Relying on Mice Who Love Cheese

Relying on Mice Who Love Cheese

“For all the folly and plain bad thinking at work in the world - all of which works to hinder wealth creation - there is one special breed of man who can offer us hope, that of the Entrepreneur.” Richard Cantillon


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 two were little people named Hem and Haw. As different as the mice and little people were, they shared one thing in common. Every morning they raced out of their homes into the maze to find their favourite cheese.

Sniff and scurry had simple brains but good instincts. They used a simple method of trial and error to hunt for cheese. Working together, Sniff would smell-out the general direction of the cheese and Scurry would race ahead. They often would race off in the wrong direction and bump their heads into walls. It worked often enough for them to continue working together and use the same method.

But Hem and Haw had complex brains with complex needs, beliefs and emotions that made their life in the maze more complicated and more challenging. But finding cheese was very important to the little people it was a way of getting what they thought they needed to be happy. For some it was having material things, for others it was health or peace of mind. For Haw cheese meant living in a cosy cottage, with a loving family on ‘Chedderd Lane’. To Hem cheese meant being a ‘big cheese’ in a mansion on top ‘Camembert Hill’. Eventually they all discovered their own kind of cheese at ‘Cheese Station C’.

Every morning after that Sniff and Scurry woke early each day and ran the same route through the maze to Cheese Station C to enjoy the cheese. Sniff and Scurry hung their running shoes around their necks in case they needed to get to them quickly. But Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later and stroll over to Cheese Station C. After all what was the rush, they knew where Cheese Station C was, how to get there and assumed it would always be there.

Hem and Haw put their running shoes away as they thought they wouldn’t be needing them again. Haw turned to Hem with a large piece of cheese in the palm of his hand and said “this is great isn’t it? There’s enough cheese here to last forever!” Haw replied “sure is” leaning back resting his head on the mountain of cheese behind him. They even decorated the walls with sayings. They wrote “having cheese makes you happy”.

Hem and Haw became so comfortable they didn’t notice what had been happening. Meanwhile Sniff and Scurry had been inspecting Cheese Station C each morning to see if there had been any changes. One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was no cheese! They weren’t surprised since they noticed the supply of cheese had been getting smaller. They mice didn’t over analyse things, so when things changed Sniff and Scurry changed. They switched into their running shoes and ran off in search of new cheese. Later that day Hem and Haw still yawning from their late morning rise, arrived at Cheese Station C. They had not been paying attention to the changes. As Hem entered Cheese Station C in a deep gasp of breath said “what?! No cheese, no cheese, who-moved –my cheese? It’s not fair as he darted around Cheese Station C inspecting the empty ground in disbelief. Haw replied Hem “were much smarter than the mice but we are not acting like it at the moment.” Ignoring Haw, Hem retorted, “I better see some cheese in here by tomorrow I’ve made plans this cheese” Haw replied. While the mice had moved on the two little people hemmed and hawed. Haw wrote on the wall “the more important cheese is to you the more you want to hold on to it”.

The next morning Hem and Haw, shoulders hunched made their way to Cheese Station C still expecting to find cheese at the same place. Hem cried out “why did they do this to me?” Haw asked “where are Sniff and Surry? They must know something we don’t” Hem replies “naw they’re simple mice, we are little people, much smarter than they are”. Haw gives a bumbling uncertain agreement “yeah yeah, but maybe we should get going and find some new cheese” to which Hem replied “oh no I’m gonna get to the bottom of this” and burst into tears crying“I want things to be the way they were”.

Meanwhile Sniff and Scurry moved deeper into the maze thinking of nothing other than new cheese. After much trial and error Sniff got wind of something and Scurry found their biggest store of cheese at ‘Cheese Station N’. Hem and Haw, still at the empty Cheese Station C, were still, well simply still hemming and hawing. But Haw was becoming overcome by hunger and began to imagine himself out in the maze in running shoes hunting for fresh new cheese. He was becoming so desperate now he could almost taste the cheese and encouraged Hem to leave with him to hunt for new cheese. Hem told him he isn’t leaving he liked it here “I’m comfortable here” he said “and besides it real dangerous out there”. Haw imagined the worst, fear of the unknown overtook him and his hopes of finding new cheese faded. So everyday Hem and Haw left their homes and wandered over to cheeseless Cheese Station C in hope more than expectation and then returned home with empty bellies filled with nothing but stress.

Hem paced around Cheese Station C mumbling “who moved my cheese, who moved my cheese, who moved my cheese.” Haw said “Hem look at us we keep doing the same things over and over and wonder why things don’t get better – its time” he said tying the laces of his running shoes “it’s time to move on!” Hem pleaded you’re not really going out in the maze again why don’t we wait here until they put the cheese back”. Haw said “you just don’t get it they’re never going to put the old cheese back, that’s was yesterday’s cheese, it’s time to find new cheese we can’t keep waiting for new cheese to appear, its time to find new cheese” Hem replied what if there’s no new cheese out there, what if you can’t find it. Haw replied “life moves on and so should we.” Hem held his head, closed his eyes and began crying whilst muttering who moved my cheese, who moved my cheese, who moved my cheese, who moved my cheese.” As Hem was muttering Haw passed him by shouting back to him “if we don’t change we might become extinct.” But Haw was not unafraid. A part of him wanted him to stay behind. He then wrote his thoughts and feelings on the wall “what would you do if you went afraid.”

It wasn’t long before Haw knew what to do. He gathered up all his courage and began jogging off into the unknown maze. It’s a new time!” echoed back off the maze walls as he disappeared into the distance. Soon he would feel lost, but it wasn’t long before he began to find his way. Haw thought being back in the maze was not nearly as bad he imagined. He asked himself how he got into this situation and paused to write on a wall what he was learning “smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old”. Haw hoped that this handwriting on the wall would not only be a reminder to himself but a trail for all those who came behind him into the maze trying to find their way to new cheese. Haw began to feel good whilst running despite not knowing exactly where he was going and not knowing exactly where the cheese was. He felt excited by the adventure. With that thought, he grabbed his maker and sprinted over to the nearest wall and wrote “when you move beyond your fear you feel free”.

The more Haw imagined himself finding the new cheese the more real the cheese became. He wrote “imaging myself enjoying new cheese before I find it actually leads me to it”. Then suddenly Haw arrived at a new Cheese Station but it was practically empty. He thought I’m too late, had I moved on sooner I would have seen a lot of new cheese here. Haw enjoyed the new cheese that was left there and moved on. It wasn’t much but it helped keep him going.

He felt he should get back to Hem and let him know there is new cheese out here. He raced back to Cheese Station C using the signs he had left and found Hem still there hemming and hawing, still bare foot and still no sign of his running shoes. Haw said Hem you look hungry here’s some new cheese. Hem replied “I don’t think I would like new cheese I want my own cheese, I want my old cheese back, I sure if I wait it out things will be back to how they were”. Haw walked off disappointed thinking will Hem ever change. Hem was left behind hemmed in by fear delusion and self-denial. Haw thought Hem can’t change or may be simply will not allow himself to believe he will enjoy new cheese. He seems to believe if he ventures into the maze things will get worst. Haw thought I’ve learned that if I change things will get better. With that thought in mind he grabbed a marker from his pocket and wrote on a wall “when you change what you believe, you change what you can do” and set off running. He found bits of new cheese here and there and began to regain his strength he hoped Hem might find his way by reading ‘the writing on the wall’.

Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the present he was proceeding with the hunt for new cheese. And then it happened. Piled high everywhere was the largest supply of cheese he had ever seen. It was Cheese Station N. Haw couldn’t believe his luck and rubbed his eyes to see if he wasn’t experiencing a mirage. He dived in grabbed a bunch of new cheese tasted it and shouted “it is real!”

He looked up and saw sniff and scurry with large full tummies waving at him. They had been enjoying new cheese for quite a while. Haw vowed that next time he would change faster. Haw new it would be easy for him to slip back into old ways when he got too comfortable, so each day he inspected the condition of Cheese Station N. He would often go out into the maze to ensure that he was aware of his choices rather than lose himself in his comfort zone. He realised that change wasn’t as unpredictable as he first thought.

Then one day Haw heard what he thought was movement out in the maze it wasn’t Sniff or Scurry as they were knee deep in the cheese at the time enjoying themselves. Could it be Hem about to turn the corner? He felt so excited was his old friend Hem moving to the cheese and about to enjoy it?
This of course was the story published in 1998 by Spencer Johnson. It was designed to motivate and assist individual to embrace change. He called it Who Moved My Cheese?