How does someone write a business book about mice looking for cheese? Even better—how does such a book become a mega-bestseller?

That’s the most surprising thing about Who Moved My Cheese. When it was first published in 1998, it sold 21 million copies in just 5 years! (And tens of millions more copies after that.)

After you begin reading the story, it becomes a little easier to understand why this book has been so popular. You’ll soon realize you are not really reading about four characters, but about different parts of yourself. This book shines light on how we all resist change, fear the unknown, but eventually must adapt or die.

Who is Spencer Johnson?

Spencer Johnson was a medical doctor and author. He’s best known for writing this book Who Moved My Cheese? and another bestseller called The One Minute Manager. He also wrote a series of children’s books called ValueTales, with each book highlighting a historical person who exemplified a value like honesty, fairness, persistence, etc.

Now let’s begin this Who Moved My Cheese? summary with lesson number one…

🧀 1. Things change: Our cheese is always being moved

The book begins with a realistic scenario. In Chicago, a group of former classmates are enjoying a high school reunion. They are talking about how much all their lives have changed over the last several years. Then one of them wants to share a story he heard that has helped him face change. And this is when the main story begins.

So in a different land, there was a maze where there lived two mice and two Littlepeople. The mice were called Sniff and Scurry. The Littlepeople were called Hem and Haw. The Littlepeople were the same size as the mice, but their minds were like regular people’s, so their thoughts and emotions often overcomplicated their lives.

Both the mice and the Littlepeople lived at Cheese Station C because there was a large supply of delicious cheese to eat. The Littlepeople quickly became used to the cheese, assuming it would always be there for them. The cheese made them feel safe and comfortable, and they built their lives around it.

But one day, the situation at Station C suddenly changed and there was no more cheese! The mice simply left to look for more cheese. They sniffed and scurried down the corridors, disappearing into the maze.

However, the Littlepeople Hem and Haw reacted very differently:

• They shouted and cried in disbelief.
• They felt it was unfair the cheese had gone through no fault of their own.
• They wasted a lot of time wishing and hoping and looking for the cheese to come back.
• They believed they were too old to run around again looking for new cheese, and they would probably embarrass themselves anyway.

(Obviously, in this story the cheese is a symbol or metaphor for anything in our lives that make us feel happy, secure and successful. This includes a good job, relationship, nice condo, etc.)

In a maze lived two mice and two Littlepeople. Suddenly the supply of cheese they relied on disappeared. The mice simply went to search for new cheese. However, the Littlepeople complicated the situation with their thoughts and emotions, complaining about how terrible and unfair it was.

🚶 2. Move on: You’ll find new cheese faster by letting go sooner

Haw slowly accepts that the cheese is not coming back. So he dusts off his old running shoes and cautiously walks into the maze outside. But before he leaves, he uses a rock to scratch a message on the wall for Hem to think about which says:

If you do not change, you can become extinct.

Haw feels anxious, he feels scared, but he moves forward anyway. The unfamiliar maze makes him feel lost and confused. As he explores the corridors, he leaves more messages on the walls to help encourage him. He also hopes Hem will find the messages later. The next message reads:

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.

Haw accepts the cheese is gone and sets out to search for new cheese. Although he feels anxious, he knows the only way to survive is by embracing change and moving forward past his comfort zone.

💭 3. Use imagination: Seeing better new cheese in your future keeps you inspired

After running outside for a short time, Haw is surprised that he is starting to feel a lot better. Movement in a purposeful direction makes him feel more alive than before. Haw finds some small pieces of cheese that keep him going. He begins to see that most of his fears had been exaggerated because there is always New Cheese to be found somewhere out there. On the wall he writes:

It is safer to search in the maze, than remain in a cheeseless situation.

Haw uses his imagination to motivate and inspire himself. He imagines eating New Cheese that tastes better than anything he’s eaten before. He starts to believe that he may not only find cheese again, but maybe he could have an even BETTER life situation than before!

Movement in a purposeful direction started to make Haw feel good. He motivates himself by imagining his future situation could be even better than what he used to have, with lots of great new cheeses.

🕰️ 4. Be prepared: Expect change to happen and it’ll disturb you less

Eventually Haw arrived at Cheese Station N where there was a big supply of cheese. The two mice from the beginning of the story were already eating at the station. In fact, they had arrived a lot sooner because they had simply taken action when the cheese disappeared. They didn’t overanalyze the situation like the Littlepeople. Haw nibbled the new cheese happily, but he also spent a lot of time thinking about his past behavior.