Activity: Who Moved My Cheese?

Preface
“Cheese” is a metaphor for 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 like jogging or golf.

Each of us has our own idea of what “Cheese” is, and we pursue it because
we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if
we lose it, or it’s taken away, it can be traumatic.

Key Events
1. Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw set off each day to find Cheese.
2. Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw find Magical Cheese at Cheese Station C.
3. Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw imagine what the Magical Cheese will bring them.
4. Sniff and Scurry discover the Cheese is gone and set off to look for New Cheese.
5. Hem and Haw discover the Cheese is gone and do nothing.
6. Sniff and Scurry find new Magical Cheese at Cheese Station N.
7. Haw sets off into the Maze, writes messages on the walls, and finds bits of Magical Cheese.
8. Haw returns to Cheese Station C and tries to convince Hem to go into the Maze.
9. Haw returns to the Maze, finds Cheese Station N, and Sniff and Scurry.
10. Haw hears a sound in the maze.

1. Provide a summary of the characters reaction to

change

Sniff and Scurry(I am putting them together because they were not
narrated separately)
⮚ They were not surprised because they were already expecting the cheese to be gone
through observation (noticing the stock getting smaller and smaller)
⮚ They were quick to act because sitting around won’t help them find their cheese again
⮚ they were consistent which allowed them to find their cheese
Hem
⮚ he was ignorant because he felt some sort of entitlement towards the cheese
⮚ he is very angry and is blaming everyone as if they have control, also he was denying the
fact that someone else (the mice) might know more than him
⮚ he doesn’t let go of the past
⮚ he has no plan of action causing him to be away from his cheese
Haw
⮚ Haw was disappointed at first but the next day he wanted to find out where else he could
find his cheese
⮚ Haw was scared because change was new to him he didn't expect it
⮚ He kept trying and soon started visioning himself with all types of cheese making his goal
seem real and achievable
⮚ he realized that had he been more observant he wouldn’t have been so shocked
 THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

2. Haw wrote messages on the walls of the maze. What do

they mean to you?

Having Cheese Makes You Happy.

To me it means having something you desire or dream of makes you feel happy
as you have something that you want.

The More Important Your Cheese is To You, The More You Want to Hold
onto It.
The more value you put into something the more you want to make sure it stays
with you, for example dreaming of a future; you want to hold onto those dreams
so they can come true.
What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
Sometimes our actions are affected by our feelings and being afraid definitely
restricts our ability to act as our body just freezes, but what this means to me is
that if fear wasn’t an option was it something I can do that can change my
situation for the better.

Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old.

Be observant so you know when it’s time to take action.

Movement in a New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.

repeating old actions will not help you find what you want, trying new things and
obtaining new methods will give you better results.

Imagining Your New Cheese Helps You Find It!

Visioning yourself with your “cheese” helps make it real because if you see it
then you can be it.

The Quicker You Let Go of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New
Cheese!
Holding onto the past only does damage, accepting it and moving on allows you
to think of something new so you can get what you want.

Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To Bigger Changes That
Are to Come.
Expecting things to always be the same is worthless as time always changes so
preparing yourself ahead of time will ensure that you won’t be shocked when
something big happens.

Move With The Cheese And Enjoy It!

Life doesn’t stop for anyone so take what you have and move on.
 Change Management Reflection Questions

1. Why is it important to adapt to change?

It is important to adapt to change because nothing lasts forever, especially in the
world of business, there are always changes happening like new investors, better
ideas, marketing changes, etc. Ensuring that you know how to adapt to such
changes will allow you to be successful in achieving whatever you want to
achieve.
2. How can you best see change coming and learn to adapt?
There are always signs that there is a certain amount of change that is occuring,
one of them is if your original solution (one that you always use) is no longer
working for solving problems like it did in the past. In such cases you need to
come up with a better solution that will solve the problem. How you can do that is
by understanding the problem and figuring out why or how it’s different so that
you can tailor your solution accordingly.

3. Choose a problem or change event that is occurring in the community or school.

(E.g., Online learning due to Covid-19) Reflect on your change strategies to the
situation. How would you act if you were Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw?
One of my strategies was making sure I do some physical writing when I was
taking my notes, when doing school online I was staring at a screen all day so to
ensure that I don’t completely rely on my computer I decided it would be helpful
to do some hand written notes instead, and it actually helped.

I were Sniff, my change strategies / actions would be:

- try to set a routine
- go with the flow and be as accommodating as possible
- come up with a plan to make sure I don’t lose focus

If I were Scurry, my change strategies / actions would be:

- eliminate all distractions
- go on my phone less
- keep up to date with my work

If I were Hem, my change strategies / actions would be:

- I would be annoyed
- I would probably slack off
- I wouldn’t always hand in my work on time

If I were Haw, my change strategies / actions would be:

- Keep my communication with my teachers
- ask questions
- create goals
 Alternatively, you can choose from ONE of the events listed below and describe
how you would act if you were Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw.
▪ Your parents tell you that you will be moving to a new home in a different
town.
▪ Your parents tell you that you will have a baby brother in about six months.
▪ Your summer camp on the lake has closed and your parents sign you up for a
new one in the woods.
▪ Your best friend has to go live with his father in another state after his parents
get divorced.
▪ Your grandparents are moving into your house.
▪ Your cat has a litter of 10 kittens and your parents want to give them all away.
▪ School will be starting 45 minutes earlier next year.
▪ Your older sister is going away to college.

NOTE: Next year I am going to university so I will answer these questions while keeping
that in mind.

If I were Sniff, my change strategies / actions would be:

- because I can “sniff” change I would know that the university or
program I apply to will have a different schedule
- I wouldn’t be upset for too long because there is nothing I can do
about it.
- I would accept the new change and come up with a plan that will
help me get used to the new change

If I were Scurry, my change strategies / actions would be:

- setting my alarm earlier so I can wake up on time
- try to wake up a few days early before school starts to get into the habit
- try to obtain some tips from people who wake up early

If I were Hem, my change strategies / actions would be:

- be irritated by this
- Probably be in denial and try to find some loophole
- apply somewhere else

If I were Haw, my change strategies / actions would be:

- Try to change some old habits one habit at a time
- try to adapt to the change
- set multiple alarms