An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life.
By Dr. Spencer Johnson

Once, long ago in a land far away, there lived four little characters who ran through a maze looking for Cheese to nourish them and make them happy.
Two were mice named "Sniff" and "Scurry" and the two were littlepeople ? beings who were as small as mice but who looked and acted a lot like people today. Their names were "Hem" and "Haw".
Due to their small size, it would be easy not to notice what the four of them were doing. But if you looked closely enough, you could discover the most amazing things!
Every day the mice and the littlepeople spent time in the maze looking for their own special Cheese.
The mice, Sniff and Scurry, possessing only simple rodent brains, but good instincts, searched for the hard nibbling Cheese they liked, as mice often do.
The two littlepeople, Hem and Haw, used their brains, filled with many beliefs, to search for a very different kind of Cheese- with a capital C ? which they believed would make them feel happy and successful.
As different as the mice and littlepeople were they shared something in common: every morning, they each put on their jogging suits and running shoes, left their little homes, and raced out into the maze looking for their favourite Cheese.
The maze was a labyrinth of corridors and chambers, some containing delicious Cheese. But there were also dark corners and blind alleys leading nowhere. It was an easy place for anyone to get lost.
However, for those who found their way, the maze held secrets that let them enjoy a better life.
The mice, Sniff and Scurry, used the simple, but inefficient, trial-and-error method of finding Cheese. They ran down one corridor and if it proved empty, they turned and ran down another.
Sniff would smell out the general direction of the Cheese, using his great nose, and Scurry would race ahead. They got lost, as you might expect, went off in the wrong direction and often bumped into walls.
However, the two littlepeople, Hem and Haw, used a different method that relied on their ability to think and learn from their past experiences, although, they would sometimes get confused by their beliefs and emotions.
Eventually in their own way, they all discovered what they were looking for ? they each found their own kind of Cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C.
Every morning after that, the mice and the littlepeople dressed in their running gear and headed over to Cheese Station C. it wasn't long before they each established their own routine.
Sniff and Scurry continued to wake early every day and race through the maze, always following the same route.
When they arrived at their destination, the mice took off their running shoes, tied them together and hung them round their necks ? so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed them again. Then they enjoyed the Cheese.
In the beginning Hem and Haw also raced towards Cheese Station C every morning to enjoy the tasty new morsels that awaited them.
But after a while, a different routine set in for the littlepeople.
Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later, dressed a little slower, and walked to Cheese Station C. After all, they knew where the Cheese was now and how to get there.
They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or who put it there. They just assumed it would be there.
As soon as Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C each morning, they settled in and made themselves at home. They hung up their jogging suits, put away their running shoes and put on their slippers. They were becoming very comfortable now that they had found the Cheese.
"This is great," Hem said. "There's enough Cheese here to last us forever." The littlepeople felt happy and successful, and thought they were now secure.
It wasn't long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found at Cheese Station C as their cheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that they eventually moved their homes to be closer to it, and built a social life around it.
To make themselves feel more at home, Hem and Haw decorated the walls with sayings and even drew pictures of Cheese around them which made them smile. One read:

HAVING CHEESE MAKES YOU HAPPY

Sometimes, Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station C, and point out to it with pride, saying, "Pretty nice Cheese, huh?" Sometimes they shared it with their friends and sometimes they didn't.
"We deserve this Cheese," Hem said. "We certainly had to work long and hard enough to find it." He picked up a nice fresh piece and ate it.
Afterwards, Hem fell asleep as he often did.
Every night the littlepeople would waddle home, full of Cheese, and every morning they would confidently" title="ad.有信心地；自信地">confidently return for more.
This went on for quite some time.
After a while Hem's and Haw's confidence grew into arrogance. Soon they became so comfortable that they didn't even notice what was happening.
As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued their routine. They arrived early each morning and sniffed and scratched and scurried around Cheese Station C, inspecting the area to see if there had been any changes from the day before. Then they would sit down and nibble on the cheese.
One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was no cheese.
They weren't surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry had noticed the supply of cheese had been getting smaller every day, they were prepared for the inevitable and knew instinctively what to do.
They looked at each other, removed they running shoes they had tied together and hung conveniently around their necks, put them on their feet and laced them up.
The mice did not overanalyze things. And they were not burdened with many complex beliefs.
To the mice, the problem and the answer were both simple. The situation at Cheese Station C had changed. So, Sniff and Scurry decided to change.
They both looked out into the maze. Then Sniff lifted his nose, sniffed and nodded to Scurry, who took off running through the maze, while Sniff followed as fast as he could.
They were quickly off in search of New Cheese.
Later that same day, Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C. they had not been paying attention to the small changes that had been taking place each day, so they took it for granted their cheese would be there.
They were unprepared for what they found.
"What! No cheese?" Hem yelled. He continued yelling, "No cheese? No cheese?" as though if he shouted loud enough someone would put it back.
"Who moved my Cheese?" he hollered.
Finally, he put his hands on his hips, his face turned red, and he screamed at the top of his voice, "It's not fair!"
Haw just shook his head in disbelief. He, too, had counted on finding Cheese at Cheese Station C. He stood there for a long time, frozen with shock. He was just not ready for this.
Hem was yelling something, but Haw didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to deal with what was facing him, so he just tuned out everything.
The littlepeople's behaviour was not very attractive or productive but it was understandable.
Finding Cheese wasn't easy, and it meant a great deal more to the littlepeople than just having enough of it to eat everyday.
Finding Cheese was the littlepeople's way of getting what they thought they needed to be happy. They had their own ideas of what Cheese meant to them, depending on their taste.
For some, finding Cheese was having material things. For others it was enjoying good health, or developing a spiritual sense of well-being.
For Haw, Cheese just meant feeling safe, having a lovely family someday and living in a cozy cottage on Cheddar lane.
To Hem, Cheese was becoming A Big Cheese in charge of others and owning a big house atop Camembert Hill.
Because Cheese was important to them, the two littlepeople spent a long time trying to decide what to do. All they could think of was to keep looking around Cheese Station C to see if the Cheese was really gone.
While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued to Hem and Haw.
They ranted and raved at the injustice of it all. Haw started to get depressed. What would happen if the Cheese wasn't there tomorrow? He had made future plans based on this Cheese.
The littlepeople couldn't believe it. How could this have happened? No one had warned them. It wasn't right. It was not the way things were supposed to happen.
Hem and Haw went home that night hungry and discouraged. But before they left, Haw wrote on the wall:

THE MORE IMPORTANT YOUR CHEESE IS TO YOU
THE MORE YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO IT.

The next day Hem and Haw left their homes and returned to Cheese Station C again, where they still expected, somehow to find their Cheese.
The situation hadn't changed, the Cheese was no longer there. The littlepeople didn't know what to do. Hem and Haw just stood there, immobilized like two statues.
Haw shut his eyes as tight as he could and put his hands over his ears. He just wanted to block everything out. He didn't want to know the Cheese supply had gradually been getting smaller. He believed it had been moved all of a sudden.
Hem analyzed the situation over and over and eventually his complicated brain with its huge belief system took hold. "Why did they do this to me?" he demanded. "What's really going on here?"
Finally, Haw opened his eyes, looked around and said, "By the way, where are Sniff and Scurry? Do you think they know something we don't?"
Hem scoffed, "What would they know?"
Hem continued, "They're just simple mice. They just respond to what happens. We're littlepeople. We're special. We should be able to figure this out. And, besides, we deserve better.
"This should not happen to us, or if it does, we should at least get some benefits."
"Why should we get benefits?" Haw asked.
"Because we're entitled," Hem claimed.
"Entitled to what?" Haw wanted to know.
"We're entitled to our Cheese."
"Why?" Haw asked.
"Because, we didn't cause this problem," Hem said. "Somebody else did this and we should get something out of it."
Haw suggested, "Maybe we should stop analyzing the situation so much and just get going and find some new Cheese."
"Oh no," Hem argued. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."
While Hem and Haw were still trying to decide what to do, Sniff and Scurry were well on their way. They went farther into the maze, up and down the corridors, looking for Cheese in every Cheese Station they could find.
They didn't think of anything else but finding New Cheese.
They didn't find any for sometime until they finally went into an area of the maze where they had never been before: Cheese Station N.
They squealed with delight. They found what they had been looking for: a great supply of New Cheese.
They could hardly believe their eyes. It was the biggest store of Cheese the mice had ever seen.
In the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in Cheese Station C evaluating their situation. They were now suffering from the effects of having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated and angry and were blaming each other for the situation they were in.
Now and then Haw thought about his mice buddies, Sniff and Scurry, and wondered if they had found any Cheese yet. He believed they might be having a hard time, as running through the maze usually involved some uncertainty. But he also knew that it was likely to only last for a while.
Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry finding New Cheese and enjoying it. He thought about how good it would be for him to be out on an adventure in the maze, and to find fresh New Cheese. He could almost taste it.
The more clearly Haw saw the image of finding and enjoying the New Cheese, the more he saw himself leaving Cheese Station C.
"Let's go!" he exclaimed, all of a sudden.
"No," Hem quickly responded. "I like it here. It's comfortable. It's what I know. Besides it's dangerous out there."
"No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through many parts of this maze before, and we could do it again."
"I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting lost and making a fool of myself. Are you?"
With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and his hope of finding New Cheese faded.
So every day, the littlepeople continued to do what they had done before. They went to Cheese Station C, found no Cheese, and returned home, carrying their worries and frustrations with them.
They tried to deny what was happening, but found it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the next day, and were becoming irritable.
Their homes were not the nurturing places they once were. The littlepeople had difficulty sleeping and were having nightmares about not finding any Cheese.
But Hem and Haw still returned to Cheese Station C and waited there every day.
Hem said, "You know, if we just worked harder we'll find that nothing has really changed that much. The Cheese is probably nearby. Maybe they just hid it behind the wall."
The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools. Hem held the chisel while Haw banged on the hammer until they made a hole in the wall of Cheese Station C. They peered inside but found no Cheese.
They were disappointed but believed they could solve the problem. So they started earlier, stayed longer, and worked harder. But after a while, all they had was a large hole in the wall.
Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity.
"Maybe," Hem said, "we should just sit here and see what happens. Sooner or later they have to put the Cheese back."
Haw wanted to believe that. So each day he went home to rest and returned reluctantly with Hem to Cheese Station C. But Cheese never reappeared.
By now the littlepeople were growing weak from hunger and stress. Haw was getting tired of just waiting for their situation to improve. He began to see that the longer they stayed in their Cheeseless situation, the worse off they would be.
Haw knew they were losing their edge.
Finally, one day Haw began laughing at himself. "Haw, haw, look at me. I keep doing the same thing over and over again and wonder why things don't get better. If this wasn't so ridiculous, it would be even funnier."
Haw did not like the idea of having to run through the maze again, because he knew he would get lost and have no idea where he would find any Cheese. But he had to laugh at his folly when he saw what his fear was doing to him.
He asked Hem, " Where did we put our jogging suits and running shoes?" it took a long time to find them because they had put everything away when they found their Cheese at Cheese Station C, thinking they wouldn't be needing them any more.
As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said, "You're not really going out into the maze again, are you? Why don't you just wait here with me until they put the Cheese back?"
"Because, you just don't get it," Haw said. "I didn't want to see it either, but now I realize they're never going to put the Old Cheese beck. That was yesterday's Cheese. It's time to find New Cheese."
Hem argued, "But what if there is no Cheese out there? Or even if there is, what if you don't find it?"
"I don't know," Haw said. He had asked himself those same questions too many times and started to feel the fears again that kept him where he was.
Then he thought about finding New Cheese and all the good things that came with it and gathered courage.
"Sometimes," Haw said, "things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times, Hem. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we."
Haw looked at his emaciated companion and tried to talk sense to him, but Hem's fear had turned into anger and he wouldn't listen.
Haw didn't mean to be rude to his friend, but he had to laugh at how silly they both looked.
As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh at himself, let go and move on.
He announced, "It's maze time!"
Hem didn't laugh and he didn't respond.
Haw picked up a small, sharp rock and wrote a serious thought on the wall for Hem to think about. As was his custom, Haw even drew a picture of Cheese around it, hoping it would help Hem to smile, lighten up, and go after the New Cheese. But Hem didn't want to see it.
It read:
IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE YOU CAN BECOME EXTINCT.

Then Haw stuck his head out and peered anxiously into the maze. He thought about how he'd gotten himself into this Cheeseless situation.
He had believed that there may not be any Cheese in this maze, or he may not find it. Such fearful beliefs were immobilizing and killing him.
Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, "Who moved my Cheese?" but Haw was wondering, "Why didn't I get up and move with the Cheese sooner?"
As he started out into the maze, Haw looked back to where he had come from and felt its comfort. He could feel himself drawn back into familiar territory- even though he hadn't found Cheese there for some time.
Haw became more anxious and wondered if he really wanted to go out into the maze. He wrote a saying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for some time:

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN'T AFRAID?

He thought about it.
He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don't do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are so afraid that it keeps you from doing anything.
He looked to his right, to the part of the maze where he had never been, and felt the fear.
Then he took a deep breath, turned right into the maze, and jogged slowly, into the unknown.
As he tried to find his way, Haw worried, at first, that he might have waited too long in Cheese Station C. He hadn't had any Cheese for so long that he was now weak. It took him longer and it was more painful than usual to get through the maze. He decided that if he ever got the chance again, he would adapt to change sooner. It would make things easier.
Then, Haw smiled a weak smile as he thought, "Better late than ever."
During the next several days, Haw found a little Cheese here and there, but nothing that lasted very long. He had hoped to find enough Cheese to take some back to Hem and encourage him to come out into the maze.
But Haw didn't feel confident enough yet. He had to admit, he found it confusing in the maze. Things seemed to have changed since the last time he was out here.
Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost in the corridors. It seemed his progress was two steps forward and one step backwards. It was a challenge, but he had to admit that being back in the maze, hunting for Cheese, wasn't nearly as bad as he feared it might be.
As time went on he began to wonder if it was realistic for him to find New Cheese. He wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Then he laughed, realizing that he had nothing to chew on at the moment.
Whenever he started to get discouraged he reminded himself that what he was doing, as uncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in reality much better than staying in the Cheeseless situation. He was taking control, rather than simply letting things happen to him.
Then he reminded himself, if Sniff and Scurry could move on, so could he!
Later, as Haw looked back on things, he realized that Cheese at Cheese Station C had not just disappeared overnight, as he had once thought. The amount of Cheese that had been there toward the end had been getting smaller, and what was left had grown old. It didn't taste as good.
Mold may even have begun to grow on the Old Cheese, although he hadn't noticed it. He had to admit however, that if he had wanted to, he probably could have seen what was coming. But he didn't.
Haw now realized that the change probably would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and if he had anticipated change. Maybe that's what Sniff and Scurry had been doing.
He stopped for a rest and wrote on the wall:

SMELL THE CHEESE OFTEN SO YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS GETTING OLD.

Sometime later, after not finding Cheese for what seemed like a long time, Haw finally came across a Cheese Station which looked promising. When he went inside, however, he was most disappointed to discover the Cheese Station was empty.
"This empty feeling has happened to me too often," he thought. He felt like giving up.
Haw was losing his physical strength. He knew he was lost and was afraid he would not survive. He thought about turning around and heading back to Cheese Station C. At least, if he made it back, and Hem was still there, Haw wouldn't be alone. Then he asked himself the same question, again: "What would I do if I weren't afraid?"
He was afraid more often than he liked to admit, even to himself. He wasn't always sure what he was afraid of, but, in his weakened condition, he knew now he was simply fearful of going alone. Haw didn't know it, but he was running behind because he was weighed down by fearful beliefs.
Haw wondered if Hem had moved on, or if he was still paralyzed by his fears. Then, Haw remembered the times when he had felt his best in the maze. It was when he was moving along.
He wrote on the wall, knowing it was as much a reminder to himself as it was a marking for his buddy Hem, hopefully, to follow:

MOVEMENT IN A NEW DIRECTION HELPS YOU FIND NEW CHEESE.

Haw looked down the dark passageway and was aware of his fear. What lay ahead? Was it empty? Or worse, were there dangers lurking? He began to imagine all kinds of frightening things that could happen to him. He was scaring himself to death.
Then he laughed at himself. He realized his fears were making things worse. So he did what he would do if he wasn't afraid. He moved in a new direction.
As he started running down the dark corridor he began to smile. Haw didn't realize it yet, but he was discovering what nourished his soul. He was letting go and trusting what lay ahead for him, even though he did not know exactly what it was.
To his surprise, Haw started to enjoy himself more and more. "Why do I feel so good?" he wondered. " I don't have any Cheese and I don't know where I am going."
Before long, he knew why he felt good.
He stopped to write again on the wall: