What Will You Do When Your Cheese Is Moved?

[DISCLAIMER]

Years ago, when working in the field of nuclear security and after having transitioned from an hourly employee position to a salaried member of management, my coworker introduced me to a book that served as the foundation for her master’s thesis. Regarding the book, one source states:

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life is a 1998 motivational business fable by Spencer Johnson that describes four reactions to change. The book is written as a parable about two mice and two “Littlepeople” [Hem and Haw] during their hunt for cheese.

A separate source thusly expands, “The four characters are intended to represent the simple and complex parts of ourselves, regardless of our age, gender, race or nationality. The metaphors cheese and maze help you visualize a process of change.” An animated video of the book states:

Haw had changed his own beliefs. He knew that change wasn’t always good or necessary. Haw used to believe that his cheese should never be moved, and that sudden change wasn’t right.

Now, he realized that most change shouldn’t happen all of the sudden and that it could lead to something better. He now knew it was good to go into the maze to find new cheese. When you change what you believe, you change what you do!

My coworker expressed hope for influencing the low morale of our workplace by teaching others to modify their internal scripts so that their actions would thereafter adapt to ever-changing workplace dynamics. Thinking back to that moment in time, I’m now reminded of another book.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

I don’t know the outcome of my former coworker’s efforts to promote change, because my employment was terminated after I advocated for better treatment of hourly employees. Nevertheless, I appreciate the perspective of Marcus Aurelius who stated of change (page 202):

While it’s true that someone can impede our actions, they can’t impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action into a means of achieving it.

That which is an impediment to action is turned to advance action. The obstacle on the path becomes the way.

My metaphorical cheese was moved when my employment was terminated. The career I pursued in the field of nuclear security was thus impeded by the obstacle of having been fired. However, the termination couldn’t impede my intentions or attitude. Thus, the obstacle became my way.

Rather than pursuing a field in protection of atomic and nuclear weapons in 2008, I then changed my beliefs and adapted my behavior toward going to school. Shortly thereafter, in 2009, I began graduate school for counseling. About that approach, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 202):

Today, things will happen that will be contrary to your plans. If not today, then certainly tomorrow. As a result of these obstacles, you will not be able to do what you planned. This is not as bad as it seems, because your mind is infinitely elastic and adaptable.

You have the power to use the Stoic exercise of turning obstacles upside down, which takes one negative circumstance and uses it as an opportunity to practice an unintended virtue or form of excellence.

When my cheese was moved, I remained flexible in a similar fashion as Haw in Who Moved My Cheese? Now, I ask, what will you do when your cheese is moved? Let’s not lie to one another, pretending as though your cheese will never be moved. It will! What will you then do?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

Photo credit (edited), fair use

References:

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Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

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