Who Moved My Cheese? Reflection

As a college senior, I will soon be forced into the reality of adulthood. And I will admit, without hesitation, it’s quite frightening. As terrified as I may be, I comfort myself knowing that those who have succeeded have all experienced this exact milestone in life. Perhaps it is not the fear of the real world, the change that is going to occur in almost every aspect of my life, but more the fear of the unknown that frightens me so. Will I find the happiness and the success I desire? Furthermore, will I survive? Even having some small bit of faith that I will, I am still unsure. So what is there to solidify my hopes that I will, in fact, survive this inevitable change? The answer lies within the fable entitled Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
While reading Johnson’s book, I was able to relate many of the events described to my own dilemma. Like myself, the tiny humans in the maze (life) struggle to find cheese (happiness, success, prosperity). They find an abundance of cheese quite easily and feed on it, but they soon come back and the cheese has been moved. The most obvious solution is to find more cheese elsewhere, or in other words, adapt to the change. But their fear of moving forward in the maze, not knowing what may be out there, keeps them from going further into the maze. It is clear that if they do not move on, they will not find happiness, and furthermore, may not survive. Only one of the humans, Haw, comes to this realization, though. He comes to the conclusion, “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct.” He leaves his friend behind, and continues further into the maze. Eventually, he recognizes that “when you move beyond your fear, you feel free.” His decision to move forward eventually rewards his when he finds an abundance of cheese.
The lesson then, or the wisdom I have been searching for to comfort my anxiety about the future, is that without moving forward and adapting to the inevitable change in our lives, we cannot flourish....