الهــــدوء عنوان الإنسان الواعي
عِنـْدَمَا لا تـَسْمَع أيْ صَوْت يُشَتـِّتـُـكَ أوْ يَفـْقِدُكَ تـَرْكِيزُك ،
تـُحَاول أنْ تـَسْتـَمَع لِلـْهُدُوءْ ، تـُرَكِّز حَتـّى تـَسْمَع دَقــّاتِ قـَلـْبـِكَ فِي أذنـَيْك ،
العَقـْل يَصْـفـُو مِنْ كُل شَيءْ ،
وَتـَبْدَأ بـِالتـّـفـْكِير فِي كُل مَا مَرّ بـِك مُـنـْذ ُ الصّبـَاح.
نـَعَم .. الهُدُوءْ سِمَة مِن سِمَاتِ النـّجَاح ،
وَالهُدُوءْ تـَعْبـِيرعَنْ شَخـْصِيَّة ٍ قـَويَّة وَمُتـَمَاسِكَة ،
وَالهُدُوءْ عِنـْوَانُ ُلإنـْسَان ٍ وَاعِي.
وَبـِالعَكْس تـَمَامــًا ذلِكَ الإنـْسَانُ الـَّذِي يَفـُورُ لأتـْفـَهِ الأسْبَاب ،
وَيَهـِيج لأسْخـَفِ الأمُور ، فـَإنـّهُ يُعْتـَبَر إنـْسَاناً ضَعِيف الشـّخـْصِيَّة ،
ضَعِيفُ العَقـْل ، وَضَعِيفُ الإرَادَة.
يَقـُول عُلـَمَاءُ النـّفـْس :
[ إنّ الإنـْسَانَ الذِي يَغـْضَبْ لأتـْفـَهِ الأسْبَابْ هُوَ إنـْسَانُ ُرَكِيكُ الشـّخـْصِيّة ].
فـَالإنـْسَانْ الهَادِئْ هُوَ الـَّذِي يَسْتـَطِيع أنْ يَفـُوز بـِقـُلـُوبِ الآخـَرين
الهُدُوءْ بـِكـُل مَا يَعْنِيه مِن مَعْنـَى قـَادِرُ ُعَلى صِنـَاعَةِ العَجَائِبْ ،
وَالتـّأثِير عَلـَى النـّفـُوس الغـَلِيظـة.
العُنـْفْ يُوَلـّد العُنـْفْ ، وَالغـَضَبْ يُوَلـّد الغـَضَبْ ،
أمّا الهُدُوءْ فـَإنـّه يَطـْفِئْ الغـَضَبْ كَمَا يَطـْفِئْ المَاءُ النـَّار.
كُن هَادِئـــًا فِي تـَعَامُلِكَ مَعَ الآخـَرين ،
وَاسْتـَخـْدَم لـَبَاقـَتـكَ مَعَ المُسِيئِين إلـَيْك ،
وَتـَكَلـّم بـِعِبَارَاتٍ رَزينـَة وَودِّيَة ،
فـَهَذا هُوَ أقـْصَرُ الطـّرُق لِكَسْبِ الآخـَرينْ وَنـَيْل إعْجَابَهُم.
كُنْ هَادِئــًا تـَصـْنـَعُ المُعْجـِزَات ، وَلا تـَنـْسَى:
أنـْتَ المَسْؤُول عَنْ طـَريقـَة مُعَامَلـَةِ النـّاس لـَك ، عَبِّر عَنْ غـَضَبـِك ،
وَلـَكِن بـِحِكْمَة ،
فـَإنْ كَانَ وَلا بُد مِنْ العَتـَبْ فـَبـِالحُسْنـَى وَجَادِلـْهُم بـِالتي هي احسن

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?© Dr. Spencer.JohnsonPARTS OF ALL OF USThe Simple and The ComplexThe four imaginary characters depicted in this story --the mice: "Sniff" and "Scurry", andthe little people: "Hem" and "Haw" --are intended to represent the simple and the complex parts of ourselves,regardless of our age, gender, race, or nationality.Sometimes we may act likeSniffWho sniffs out change early, orScurryWho scurries into action, orHemWho denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse, orHawWho learns to adapt in time when he sees changing leads to something better!Whatever parts of us we choose to use, we all share something in common:a need to find our way in the mazeand succeed in changing times.The Story Behind the Storyby Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D.I am thrilled to be telling you "the story behind the story" of "Who Moved MyCheese?" because it means the book has now been written, and is available forall of us to read, enjoy and share with others.This is something I've wanted to see happen ever since I first heard SpencerJohnson tell his great "Cheese" story, years ago, before we wrote our book "The One Minute Manager" together.I remember thinking then how good the story was and how helpful it would beto me from that moment on."Who Moved My Cheese? " is a story about change that takes place in a Mazewhere four amusing characters look for "Cheese" -- cheese being a metaphorfor what we want to have in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace, or even an activity likejogging or golf.Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is, and we pursue it because webelieve it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And ifwe lose it, or it's taken away, it can be traumatic.The "Maze" in the story represents where you spend time looking for what youwant. It can be the organization you work in, the community you live in, or therelationships you have in your life.I tell the Cheese story that you are about to read in my talks around the world,and often hear later from people about what a difference it has made to them.Believe it or not, this little story has been credited with saving careers,marriages and lives!One of the many real-life examples comes from Charlie Jones; a well-respectedbroadcaster for NBC-TY who revealed that hearing the story of "Who MovedMy Cheese? " saved his career. His job as a broadcaster is unique, but theprinciples he learned can be used by anyone.Here's what happened: Charlie had worked hard and had done a great job ofbroadcasting Track and Field events at an earlier Olympic Games, so he wassurprised and upset when his boss told him he'd been removed from theseshowcase events for the next Olympics and assigned to Swimming and Diving.Not knowing these sports as well, he was frustrated. He felt unappreciated andhe became angry. He said he felt it wasn't fair! His anger began to affecteverything he did.Then, he heard the story of "Who Moved My Cheese? "After that he said he laughed at himself and changed his attitude. He realizedhis boss had just "moved his Cheese". So he adapted. He learned the two newsports and, in the process, found that doing something new made him feelyoung.It wasn't long before his boss recognized his new attitude and energy, and hesoon got better assignments. He went on to enjoy more success than ever andwas later inducted into Pro Football's Hall of Fame -- Broadcasters' Alley.That's just one of the many real-life stories I've heard about the impact thisstory has had on people -- from their work life to their love life.I'm such a strong believer in the power of "Who Moved My Cheese? " that Igave a copy of an early pre-publication edition to everyone (more than 200people) working with our company. Why?Because like every company that wants to not only survive in the future but stay competitive, The Ken Blanchard Companies are constantly changing. Theykeep moving our "Cheese". While in the past we may have wanted loyalemployees, today we need flexible people who are not possessive about "theway things are done around here".And yet, as you know, living in constant white water with the changesoccurring all the time at work or in life can be stressful, unless people have away of looking at change that helps them understand it. Enter the Cheese story.When I told people about the story and then they got to read "Who Moved MyCheese? " you could almost feel the release of negative energy beginning tooccur. Person after person from every department went out of their way tothank me for the book and told me how helpful it had been to them already inseeing the changes going on in our company in a different light. Believe me,this brief parable takes little time to read but its impact can be profound.As you turn the pages, you will find three sections in this book. In the first, AGathering, former classmates talk at a class reunion about trying to deal withthe changes happening in their lives. The second section is The Story of "WhoMoved My Cheese? ", which is the core of the book.In The Story you will see that the two mice do better when they are faced withchange because they keep things simple, while the two little people's complexbrains and human emotions complicate things. It is not that mice are smarter.We all know people are more intelligent than mice.However, as you watch what the four characters do, and realize both the miceand the little people represent parts of ourselves -- the simple and the complex -- you can see it would be to our advantage to do the simple things that workwhen things change.In the third section, A Discussion, people discuss what The Story meant to them and how they are going to use it in their work and in their lives.Some readers of this book's early manuscript preferred to stop at the end of TheStory, without reading further, and interpret its meaning for themselves. Othersenjoyed reading A Discussion that follows because it stimulated their thinkingabout how they might apply what they'd learned to their own situation.In any case, I hope each time you re-read "Who Moved My Cheese? " you willfind something new and useful in it, as I do, and that it will help you deal withchange and bring you success, whatever you decide success is for you.I hope you enjoy what you discover and I wish you well. Remember: Movewith the Cheese!Ken BlanchardSan Diego, CaliforniaA Gathering: ChicagoOne sunny Sunday in Chicago, several former classmates, who were goodfriends in school, gathered for lunch, having attended their high school reunionthe night before. They wanted to hear more about what was happening in eachother's lives. After a good deal of kidding, and a good meal, they settled into aninteresting conversation.Angela, who had been one of the most popular people in the class, said,"Life sure turned out differently than I thought it would when we were inschool. A lot has changed.""It certainly has," Nathan echoed. They knew he had gone into his family'sbusiness, which had operated pretty much the same and had been a part of thelocal community for as long as they could remember. So they were surprisedwhen he seemed concerned. He asked, "But, have you noticed how we don'twant to change when things change?"Carlos said, "I guess we resist changing because we're afraid of change.""Carlos, you were Captain of the football team," Jessica said. "I neverthought I'd hear you say anything about being afraid!"They all laughed as they realized that although they had gone off in different directions -- from working at home to managing companies -- they were experiencing similar feelings.Everyone was trying to cope with the unexpected changes that had beenhappening to them in recent years. And most admitted that they did not know agood way to handle them.Then Michael said, "I used to be afraid of change. When a big change camealong in our business, we didn't know what to do. So we didn't do anythingdifferently and we almost lost it."That is," he continued, "until I heard a funny little story that changed everything.""How so?" Nathan asked."Well, the story changed the way I looked at change -- from losingsomething to gaining something -- and it showed me how to do it. After that,things quickly improved -- at work and in my life."At first I was annoyed with the obvious simplicity of the story because itsounded like something we might have been told in school."Then I realized I was really annoyed with myself for not seeing the obviousand doing what works when things change."When I realized the four characters in the story represented the variousparts of myself, I decided who I wanted to act like and I changed."Later, I passed the story on to some people in our company and they passedit on to others, and soon our business did much better, because most of usadapted to change better. And like me, many people said it helped them in theirpersonal lives."However, there were a few people who said they got nothing out of it. Theyeither knew the lessons and were already living them, or, more commonly, theythought they already knew everything and didn't want to learn. They couldn'tsee why so many others were benefiting from it."When one of our senior executives, who was having difficulty adapting,said the story was a waste of his time, other people kidded him saying theyknew which character he was in the story --meaning the one who learnednothing new and did not change.""What's the story?" Angela asked."It's called, Who Moved My Cheese?"The group laughed. "I think I like it already," Carlos said. "Would you tellus the story? Maybe we can get something from it.""Sure" Michael replied. "I'd be happy to -- it doesn't take long." And so hebegan:The Story of WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?ONCE, long ago in a land far away, there lived four little characters who ranthrough a maze looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy.Two were mice named ''Sniff'' and ''Scurry'' and two were little people --beings who were as small as mice but who looked and acted a lot like peopletoday. Their names were "Hem" and "Haw".Due to their small size, it would be easy not to notice what the four of themwere doing. But if you looked closely enough, you could discover the mostamazing things!Every day, the mice and the little people spent time in the Maze looking fortheir own special cheese.The mice, Sniff and Scurry, possessing only simple rodent brains, but goodinstincts, searched for the hard nibbling cheese they liked, as mice often do.The two little people, Hem and Haw, used their brains, filled with manybeliefs and emotions, to search for a very different kind of Cheese -- with acapital C -- which they believed would make them feel happy and successful.As different as the mice and little people were, they shared something incommon. Every morning, they each put on their jogging suits and runningshoes, left their little homes, and raced out into the Maze looking for theirfavorite cheese.The Maze was a labyrinth of corridors and chambers, some containingdelicious cheese. But there were also dark corners and blind alleys leadingnowhere. It was an easy place for anyone to get lost.However, for those who found their way, the Maze held secrets that let themenjoy a better life.The mice, Sniff and Scurry, used a simple trial-and-error method of findingcheese. They ran down one corridor and, if it proved empty, they turned and randown another. They remembered the corridors that held no cheese and quicklywent into new areas.Sniff would smell out the general direction of the cheese, using his greatnose, and Scurry would race ahead. They got lost, as you might expect, went offin the wrong direction and often bumped into walls. But after a while, theyfound their way.Like the mice, the two little people, Hem and Haw, also used their ability tothink and learn from their past experiences. However, they relied on theircomplex brains to develop more sophisticated methods of finding Cheese.Sometimes they did well, but at other times their powerful human beliefsand emotions took over and clouded the way they looked at things. It made lifein the Maze more complicated and challenging.Nonetheless, Sniff; Scurry, Hem and Haw all discovered, in their own way,what they were looking for. They each found their own kind of cheese one dayat the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C.Every morning after that, the mice and the little people dressed in theirrunning gear and headed over to Cheese Station C. It wasn't long before theyeach established their own routine.Sniff and Scurry continued to wake early every day and race through theMaze, always following the same route.When they arrived at their destination, the mice took off their running shoes,tied them together and hung them around their necks -- so they could get tothem quickly whenever they needed them again. Then they enjoyed the cheese.In the beginning, Hem and Haw also raced toward Cheese Station C everymorning to enjoy the tasty new morsels that awaited them.But after a while, a different routine set in for the little people.Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later, dressed a little slower, andwalked to Cheese Station C. After all, they knew where the Cheese was nowand how to get there.They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or who put it there. Theyjust assumed it would be there.As soon as Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C each morning, theysettled in and made themselves at home. They hung up their jogging suits, putaway their running shoes and put on their slippers. They were becoming verycomfortable now that they had found the Cheese."This is great," Hem said. "There's enough Cheese here to last us forever."The little people felt happy and successful, and thought they were now secure.It wasn't long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found atCheese Station C as their cheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that theyeventually 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 wallswith sayings and even drew pictures of Cheese around them, which made themsmile. One read:Having Cheese Makes You HappySometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile ofCheese at Cheese Station C, and point to it with pride, saying, "Pretty niceCheese, huh?" Sometimes they shared it with their friends and sometimes theydidn't."We deserve this Cheese," Hem said. "We certainly had to work long andhard 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 little people would waddle home, full of Cheese, and everymorning they would confidently return for more.This went on for quite some time.After a while, Hem's and Haw's confidence grew into the arrogance ofsuccess. Soon they became so comfortable they didn't even notice what washappening.As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued their routine. They arrivedearly each morning and sniffed and scratched and scurried around CheeseStation C, inspecting the area to see if there had been any changes from the daybefore. Then they would sit down to nibble on the cheese.One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was nocheese.They weren't surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry had noticed the supply ofcheese had been getting smaller every day, they were prepared for theinevitable and knew instinctively what to do.They looked at each other, removed the running shoes they had tied togetherand hung conveniently around their necks, put them on their feet and lacedthem up.The mice did not overanalyze things.To the mice, the problem and the answer were both simple. The situation atCheese Station C had changed. So, Sniff and Scurry decided to change.They both looked out into the Maze. Then Sniff lifted his nose, sniffed, andnodded to Scurry, who took off running through the Maze, while Sniff followedas 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 hadnot been paying attention to the small changes that had been taking place eachday, 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? NoCheese?" 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 atthe top of his voice, "It's not fair!"Haw just shook his head in disbelief. He, too, had counted on findingCheese 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 wantto deal with what was facing him, so he just tuned everything out.The little people's behavior was not very attractive or productive, but it wasunderstandable.Finding Cheese wasn't easy, and it meant a great deal more to the littlepeople than just having enough of it to eat every day.Finding Cheese was the little people's way of getting what they thought theyneeded 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 wasenjoying good health, or developing a spiritual sense of well-being.For Haw, Cheese just meant feeling safe, having a loving family some day,and living in a cozy cottage on Cheddar Lane.To Hem, Cheese was becoming A Big Cheese in charge of others andowning a big house atop Camembert Hill.Because Cheese was important to them, the two little people spent a longtime trying to decide what to do. All they could think of was to keep lookingaround Cheeseless Station C to see if the Cheese was really gone.While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued tohem 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 futureplans based on this Cheese.The little people couldn't believe it. How could this have happened? No onehad warned them. It wasn't right. It was not the way things were supposed to be.Hem and Haw went home that night hungry and discouraged. But beforethey left, Haw wrote on the wall:The More Important Your CheeseIs To You The More You Want To Hold Onto ItThe next day Hem and Haw left their homes, and returned to Cheese StationC 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 liketwo statues.Haw shut his eyes as tight as he could and put his hands over his ears. Hejust wanted to block everything out. He didn't want to know the Cheese supplyhad gradually been getting smaller. He believed it had been moved all of asudden.Hem analyzed the situation over and over and eventually his complicatedbrain with its huge belief system took hold. "Why did they do this to me?" hedemanded. "What's really going on here?"Finally, Haw opened his eyes, looked around and said, "By the way, whereare 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 whathappens. We're little people. We're smarter. We should be able to figure thisout.""I know we re smarter," Haw said, "but we don't seem to be acting smarterat the moment. Things are changing around here, Hem. Maybe we need tochange and do things differently.""Why should we change?" Hem asked. "We're little people. We're special.This sort of thing should not happen to us. Or if it does, we should at least getsome 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 thisand we should get something out of it."Haw suggested, "Maybe we should stop analyzing the situation so much andjust 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 Scurrywere already well on their way. They went farther into the Maze, up and downcorridors, 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 some time -- until they finally went into an area ofthe Maze which they had never been before: Cheese Station N.They squeaked with delight. They found what they had been looking for: agreat supply of New Cheese.They could hardly believe their eyes. It was the biggest store of cheese themice had ever seen.In the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in Cheese Station Cevaluating their situation. They were now suffering from the effects of havingno Cheese. They were becoming frustrated and angry and were blaming eachother for the situation they were in.Now and then Haw thought about his mice friends, Sniff and Scurry, andwondered if they had found any cheese yet. He believed they might be having ahard time, as running through the Maze usually involved some uncertainty. Buthe also knew that it was likely to only last for a while.Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry finding New Cheese andenjoying it. He thought about how good it would be for him to be out on anadventure in the Maze, and to find fresh New Cheese. He could almost taste it.The more clearly Haw saw the image of himself finding and enjoying theNew 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 Iknow. Besides, it's dangerous out there.""No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through many parts of the Mazebefore, and we can do it again.""I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And I'm afraid I'm not interested ingetting lost and making a fool of myself. Are you?"With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and his hope of finding NewCheese faded.So every day, the little people continued to do what they had done before.They went to Cheese Station C, found no Cheese, and returned home, carryingtheir worries and frustrations with them. ~They tried to deny what washappening, but found it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the next day, andwere becoming irritable.Their homes were not the nurturing places they once were. The little peoplehad difficulty sleeping and were having nightmares about not finding anyCheese.But Hem and Haw still returned to Cheese Station C and waited there everyday.Hem said, "You know, if we just work harder, we'll find that nothing hasreally changed that much. The Cheese is probably nearby. Maybe they just hidit behind the wall."The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools. Hem held the chisel whileHaw banged on the hammer until they made a hole in the wall of CheeseStation C. They peered inside but found no Cheese.They were disappointed but believed they could solve the problem. So theystarted earlier, stayed longer, and worked harder. But after a while, all they hadwas a large hole in the wall.Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity andproductivity."Maybe," Hem said, "we should just sit here and see what happens. Sooneror later they have to put the Cheese back."Haw wanted to believe that. So each day he went home to rest and returnedreluctantly with Hem to Cheese Station C. But Cheese never reappeared.By now the little people were growing weak from hunger and stress. Hawwas getting tired of just waiting for their situation to improve. He began to seethat the longer they stayed in their Cheeseless situation, the worse off theywould be.Haw knew they were losing their edge.Finally, one day Haw began laughing at himself. "Haw, haw, look at us. Wekeep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don'tget 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, becausehe 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 running shoes?" It took a long timeto find them because they had put everything away when they found theirCheese at Cheese Station C, thinking they wouldn't be needing them anymore.As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said, "You're notreally going out into the Maze again, are you? Why don't you just wait herewith me until they put the Cheese back?""Because, you just don't get it," Haw said. "I didn't want to see it either, butnow I realize they're never going to put yesterday's Cheese back. It's time tofind 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 toomany times and felt the fears again that kept him where he was.He asked himself, "Where am I more likely to find Cheese here or in theMaze?"He painted a picture in his mind. He saw himself venturing out into theMaze with a smile on his face.While this picture surprised him, it made him feel good. He saw himselfgetting lost now and then in the Maze, but felt confident he would eventuallyfind New Cheese out there and all the good things that came with it. Hegathered his courage.Then he used his imagination to paint the most believable picture he could --with the most realistic details -- of him finding and enjoying the taste of NewCheese.He saw himself eating Swiss cheese with holes in it, bright orange Cheddarand American cheeses, Italian mozzarella and wonderfully soft FrenchCamembert cheese, andThen he heard Hem say something and realized they were still at CheeseStation C.Haw said, "Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the sameagain. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And soshould we."Haw looked at his emaciated companion and tried to talk sense to him, butHem'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 sillythey both looked.As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he wasfinally able to laugh at himself, let go and move on.Haw laughed and announced, "It's MAZE time!"Hem didn't laugh and he didn't respond. Haw picked up a small, sharp rockand wrote a serious thought on the wall for Hem to think about. As was hiscustom, Haw even drew a picture of cheese around it, hoping it would helpHem to smile, lighten up, and go after the New Cheese. But Hem didn't want tosee it.It read:If You Do Not Change, You Can Become ExtinctThen, Haw stuck his head out and peered anxiously into the Maze. Hethought about how he'd gotten himself into this cheeseless situation.He had believed that there may not be any Cheese in the Maze, or he maynot find it. Such fearfiil beliefs were immobilizing and killing him.Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, "Who Moved My Cheese?" butHaw 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 comefrom and felt its comfort. He could feel himself being drawn back into familiarterritory -- even though he hadn't found Cheese there for some time.Haw became more anxious and wondered if he really wanted to go out intothe Maze. He wrote a saying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for sometime:What would you do if you weren't afraid?He thought about it.He knew that, sometimes, some fear can be good. When you are afraidthings are going to get worse if you don't do something, it can prompt you intoaction. But it is not good when you are so afraid that it keeps you from doinganything.He looked to his right, to the part of the Maze where he had never been, andfelt the fear.Then, he took a deep breath, turned right into the Maze, and jogged slowlyinto the unknown.As he tried to find his way, Haw worried, at first, that he might have waitedtoo long in Cheese Station C. He hadn't had any Cheese for so long that he wasnow weak. It took him longer and it was more painflil than usual to get throughthe Maze. He decided that if he ever got the chance again, he would get out ofhis comfort zone and adapt to change sooner. It would make things easier.Then, Haw smiled a weak smile as he thought, "Beffer late than never."During the next several days, Haw found a little Cheese here and there, butnothing that lasted very long. He had hoped to find enough Cheese to take someback 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 itconfusing in the Maze. Things seemed to have changed since the last time hewas out here.Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost in thecorridors. It seemed his progress was two steps forward and one step backward.It was a challenge, but he had to admit that being back in the Maze, hunting forCheese, wasn't nearly as bad as he had feared it might be.As time went on, he began to wonder if it was realistic for him to expect tofind 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 hewas doing, as uncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in reality much betterthan staying in the Cheeseless situation. He was taking control, rather thansimply 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 the Cheese at CheeseStation C had not just disappeared overnight, as he had once believed. Theamount 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'tnoticed it. He had to admit, however, that if he had wanted to, he probablycould have seen what was coming. But he hadn't.Haw now realized that the change probably would not have taken him bysurprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and if he hadanticipated change. Maybe that's what Sniff and Scurry had been doing.He decided he would stay more alert from now on. He would expect changeto happen and look for it. He would trust his basic instincts to sense whenchange was going to occur and be ready to adapt to it.He stopped for a rest and wrote on the wall of the Maze:Smell Your Cheese Often So You KnowWhen It Is Getting OldLater, after not finding Cheese for what seemed a very long time, Haw cameacross a huge Cheese Station which looked promising. When he went inside,however, he was most disappointed to discover that the Cheese station wasempty."This empty feeling has happened to me too often," he thought. He felt likegiving up.Haw was losing his physical strength. He knew he was lost and was afraidhe would not survive. He thought about turning around and heading back toCheese Station C. At least, if he made it back, and Hem was still there, Hawwouldn't be alone. Then he asked himself the same question again, "Whatwould I do if I weren't afraid?"Haw was afraid more often than he liked to admit, even to himself. Hewasn't always sure what he was afraid of; but, in his weakened condition, heknew now he was simply fearful of going on alone. Haw didn't know it, but hewas 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 ownfears. 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 itwas a marking for his friend Hem, hopefully, to follow:Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find A New Cheese.Haw looked down the dark passageway and was aware of his fear. What layahead? Was it empty? Or worse, were there dangers lurking? He began toimagine all kinds of frightening things that could happen to him. He wasscaring 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'trealize it yet, but he was discovering what nourished his soul. He was letting goand trusting what lay ahead for him, even though he did not know exactly whatit was.To his surprise, Haw started to enjoy himself more and more. "Why do I feelso good?" he wondered. "I don't have any Cheese and I don't know where I amgoing."Before long, he knew why he felt good.He stopped to write again on the wall:When You Move Beyond You Fear, You Feel FreeHaw realized he had been held captive by his own fear. Moving in a newdirection had freed him.Now he felt the cool breeze that was blowing in this part of the Maze and itwas refreshing. He took in some deep breaths and felt invigorated by themovement. Once he had moved past his fear, it turned out to be more enjoyablethan he once believed it could be.Haw hadn't felt this way for a long time. He had almost forgotten how muchfun it was to try new things.To make things even better, Haw started to paint a picture in his mind again.He saw himself in great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all hisfavorite cheeses -- from Cheddar to Brie! He saw himself eating the manycheeses he liked, and he enjoyed what he saw. Then he imagined how much hewould enjoy all their great tastes.The more clearly he saw the image of himself enjoying New Cheese, themore real and believable it became. He could sense that he was going to find it.He wrote:Imagining Myself Enjoying The Cheese,Even Before I Find It, Lead Me To ItHaw wondered why he had always thought that a change would lead tosomething worse. Now he realized that change could lead to something better."Why didn't I see this before?" he asked himself.Then he raced through the Maze with greater strength and agility. Beforelong, he spotted a Cheese Station and became excited as he noticed little piecesof New Cheese near the entrance.They were types of Cheeses he had never seen before, but they looked great.He tried them and found that they were delicious. He ate most of the NewCheese bits that were available and put a few in his pocket to have later andperhaps share with Hem. He began to regain his strength.He entered the Cheese Station with great excitement. But, to his dismay, hefound it was empty. Someone had already been there and had left only the fewbits of New Cheese.He realized that if he had moved sooner, he would very likely have found agood deal of New Cheese here.Haw decided to go back and see if Hem was ready to join him.As he retraced his steps, he stopped and wrote on the wall:The quick you let go of old cheese,the sooner you find new cheeseAfter a while, Haw made his way back to Cheese Station C and found Hem.He offered Hem bits of New Cheese, but was turned down.Hem appreciated his friend's gesture but said, "I don't think I would likeNew Cheese. It's not what I'm used to. I want my own Cheese back and I'm notgoing to change until I get what I want."Haw just shook his head in disappointment and reluctantly went back out onhis own. As he returned to the farthest point he had reached in the Maze, hemissed his friend, but realized he liked what he was discovering. Even beforehe found what he hoped would be a great supply of New Cheese, if ever, heknew that what made him happy wasn't just having Cheese.He was happy when he wasn't being run by his fear. He liked what he wasdoing now.Knowing this, Haw didn't feel as weak as he did when he stayed in CheeseStation C with no Cheese. Just realizing he was not letting his fear stop him,and knowing that he had taken a new direction, nourished him and gave himstrength.Now he felt that it was just a question of time before he found what heneeded. In fact, he sensed he had already found what he was looking for.He smiled as he realized:It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than RemainIn A Cheseless StationHaw realized again, as he had once before, that what you are afraid of isnever as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind isworse than the situation that actually exists.He'd been so afraid of never finding New Cheese that he hadn't even wantedto start looking. But since starting his journey, he had found enough Cheese inthe corridors to keep him going. Now he looked forward to finding more. Justlooking ahead was becoming exciting.His old thinking had been clouded by his worries and fears. He used to thinkabout not having enough Cheese, or not having it last as long as he wanted. Heused to think more about what could go wrong than what could go right.But that had changed in the days since he had left Cheese Station C.He used to believe that Cheese should never be moved and that changewasn't right.Now he realized it was natural for change to continually occur, whether youexpect it or not change could surprise you only if you didn't expect it andweren't looking for it.When he realized he had changed his beliefs, he paused to write on the wall:Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To The New CheeseHaw hadn't found any Cheese yet, but, as he ran through the Maze, hethought about what he had already learned.Haw now realized that his new beliefs were encouraging him to behave in anew way. He was behaving differently from the way he had when he had keptreturning to the same cheeseless station.He now knew that when you change what you believe, you change what youdo.You can believe that a change will harm you and resist it. Or you canbelieve that finding New Cheese will help you, and embrace the change.It all depends on what you choose to believe.He wrote on the wall:When You See That You Can Find New Cheese,You Change CourseHaw knew he would be in better shape now if he had changed much soonerand left Cheese Station C earlier. He would feel stronger in body and spirit andhe could have coped better with the challenge of finding New Cheese. In fact,he probably would have found it by now if he had expected change, rather thanwasting time denying that the change had already taken place.He used his imagination again and saw himself finding and savoring NewCheese. He decided to proceed into the more unknown parts of the Maze, andfound little bits of Cheese here and there. Haw began to regain his strength andconfidence.As he thought back on where he had come from, Haw was glad he hadwritten on the wall in many places. He trusted that it would serve as a markedtrail for Hem to follow through the Maze, if he chose to leave Cheese Station C.Haw just hoped he was heading in the right direction. He thought about thepossibility that Hem would read The Handwriting On The Wall and find hisway.He wrote on the wall what he had been thinking about for some time:Noticing Small Change Early Helps AdaptTo Bigger Change That Are To ComeBy now, Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the present.He continued on through the Maze with greater strength and speed. Andbefore long, it happened.When it seemed that he had been in the Maze forever, his journey -- or atleast this part of his journey -- ended quickly and happily.Haw proceeded along a corridor that was new to him, rounded a corner, andfound New Cheese at Cheese Station N!When he went inside, he was startled by what he saw. Piled higheverywhere was the greatest supply of Cheese he had ever seen. He didn'trecognize all that he saw, as some kinds of Cheese were new to him.Then he wondered for a moment whether it was real or just his imagination,until he saw his old friends Sniff and Scurry.Sniff welcomed Haw with a nod of his head, and Scurry waved his paw.Their fat little bellies showed that they had been here for some time.Haw quickly said his hellos and soon took bites of every one of his favoriteCheeses. He pulled off his shoes, tied the laces together, and hung them aroundhis neck in case he needed them again. Sniff and Scurry laughed. They noddedtheir heads in admiration. Then Haw jumped into the New Cheese. When hehad eaten his fill, he lifted a piece of fresh Cheese and made a toast. "Hoorayfor Change!"As Haw enjoyed the New Cheese, he reflected on what he had learned.He realized that when he had been afraid to change he had been holding onto the illusion of Old Cheese that was no longer there.So what was it that made him change? Was it the fear of starving to death?Haw smiled as he thought it certainly helped.Then he laughed and realized that he had started to change as soon as he hadlearned to laugh at himself and at what he had been doing wrong. He realizedthe fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly -- then you can let go andquickly move on.He knew he had learned something useful about moving on from his micefriends, Sniff and Scurry. They kept life simple. They didn't overanalyze orovercomplicate things. When the situation changed and the Cheese had beenmoved, they changed and moved with the Cheese. He would remember that.Haw had also used his wonderful brain to do what little people do betterthan mice.He envisioned himself -- in realistic detail -finding something better -- muchbetter.He reflected on the mistakes he had made in the past and used them to planfor his future. He knew that you could learn to deal with change.You could be more aware of the need to keep things simple, be flexible, andmove quickly.You did not need to overcomplicate matters or confuse yourself with fearfulbeliefs.You could notice when the little changes began so that you would be betterprepared for the big change that might be coming.He knew he needed to adapt faster, for if you do not adapt in time, youmight as well not adapt at all.He had to admit that the biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, andthat nothing gets better until you change.Perhaps most importantly, he realized that there is always New Cheese outthere, whether you recognize it at the time or not, and that you are rewardedwith it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.He knew some fear should be respected, as it can keep you out of realdanger. But he realized most of his fears were irrational and had kept him fromchanging when he needed to.He hadn't liked it at the time, but he knew that the change had turned out tobe a blessing in disguise, as it had led him to find better Cheese.He had even found a better part of himself.As Haw recalled what he had learned, he thought about his friend Hem. Hewondered if Hem had read any of the sayings Haw had written on the wall atCheese Station C and throughout the Maze.Had Hem ever decided to let go and move on? Had he ever entered theMaze and discovered what could make his life better?Or was Hem still hemmed in because he would not change?Haw thought about going back again to Cheese Station C to see if he couldfind Hem -- assuming that Haw could find his way back there. If he found Hem,he thought he might be able to show him how to get out of his predicament. ButHaw realized that he had already tried to get his friend to change.Hem had to find his own way, beyond his comforts and past his fears. Noone else could do it for him, or talk him into it. He somehow had to see theadvantage of changing himself.Haw knew he had left a trail for Hem and that he could find his way, if hecould just read The Handwriting On The Wall.He went over and wrote down a summary of what he had learned on thelargest wall of Cheese Station N. He drew a large piece of cheese around all theinsights he had become aware of; and smiled as he looked at what he hadlearned:The Handwriting On The WallChange happensThey keep moving the cheeseAnticipate changeGet ready for the cheese to moveMonitor changeSmell the cheese often so you know when it is getting oldAdapt to change quicklyThe quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheeseChangeMove with the cheeseEnjoy changeSavior the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese!Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it againThey keep moving the cheeseMove With the Cheese and enjoy it!The end… or is it a new beginning?