Book: Where is my cheese?

Where is my cheese?
By Spencer Johnson

Reading time 9 minutes

Cheese in the book means everything we usually strive for - good work, money, home, freedom, health, recognition, peace of mind, entertainment, travel. Each person has their own ideas about what values ​​are indicated by a piece of cheese. But we are similar in that usually, having achieved our cheese, we very soon get used to it and become attached to it, and when we lose it, we panic, get lost, perceive it as a blow of fate.

History

In a certain magical land lived two mice and two little people - Mon and Gom. They lived in the Labyrinth (which in the book means the environment of our activity or place of residence, personal or social relationships that we value, or just life in general). They all roamed the Labyrinth every day in search of their cheese and one day they found it.
The difference between the two was that the mice continued to run and explore the Labyrinth even when they had cheese, and the little men calmed down and just started enjoying the cheese. They stopped getting up early, in a hurry, rested a lot, and increased the consumption of cheese. The little men believed that cheese would not go anywhere, and they were provided with it for life.
The key to happiness is owning your own piece of cheese.
So they thought and bragged about the cheese in front of their friends. As a result, the little men became so self-confident and arrogant that, having lost their vigilance, they stopped noticing what was happening around them.
And then one day the cheese disappeared.
The mice immediately realized that if the situation changed, they also needed to rebuild. They immediately started looking for new cheese, as they were accustomed to searching. In addition, they noticed long ago that the amount of cheese is decreasing and its quality is getting worse.
The little people were completely unprepared for the disappearance of the cheese. Therefore, at first they began to be indignant. They had been looking for this cheese for so long, it was more than a livelihood for them. He meant for them everything that is understood by human happiness - possession of material goods, power, strength, health, tranquility, the consciousness of security, fame, strength, satiety, power over others, a villa on the seashore on Mount Camembert. They planned to build their entire future around this piece of cheese. They looked around in search of cheese, got angry, shouted that the disappearance of the cheese was unfair. But it was all to no avail. They couldn't believe their eyes. How did it happen? Nobody warned them. This is someone's unforgivable mistake! Why did this happen to them? As a result, they realized:
The more important someone is to a piece of cheese, the more he is attached to it.
At first, the little men thought that, perhaps, the next day everything would be corrected by itself, and the cheese would return. But nothing happened.
Over time, one of the little men gradually began to remember that recently (and he was reluctant, but noticed) the cheese slowly began to disappear. The other kept shouting that they were entitled to their piece of cheese, that someone else was to blame, that they should receive compensation.
And at this time, the mice, not sparing their strength, explored one corridor of the Labyrinth after another, carefully checked every corner, overcame more and more obstacles. Without being distracted for a minute, not paying attention to any difficulties, they persistently searched for their new piece of cheese. For a long time they did not find anything. But then, in one of the distant sections of the Labyrinth, where they had not yet been, they found a huge warehouse of cheese, which was even better than before.
The little men were still sitting in their empty warehouse of cheese, suffering from hunger, falling into despair, now into a rage, blaming each other and thinking that the mice had probably already found a new warehouse of cheese and were enjoying themselves.
Finally, Mon could not resist and began to persuade Goma to go with him in search of cheese. But Gom began to argue that it is good and convenient here, and there they will find work, running and danger. Gom said that his age does not allow him to run along the corridors and "make a fool out of himself."
Goma's reasoning embarrassed Mon, "he was seized with a feeling of fear of failure, the hope of finding at least something was gone," and he stayed. The little people continued to mess around. Every day they came to the base, but there was no more cheese. They did not talk about bankruptcy, but everything became clear even without talking. Apathy, fatigue, insomnia took possession of the little people, they became nervous, upset. Even their own house no longer seemed to them a safe haven.
Gradually they were overcome by a feeling of hopelessness. The little men no longer believed that they could find more cheese. One day Gom suggested that the cheese was not missing, but was located outside the walls of the base. They got out their tools and started hammering in the walls. There was no cheese, but the little men continued their fruitless labor.
Their base soon fell into ruins. Then Gom decided to sit and wait for the cheese to be returned to them. The little people were already exhausted both physically and mentally. They began to realize that they might never find their piece of cheese if they continued their current lifestyle.
After a long reflection, Mon realized that no one would return the cheese, and went to the Labyrinth. Gom did not support him. He believed that cheese could notwhere not to be, which means all this fuss is in vain. Mon tried to convince his friend, but only made him angry. Then Mon laughed and with a light heart set off in search of cheese.
In parting, he took a sharp stone and drew a piece of cheese to Goma with the inscription:
Whoever is incapable of change does not survive.
Of course, Mon also thought a lot about his cheese-free situation, about his suspicions that there was no cheese in the Labyrinth, or that it could not be found. But he also thought about how long these thoughts had slowed down his actions and made him a cowardly man in the street. He regretted the lost time, about such a late decision to start his journey in the Labyrinth again, hesitated, did not know whether he wanted to stay or go into the distant unknown. Again and again Mon looked back at the old, familiar places, like a magnet attracting him with their warmth, habitability, safety and protection from everyday adversity. He thought of a friend who was hungry, but in a warm, cozy house, everything would be waiting for his piece of cheese, and even envied him. He tormented himself, not knowing what to do, afraid of the unknown. But in the end, he pulled himself together, got up and, goodbye, wrote on the wall in large letters:
What could I do if I had no fear?
Mon knew that being afraid was sometimes helpful. If a person is afraid that his affairs will go badly, and begins to act, this is good. But succumbing to fear enough to stop acting is bad.
When Mon hit the road, he realized how much time he had spent at the base in vain waiting and idleness. So much that he got weak, lost weight and it becomes more and more difficult for him to move. From the former agility and freshness, only memories remained.
However, he gradually regained its former form, fought with doubts, and confidence in the correctness of the decision came to him. Of course, on the way he encountered many difficulties that seemed insurmountable. Little by little, he overcame fears, prejudices, fatigue, the desire to give up everything and return to a friend. Mon understood that Goma could not be persuaded. He must find his own way - to overcome all difficulties, fear and doubts; believe in the inevitability of change; find the strength to break with the past !.
Mon suffered from loneliness and hunger, but dreamed of a new cheese, found small pieces of cheese, and this multiplied his strength. He made several mistakes and found abandoned warehouses, but in the end he found a new warehouse for cheese, which was larger and better than the previous one.
On the way, Mona was visited by thoughts, from which he drew the following conclusions:
Restructuring is inevitable. Someone will always take the cheese.
Change is to be expected. We must prepare, for the cheese will be taken away.
Adapt to change faster. The sooner we get away from the old piece of cheese, the sooner we will find a new one.
We must closely monitor the changes. You need to sniff cheese more often to know when it starts to spoil.
It is necessary to change. Forward, after the cheese.
Enjoy the change. Try the beauty of the adventure in search and enjoy the taste of new cheese.
Be ready for new changes and new pleasures. Because the cheese is disappearing somewhere.
As a result, Mon realized how much progress he had achieved compared to what he had. But I also understood that calmness and inaction can instantly lead to the loss of what has been achieved. Therefore, he was actively involved in all sorts of work every day: he checked the order on the base and the taste of the cheese, quickly responded to every malfunction, often went to distant and still unknown places in the Labyrinth, exploring new deposits of cheese. In a word, he did everything that was supposed to protect him from any surprises.
He came to the firm conviction that it is safer and safer to live knowing the true state of affairs than to while away life in carefree comfort, taking advantage of the benefits of his wealth.
Go for the cheese and enjoy the change!

Outcome

The main thing for me is that in such a relaxed form, this little story-book, which takes no more than an hour to read, helps me to shake myself up, to think about why I was at a dead end, to take a fresh look at my own problems. This is my personal motivator, as I always call it. It really motivates, gives me confidence that everything will work out, I just need to find another way, alternative to the one I followed before.