Having Cheese makes you happy.

Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese station C, and point to it with pride saying "Pretty nice Cheese uh?" Sometimes they share it with their friends, sometimes they don't.

"We deserve this Cheese", Hem said. "We certainly had to work long and hard 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 every morning they would confidently return for more. This went on for quite sometime. After awhile, Hem and Haw's confidence grew into arrogance. Soon they became so comfortable that they didn't even notice what was happening.

As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued their routine. They arrived early each morning, sniffed and scratched and scurried around Cheese station C, inspecting the area to see if there have been any changes from the day before. Then they would sit down and nibble on the Cheese.
One morning, they arrived at Cheese station C and discovered there were no more Cheese. They weren't surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry had noticed the supply of cheese had been getting smaller everyday, they were well prepared for the inevitable and knew instinctively what to do. They looked at each other, removed the old running shoes they had tied around and hung conveniently around their necks, put them on and laced them up.

The mice did not overanalyze things. And they were not burdened with many complex beliefs. To the mice, the problem and answer were both simple. The situation at Cheese station C had changed. So Sniff and Scurry decided to change.

They both looked into the maze. Then Sniff lifted his nose, sniffed and nodded to Scurry who took off running through the maze while Sniff followed as 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 had not been paying attention to the small changes that had been taking place each day. So they took it for granted their Cheese would still be there. They were unprepared for what they found.

"What? No Cheese?" Hem yelled. He continued yelling, "No Cheese? No Cheese?" 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 at the top of his voice, "It's not fair!!".

Haw just shook his head in disbelief. He, too had counted on finding Cheese 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 want to deal with what was facing him, so he just turned everything out.

The little people's behavior was not very attractive or productive but it was understandable. Finding Cheese wasn't easy, and it mean a great deal more to the little people than just having enough of it to eat everyday.

Finding Cheese was the little people's way of getting what they thought was needed 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 was enjoying good health or developing a spiritual sense of well-being.

For Haw, Cheese just meant feeling safe, having a loving family someday and living in a cozy cottage on Cheddar Lane. To Hem, Cheese was becoming a Big Cheese in charge of others and owning a big house atop Camembert Hill.

Because Cheese was so important to them, the 2 little people spent a long time trying to decide what to do. All they could think of was to keep looking around Cheeseless station C to see if the Cheese was really gone. While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued to hem 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 future plans based on this Cheese. The little people couldn't believe it. How could this have happened? No one had 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 before they left, Haw wrote on the wall:

The more important your Cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.

The next day Hem and Haw left their homes, and returned to Cheese station C again, where they still expected, somehow to find their Cheese. But the situation hadn't changed, the Cheese was no longer there. The little people didn't know what to do. Hem and Haw just stood there, immobilized like 2 statues.

Haw shut his eyes as tight as he could and put his hands over his ears. He just wanted to block everything out. He didn't want to knw the Cheese supply had gradually been getting smaller. He believed it had been moved all of the sudden.

Hem analyzed the situation over and over and eventually his complicated brain, with its huge belief system took hold. "Why did they do this to me?" he demanded. "What's really going on here??"

Finally, Haw opened his eyes, looked around and said, "By the way, where are Sniff and Scurry? Do you think they know something we don't?"

Hem scoffed, "What would they know?"

Hem continued, "They are just simple mice. They just respond to what happens. We are little people, we are special. We should be able to figure this out. And besides, we deserve better."

"This should not happen to us, or if it does, we should at least get some bennefits."

"Why should we get bennefits?" Haw asked.
"Because we're entitled", Hem claimed.
"Entitled to what?" Haw wanted to know.
"We are entitled to our Cheese".
"Why?" Haw asked.
"Because we didn't cause this problem." Hem said. "Somebody else did this and we should get something out of it."

Haw suggested , "Maybe we should stop analyzing the situation so much and 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 Scurry were already well on their way. They went further into the maze, up and down corridors, 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 sometime until they finally went into an area of the maze where they had never been before: Cheese station N.

They squealed with delight. They found what they had been looking for: a great supply of new Cheese. They could hardly believe their eyes. It was the biggest store of Cheese the mice had ever seen.

In the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in Cheese station C evaluating their situation. They were now suffering from the effects of having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated and were blaming each other for the situation they were in.

Now and then, Haw thought abouot his mice buddies, Sniff and Scurry, and wondered if they had found any cheese yet. He believed they might be having a hard time as running through the maze usually involved some uncertainty. But he also knew that it was likely to last only for a while. Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry finding new Cheese and enjoying it. He thought about how good it would be for him to be out on an adventure in the maze, and to find new Cheese. He could almost taste it.

The more clearly Haw saw the image of himself finding and enjoying the new Cheese, the more he saw himself leaving Cheese station C.

"Lets go!" he exclaimed, all of a sudden.

"No," Hem quickly respond. "I like it here. It's comfortable. It's what I know. Beside, it's dangerous out there."

"No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through many parts of the maze before, and we can do it again."

"I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting lost and making a fool of myself. Are you?"

With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and his hope of finding new Cheese faded. So everyday, the little people continued to do what they had done before. They went to Cheese station C, found no Cheese and return home, carrying their worries and frustrations with them. They tried to deny what was happening but found it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the next day and were becoming irritatble.

Their homes were not the nuturing places they once were. The little people had difficulty sleepinig and were having nightmares about not finding any Cheese. But Hem and Haw still return to Cheese station C and waited there everyday.

Hem said, "You know, if we just work harder we'll find that nothing has really changed that much. The Cheese is probably just nearby. Maybe they just hid it behind the wall."

The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools. Hem held the chisel while Haw banged on the hammer until they made a big hole in the wall of Cheese station C. They peered inside but found no Cheese. They were disappointed but believed that could solve the problem. So they started earlier, stayed longer and worker harder. But after awhile, all they had was a huge hole in the wall.

Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity.

"Maybe," Hem said, "We should just sit here and see what happens. Sooner or later, they have to put the Cheese back."

Haw wanted to believe that. So they went home to rest, and return reluctantly each morning to Cheese station C. But the Cheese never reappeared. By now the little people were growing weak from hunger and stress. Haw was getting tired of just waiting for their situation to improve. He began to see that longer they stay in their Cheeseless situation, the worse off they would be. Haw knew they were losing their edge.

Finally, 1 day Haw began laughing at himself. "Haw, Haw look at me. I keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don't get better. If ithis wasn't so ridiculous, it would be even funnier."

Haw did not like the idea of having to run through the maze again, because he knew he would get lost and have no idea whether he would end up finding any Cheese at all. 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 jogging suits and running shoes?" It took a long time to find them because they had put everything away when they found their Cheese at Cheese station C, thinking they wouldn't be needing those suits and shoes anymore.

As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said, "You're not really going out into the maze again, are you? Why don't you just wait here with me until they put the Cheese back?"

"Because you don't get it," Haw said. "I didn't wanted to see it either but now I realized they're never going to put the old Cheese back. That was yesterday's Cheese. It's time to find new Cheese."

Hem argued, "But what if there isn't any 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 too many times and started to feel fears again that kept him where he was and prevented him from doing anything.

Then he thought about finding new Cheese and all the good things that came with it and gathered his courage.

"Sometimes," Haw said, "Things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times, Hem. That's life! Life moves on and so should we."

Haw looked at his emaciated companion and tried to talk sense into him but Hem'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 silly they both looked. As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh at himself, let go of his fears and move on.

Haw announced, "It's maze time!"
Hem didn't laugh and didn't respond.

Haw picked up a small, sharp rock and wrote a serious thought on the wall for Hem to think about. As was his custom, Haw even drew a picture of Cheese around it, hoping it would help Hem to smile, lighten up and go after the new Cheese. But Hem didn't wanted to see it. The writing read:

If you do not change, you can become extinct.

Then, Haw stuck his head out and peered anxiously into the maze. He thought 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 may not find it. Such fearful beliefs were immobilizing and killing him.

Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, "Who moved my cheese?" But Haw 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 come from and felt its comfort. He could feel himself drawn back into familiar territory even though he hadn't found any Cheese there for a long time.

Haw became more anxious and wondered if he really wanted to go out into the maze. He then wrote a saying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for some time:

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

He thought about it. He knew sometimes fear can be good. When you are afraid, things are going to get worse if you don't do something. It can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are so afraid that it prevents you from doing anything.

He looked to his right, to the part of the maze where he had never been, and felt the fear.

Then, he took a deep breath, turned right into the maze and jogged slowly into the unknown. As he tried to find his way, Haw worried, at first, that he might have waited too long in Cheese station C. He hadn't had any Cheese for so long that he was now weak. It took him longer and it was more painful and tiring than usual to get through the maze. He decided that if he ever got the chance again, he would adapt to change sooner. It would make things easier.

Haw smiled to himself and thought, "Better late than never."

During the next several days, Haw found a little Cheese here and there, but nothing that lasts very long. He had hoped to find enough Cheese to take some back to Hem and encourage him to come into the maze. But Haw didn't feel confident enough yet. He had to admit, he found it confusing in the maze. Things seemed to have changed since the last time he was out here.

Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost in the corridors. It seemed his progress was 2 steps ahead and 1 step backwards. It was a challenge, but he had to admit that being backk in the maze, hunting for Cheese wasn't nearly as bad as he feared it might be.

As time went on, he began to wonder if it was realistic for him to expect to find new Cheese. He wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Then he laughed, realizing that he had didn't even have anything to chew on at the moment.

Whenever he started to get discouraged, he reminded himself that what he was doing, as uncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in reality much better than staying in the Cheeseless situation. He was taking control, rather than simply 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 Cheese station C had not just disappeared overnight as he and Hem once thought. The amount of Cheese that had been there towards 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't notice it. He had to admit however, that if he had wanted to, he probably could have seen what was coming. But he didn't, instead he and Hem spent their time enjoying the Cheese, assuming that it would last them forever.

Haw now realized that the change probably would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and if he had anticipated change. Maybe that's what Sniff and Scurry had been doing. He stopped for a rest and wrote on the wall of the maze:

Smell the cheese often so you know it is getting old.

Sometime later, after not finding Cheese for what seem like a long time, Haw finally came across a huge Cheese station which looked promising. When he went inside however, he was most disappointed to discover that the Cheese station was empty.

"This empty feeling happened to me too often," he thought. He felt like giving up.

Haw was losing his physical strength. He knew he was lost and was afraid he would not survive. He thought about turning around and heading back to Cheese station C. At least if he made it back, and Hem was still there, Haw wouldn't be alone. Then he asked himself the same question, again: "What would I do if I weren't afraid?"

He was afraid more often than he like to admit, even to himself. He wasn't always sure what he was afraid of, but in his weakened condition, he knew that he was simply fearful of going on alone. Haw didn't know it but he was 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 fears. Then Haw remembered the times when he felt his best in the maze. It was when he felt his best in the maze that he was moving on along. Haw wrote on the wall, knowing it was as much a reminder to himself as it was a marking for his buddy Hem, hopefully to follow:

Movement in a new direction helps you find new Cheese.

Haw looked down the dark passageway and was aware of his fear. What lay ahead? Was it empty? Or worse, were there dangers lurking? He began to imagine all kinds of frightening things that could happen to him. He was scaring himself to death.

Then he laughed at himself. He realized his fears were making this 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 corridors, he begin to smile. Haw didn't realize it yet but he was discovering what nourished his soul. He was letting go of his fears and trusting what lay ahead for him even though he did not know excatly what it was.

To his surprise, Haw started to enjoy himself more and more. "Why do I feel so good?" he wondered. "I don't have any Cheese and I don't even know where I am going."

Before long, Haw finally knew why he felt good. He stopped and write again on the wall:

When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.

Haw realized that he had been held captive by his own fear. Moving in a new direction had freed him. Now he felt the cool breeze that was blowing in this part of the maze and it was refreshing. He took in some deep breaths and felt invigorated by the movement.

Once he had gotten past his fear, it turned out to be more enjoyable than he once believed it could be. Haw hadn't felt this way for a long time. He had almost forgotten how much fun it was.

To make things even better, Haw started to paint a picture in his mind. he saw himself in great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all his favourite cheeses from Cheddar to Brie! He saw himself eating the many cheeses he liked and he enjoyed what he saw. Then he imagined how much he would enjoy all their great tastes.

The more clearly he saw the image of new Cheese, the more real it became and the more he could sense that he was going to find it! He wrote:

Imagining myself enjoying new cheese before I even find it, leads me to it.

"Why didn't I do this before?" Haw asked himself.

Then he raced through the maze with greater strength and agility. Before long, he spotted a Cheese station and became excited as he noticed little pieces of new Cheese near the enterance. They were types of cheeses that he had never seen before, but they looked great. He tried them and found that they were delicious. He ate most of the new bits available and put a few in his pocket to have it later and perhaps share with Hem. He began to regain his strength.

He entered the Cheese station with great excitement. But to his dismay, he found it empty. Someone had already been there and had only left the few bits of cheese he found at the enterance.

He realized that if he had moved sooner, he would very likely have found a good deal of new Cheese here. Haw decided to go back and see if Hem was ready to join him. As he retaced his steps, he stopped and wrote on the wall:

The quicker you let go of old Cheese, the sooner you find new Cheese.

After awhile, Haw made his way back to Cheese station C and found Hem. He offfered Hem bits of the new Cheese but was turned down.

Hem appreciated hhis friend's gesture but said, "I don't think I would like new Cheese. It's not what I'm used to. I want my own Cheese back and I'm not going to change until I get what I want."

Haw just shook his head in disappointment and reluctantly went back out on his own. As he returned to the furthest point he had reached in the maze, he missed his friend Hem, but realized he liked what he was discovering. Even before he found what he hoped would be a great supply of new Cheese, if ever, he knew 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 was doing now.

Know this, Haw didn't feel as weak as he did when he stayed in Cheese station C with no Cheese. Just knowing he was not letting his fear stop him and knowing that he had taken a new direction nourished him and gave strength.

Now he felt that it was just a question of time before he found what he needed. 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 remain in a cheeseless situation.

Haw realized again, as he had once before, that what you are afraid of is never as bad as you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists. He'd been so afraid of never finding new Cheese that he didn't even wanted to start looking. But since his journey, he had enough cheese in the corridors to keep him going. Now he looked forward to finding more. Just looking ahead was becoming exciting. His old thinking had been clouded by his worries and fears. He used to think about not having Cheese or not having it last as long as he wanted. He used to think more about what could go wrong than what could go right.

But that had changed in the days since he left Cheese station C. He used to believe that Cheese should never be moved and change wasn't right.

Now he realized it was natural for change to continually occur, whether you except it or not. Change could surprise you only if you didn't expect it and weren't looking for it. When he realized this, he paused to write on the wall:

Old beliefs do not lead you to new Cheese.

Haw hadn't found any Cheese yet, but he as he ran through the maze, he thought about what he had already learnt. Haw now realized that his new beliefs were encouraging new behaviors. He was behaving differently from the days where he kept returning to the Cheeseless station C in hope then Cheese will reappear.

When you change what you believe, you change what you do.

You can believe that a change will harm you and resist it. Or you believe that finding new Cheese will help you embrace the change and overcome your fears. It all depends on what you choose to believe.

When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese, you change of course!

Haw knew he would be in better shape now if he had embraced the change much sooner and left Cheese station C earlier. He would feel stronger in body and spirit and he 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 than wasting time denying that the change had already taken place.

He gathered his will and decided to keep proceeding into the newer parts of the maze. He found little bits of Cheese here and there and began to regain his strength and confidence. As he thought back on where he had come from, Haw was glad he had written on the wall in many places. He trusted it would serve as a marked trail for Hem to follow into the maze if he ever choose to leave Cheese station C.

He just hoped he was heading in the right direction. He thought about the possibility that Hem would read the handwriting on the wall and find his way. Then he wrote on the wall what he had been thinking about for some time:

Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.

By now, Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the future. He continued on through the maze with greater strength and speed. And before long, it happened.

What seemed like he had been in the maze forever, his journey or at leastthis part of his journey, had ended quickly and happily.

Haw found Cheese station N!

When he went inside, he was startled by the huge supply of Cheese he had ever seen. He didn't recognize 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 favourite cheeses. He pulled off is shoes and jogging suit and folded them neatly nearby in case he needed them again. Then he jumped into the new Cheese. When he had eaten his fill, he lifted a piece of fresh Cheese and made a toast. "Hooray for Change!"

As Haw enjoyed the new Cheese, he reflected on what he had learnt.

He realized that when he had been afraid to change, he had been holding on to the illusion of the old Cheese that was no longer there. So what was it that made him change? Was it the fear of starving to death? Haw thought, "Well, that helped!"

Then he laughed and realized that he had started to change as soon as he learned to laugh at himself and at what he had been doing wrong. He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly. Then you can quickly let go and move on.

He knew that he had learned something useful about moving on from his mice buddy, Sniff and Scurry. They kept life simple. They didn't overanalyze or overcomplicate things. When the situation change, and the cheese had been moved, they changed and moved with the Cheese. He would remember that forever.

Then Haw used his wonderful brain to do what little people do better than mice.

He reflected on the mistakes he had made in the past and used them to plan for his future. He knew that you could learn to deal with change: You could be more aware of the need to keep things simpple, be flexible and move quickly. You do not need to overcomplicate matters or confuse yourself with fearful beliefs. You could notice when the little changes began so that you would be better prepared for the big change that might be coming.

He knew he needed to adapt faster, for if you do not adapt in time, you might as well not adapt at all. He had to admit that the biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, and that nothing gets better until you change.

Perhaps most important of all, he realized that there is always new Cheese out there whether you recognize it at the time or not. And that you are rewarded with 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 real danger. But he realized most of his fears were irrational and had kept him from changing when he needed to change. He didn't like it at the time but he knew that the change had turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led him to find better Cheese.

Had he even found a better part of himself?

As Haw recalled what he had learned, he thought about his old friend Hem. He wondered if Hem had read any of the sayings he had written on the wall at Cheese station C and throughout the maze.

Haw thought about going back to Cheese station C to see if he could find 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. But Haw 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. No one else could do it for him, or talk him into it. He somehow had to see the adventure of changing himself.

Haw knew he had left a trail for Hem and that he could find his way if he could just read the handwriting on the wall.

He went over and wrote a summary of what he had learned on the largest wall of Cheese station N. He drew a large piece of Cheese around all the insights he had become aware of, and smiled as he looked at what he had learned:

Change Happens
They keep moving the Cheese

Anticipate Change
Get ready for the Cheese to be moved

Monitor Change
Smell the Cheese often so u know when it is getting old

Adapt to Change Quickly
The quicker u let go of old Cheese, the sooner u can enjoy new Cheese

Change
Move with the Cheese

Enjoy Change!
Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new
Cheese

Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again
They keep moving the Cheese!

Haw realized how far he had come since he had been with Hem in Cheese station C, but he knew it would be easy for him to slip back if he got too comfortable. Each day, he inspected Cheese station N to see what the condition of his Cheese was. He was going to do whatever he could to avoid being surprised by unexpected change.

While Haw still had a great supply of Cheese, he often went out into the maze and explored new areas to stay in touch with what was happening around him. He knew it was safer to be aware of his real choices than to isolate himself in his comfort zone.

Then, Haw heard what he thought was the sound of movement out in the maze. As the noise grew louder, he realized that someone was coming.

Could it be that Hem was arriving? Was he about to turn the corner?

Haw said a little prayer and hoped as he had done so many times before that maybe, at last, his friend was finally able to......

Move with the Cheese and enjoy it!