My thoughts on“Who Moved My Cheese” are that it is a instructive book but I am not entirely sure if I completely understood the thematic message of the book. I am recording my humble and shallow views in noting that life is changing ，we shall not moving ahead without realizing the changing “cheese”.

Summary

The heart of the book is a lengthy fable. It concerns four characters， two mice named “Sniff” and “Scurry”； and two little people named “Hem” and “Haw” These little people are just scaled-down humans. All four of these characters operate in the same maze. They seek cheese to nourish them and make them happy.

Different people have different response when they encounter unforeseeable change in their life， and they would get different result. This assertion is exemplified through the choices of each of the four characters. On the one hand， some people can either be flexible and willing to change. Sniff and Scurry had the propensity and the malleability to move on when their cheese ran out. Because they were not rigidly attached to the cheese or outcomes， they enjoyed it while it lasted， realizing that their happiness and success did not depend on one particular piece of cheese. Accepting that change was a natural occurrence， rather than a rarity in the journey of life， they were able to let go quicker when the time came to find new cheese. This perspective allowed them to view their predicament and the solution to it， as simple. It was time to move on. On the other hand， some people， just like Hem and Haw， react negatively to change. In the beginning， their discovery of cheese brought excitement and energy. However， as time passed， they grew comfortable in following the same routine. They no longer labored for the cheese. Instead， it became a possession and a security. It was theirs - they earned it. Their arrogance blinded them to what was really happening. Needless to say， they were unprepared when the change took place. Hem became irate， frustrated， and blamed others for his misfortune. Haw was shocked， and denied the truth of the situation. Moreover， their energy was spent trying to analyze the why and how comes， which left them hoping that if they continued doing what they always did， the cheese would eventually reappear. Their stuck thinking and circular questioning resulted in both of them being paralyzed and unproductive.

Comments

Life Is A Maze

For a long time ，we have lived to struggle in this world ；For a long time ，we have struggled to live in this world .The wind ways illustrate that where we live is a maze populated with confusing crossings and miserable choices .we are liable to get stucked in adverse and mired in negativity.

As Johnson put it， it is not the maze itself but our attitude towards illusion that really puzzled us .A belief， simple but overwhelmingly strong， that hardness is in a position to make boys out of men should be held in our souls. Life is a endless path covered with rock surrounded by shadowy forest， we are endeavoring to tell apart the directions， dying for grasp any markings or illuminator exposed to us .

There are ups and downs in everyone's life maze ，these experiences no matter what we gain or wherever we get pains， have provided us with the opportunities to go through .sometimes， the sufferings like chilly winds， have blown us hither and thither ，in a wayward course， over a great ocean of anguish ，reaching to the very verge of despair；sometimes，the ecstasy ，like a wireless station ，have received messages of happiness， hope ，honor ，from the Infinite to comfort us ，encourage us and support us to move ahead .life is not a matter of destination，it is a affair of journey， although there is bustle and hustle ，bother and barrier ，we are expected to stick to stirring .

Cheese Is Success

What is the cheese in the book？ To some extent， the cheese can be regarded as success. The “cheese” is just a metaphor of life to get things， it may be a job or money， love， happiness， health and peace of mind， it also may be a sort of will of life for waiting. “Maze” for you to spend time looking for it where it is your work， or your life， or you live in a relationship. Like a book in；Life is not clear up a corridor， life is a maze， and we must find their way. Not only one door will open to us， it may not be what we had wanted to go to， but finally we will find that it is the door that we can get through. Therefore， life is a process， we are continually seeking after， and also we might be lost in the process， and what we gain and lost is what we can enjoy.

Never Deny The Importance Of Working

Johnson implied the fact that there is nothing more important than work. Never has it been a question that few things have changed our life as swiftly and fundamentally as work has， we have moved along distance from the old cliches about work and money and survival. It is probably not much more sensible to ask the question about working to live and living to work than it is to play the “l(fā)ive-to-eat or eat-to-live”theme .Obviously these elements are interrelate .The important point is that human beings would have to find some very potent substitutes for the personal satisfactions derived from work if we did not have to work .It is nearly impossible for us to use leisure all the time to provide an equivalent amount of pride and fulfillment. The sobering aspect of Johnson's book is that work is more than a necessity for most human beings， it is the focus of our lives， the source of our identity and creativity.

You Are What You Think

To paraphrase the contention that “The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese， the Sooner you find New Cheese.” Johnson claimed the only thing that confining us is our thinking .Anybody can do anything once we set our mind to get rid of the old belief and past honor. Nevertheless， The only problem unconsciously assumed by some Chinese parents to be of any importance is how will their children fulfill the expectations and how they push their kids to achieve the goals set by them .They will never know what they did are hampering the development of childrens potential power .Talent helps， but it won't take us as far as ambition .Noble thoughts make a noble person .We will become whoever we want to be ，we are capable of achieving the unachievable. Our reality today is the result of our past beliefs and actions， it is undeniable you are what you think， so find yourself by fixing your thoughts.

What our deepest Fears are

As Johnson commented，“When You Move Beyond Your Fear， You Feel Free.”when you prepare to take your first steps， could there possibly be something holding you back？

We all suffer from fear in one form or another. Sometimes， overcoming fear is as simple as programming the body to perform the motions that the mind is resisting. Other times， the fear can be so crippling that it takes a tremendous breakthrough - even revisiting old events or memories that have been buried for years - in order to overcome its grasp. Unfortunately， many people never overcome their fears， and remain a victim of them all of their lives. An interesting thought occurred to me： simply changing my perception could empower me to overcome my fears and break through to new levels. The concept is quite simple. I realized that fear and faith are mutually exclusive. They occupy the same space in our lives. And we cannot have both in the same space at the same time - it is either one or the other.

Fear is an emotion related to failure. It is the belief that something is not worth trying because of the negative outcomes that are possible. Fear is a learned emotion. It takes the“space”ordinarily occupied by faith， and perverts it into something that holds us back. To successfully transform， you will need a lot of faith. You may be afraid of many things - of how your life may change， of how hard the effort may be， or even of your own success. The key to overcoming this fear， however， is to keep doing. As you succeed， little by little， you will grow in faith. As you practice over and over， and commit to each new day， you will not only grow in faith， but you will increase your capacity for faith. When you increase your faith， you will stifle your fear， and it will dwindle until it eventually disappears with a whimper instead of a bang.

Change As Changes

This short but timeless allegory reveals profound truths to individuals and organizations dealing with change. We all live in a “Maze”， a metaphor for the companies or organizations we work in， the communities we live in， the families we love， places where we look for the things we want in life， “Cheese”. It may be an enjoyable career， loving relationships， wealth， or spiritual peace of mind. With time and experience， one character eventually succeeds and even prospers from the change in his “Maze”. In an effort to share what he has learned along the way， he records his personal discoveries on the maze walls， the “Handwriting on the Wall”. Likewise， when we begin to see the “writing on the wall”， we discover the simplicity and necessity of adapting to change. Its amazing that whether individuals or organizations would enjoy less stress and more success by learning to deal with the inevitable change.

The educative influences are indispensable. The two little mice and two little men are the metaphor of three kinds of people in reality. When meet with changing， the two mice immediately put on the shoes hanging around their necks and set off to look for new cheese. The two mice are the kind of people who does not care too much about gain and loss and is visionary. The people has broken the shackles and take a long time to put on his running shoes and set out to the maze is a figurative of Hem who complains the lost and wander about the future but at last he make up his mind to get rid of the complaint. However， Haw may be the people who always complain but do nothing. There is no doubt that the last can only gain the lost and the misery. This book with little story has revealed a great of life， there are many people get to the loss of the process.

The Final Conclusion

After touching the inner soul of the book， I have gained many philosophic “cheese”. Johnson observed， “If You Do Not Change， You Can Become Extinct”. If we don't change， we will be eliminated； That change is inevitable， growth is optional is the central message of the book. The inescapable reality is that change is with each one of us， no matter where we live. Anything in the world will change but the change itself. For some it is almost imperceptible， for others it is traveling far too quickly. For some， it is out there， for others it is happening now. No matter which way we view change， it is part of our lives. As we live in the quick changing world， we have to change ourselves to keep up with the times in that the cheese will be taken off at any moment. If we just blame everyone and everything but not ourselves， or just stay in the former place to ask who has moved the cheese， we may find that cheese wouldnt come back again.

As college students who will enter society sooner or later， we have to make some choice when we face to the changing world. Are you simple minded and uncomplicated like Sniff and Scurry？ Or are you complex and complicated like Hem and Haw？ Are you ready for change？ And the most important question is.—Are you ready for the day your cheese is moved？ For your cheese will move， will you panic and give up like Haw？ Or will you analyze the situation and take control like Hem？ Or will you just move onto new cheese like Sniff and Scurry？ We must take these questions into account carefully.

Besides， Johnson has already told us that we should put the “shoes” on the neck for the sake of the changes. But what are the“shoes” for our English majors？ What can we do？ Many people said “English is a tool”， though， it is not totally right， it still reminds us to learn other majors to enrich ourselves. The word is changing all the time so that we should learn all the time.