Change

is inevitable.

It's going to happen regardless of how we feel about it.

Like most people, I don't handle change very well.

It's very hard for me to embrace change.

When faced with change, I feel like going in the opposite direction.

Trepidation grabs a hold of me and sometimes I feel so consumed by the fear of change that I can't even think straight.

It's scary.

For me, it's mental.

It's emotional.

Recently while on our vacation, Greg and I had the opportunity to read, "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, MD.

I know, the title sounds hilarious but it is a very informative book. It's an easy read. It doesn't take very long to finish it. We were both able to read it in one night. We were with another couple (Greg's cousin and his wife). Over dinner, we discussed the book and which character we identified with the most. There are 4 characters in the book: Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. Each one is a mouse, but is portrayed with human-like qualities.

After having a huge supply of cheese, they wake up one day to find that their cheese was gone. As you can imagine, each one had to address how to handle the change. They no longer had cheese and needed to decide what they were going to do. Sniff and Scurry were able to move quickly and started looking for new cheese.

Hem and Haw struggled with how to handle the change. Hem was unmovable. He refused to go looking for new cheese. He decided to stay and wait in hope for the cheese to magically return to him. Haw was afraid to go looking for cheese. For a long while, fear had a hold on him and he couldn't move. He was so worried about the new journey that he didn't know whether to stay or go. After beating up himself internally, he finally decided to go and look for new cheese. Although, he only decided to do that after he realized that if he stayed he could die from not eating any cheese. Therefore, he realized that his situation was getting worse. He tried to get Hem to go with him but Hem wouldn't budge.

So, eventually Haw went out on his own and started his journey searching for new cheese. It was a long, hard journey and he went through a lot. He had to deal with fear, anxiety and worry. Throughout his journey he left some "writings on the wall" to share his insights to whoever needed it (although he was hoping it would help his friend Hem the most).

Eventually Haw found new cheese and was very happy to see that Sniff and Scurry were also there (they had made the journey long before him). He was very sad that his friend Hem hadn't come along but he was still hopeful that he would come one day soon. The author left us hanging on that and we still don't know if Hem decided to change.

In the end, we can draw some conclusions from the book:

1) Some people will never change. (Hem)

2) Some people are afraid to change but will do it eventually. (Haw)

3) Some people move quickly to change. (Scurry)

4) Some people sense (sniff out) change and is ready to act. (Sniff).



We all identify with 1 or more of these characters.

Knowing which character we identify with is very beneficial to assist us in the process of change. Think about which character from the story you identify with. Then use the traits of that character to prepare you. Understanding how you handle change is the first step towards helping you. Also, learn how to adapt other traits from the other characters that are more beneficial in helping you become successful when change comes your way.
Change will come.
The bottom line is: how will you handle change?