Who Moved My Cheese?

Every once in a while I feel the urge to read a self-help book. A few weeks ago, a woman at work handed me Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life. At first glance, the book, with its large print and ridiculously simple language, looks like a waste of time. Despite its resemblance to a bad children's book, Cheese actually makes some good points.

Cheese tells the story of four characters, two of whom are mice and two of whom are little people, who run through a maze to find cheese. Once they find some cheese, the little people get used to the comfort of knowing that the cheese will always be there. They begin to feel entitled to the cheese. Everyday as the mice and the little people eat, the amount of cheese dwindles. While the mice take note of this, the little people do not. One day, the cheese supply runs out. The mice, who have been aware of the possibility of the cheese running out, immediately run back into the maze to find new cheese. Meanwhile, the little men are shocked; they sit around where the cheese used to be and try to figure out who moved their cheese. The men return day after day to the same location and grumble about the cheese's disappearance. The mice never return to the location of the old cheese, and after some time, they come across a new stash of cheese. The men continue to wait in the same place, hoping that the cheese will magically reappear. Eventually one of the little men works up the courage to go out into the maze again. After several days in the maze, he comes upon new cheese. His whole experience teaches him several lessons:

1. Don't take things in your life for granted. Don't become too comfortable. Watch the little changes in your situation so that you are not surprised by big changes.

2. Don't become set in your ways. Accept that things might change and learn from your mistakes.

3. Don't let fear of the unknown prevent you from trying new things.

I understand why Cheese, which was on The New York Times' bestseller list for a while, is such a popular book. It's easy enough for everyone to understand but makes many good points.

And now it's time for my characteristic jab at the music industry. I can't help but wonder if any record company executives have read this book. The record companies are so set in their old ways. They tried to resist change. They complained about mp3s and did their best to prevent the spread of mp3s. They ignored their customers and the new possibilities for music. Now, they are finally realizing that things are not going to back to "normal," and they're scrambling to catch up. If only someone in that industry had had the nerve to move with the change instead of fighting it. It will be interesting to see what happens next.