Who Moved My Cheese: Reaching Happiness with Cheese

September 2, 2022 by Essay Writer

Cheese Reflection Essay

The quote “having Cheese makes you happy” can mean many things depending on the situation of the people involved, but in general it means that finally getting what you worked for/had to change for makes you happy. Specifically in the short story, the mice know they simply must change in order to get what makes them happy. It was harder for the Littlepeople to change, but once one of them did, he got his cheese and was much happier. For me personally, it means that when I work hard for something, and I make changes in my life so that I get that something, I’m happy once I get my “cheese.”

In general, “having cheese makes you happy” means that accomplishing goals makes a person happy. They usually have to work hard and make changes in their life to get their “cheese,” so when it finally comes to them, they cherish it more than if they had just gotten it easily. The “cheese” is better when you have to sacrifice things and even conquer your fears at times, because all the hard work to get it pays off in the end. Also, in general having what you want or pursue in life makes you happy, and you are always in pursuit of new “cheese,” even if you already have what you wanted, people change and always want/need more. Once they achieve something, people want to challenge themselves and get more “cheese.”

In the short story “Who Moved My Cheese?” the main characters, the mice and the Littlepeople, each change to get what they want in different ways. It shows how people all change in different ways, but no way is necessarily more right or wrong than the others. The mice adapt to the maze changing faster than the Littlepeople did. The mice knew that they just had to keep moving and looking for new cheese even though there were risks involved. The Littlepeople liked their safety so they were hesitant to go out into the maze and search for the new cheese. But one Littleperson changed his mind and decided to face his fears. He ventured out of his house and into the maze to search for food. Along the way he wrote inspiring messages in case his friend, the other Littleperson, decided to come out into the maze and search for cheese too. He eventually found new cheese, and even brought some back to his friend, but his friend was too afraid to even try different cheese, be as it may even better than the cheese he was used to. This just goes to show that everyone responds to change differently, and those who resist change miss out on the wonderful things that could come to them if they let change happen. The Littleperson and the mice with the newfound cheese were much happier than the Littleperson who did not change-he had no cheese because he let his fear take hold of the situation. If the Littleperson had actually ventured out into the maze and tried to find new cheese, he would have eventually found cheese and it would have made him much happier than he was waiting for cheese to appear in the Cheese Station he was used to relying on for the cheese he liked.

In my own personal situations, “having cheese makes you happy” represents how I am happy once I accomplish the goals I set for myself. Through change, I meet my goals and am proud of myself in the end. I know that I can’t be afraid of change, because if I fail to change, I will never be truly happy. Therefore, happiness will come of change, no matter how hard it may seem when you endure the changes. You just need the strength to trust that the outcomes will make you happy, like the Littleperson that accepted change did. Since I know this, I can derive happiness out of the “cheese” that I have. I usually wind up always wanting “cheese”, but this short story taught me that it’s okay to always be on the move for new “cheese.” Since I am constantly setting goals for myself, I am always working towards achieving the reward of new “cheese.” However, like the quote says, this “cheese” always winds up bringing me happiness. Even if I don’t always accomplish my goals, the journey of trying to always teaches me a lesson. So even if the “cheese” isn’t the goal I set for myself in the beginning, it can still come in the form of a new learning experience, and therefore, to me, that also brings happiness.

In all, the quote “having cheese makes you happy” generally means that accomplishing goals, getting what you want or gaining new knowledge makes you happy. Even though it can be a struggle to achieve it, once a person gets their “cheese,” they are happy and are free to set new goals or “wants.” Every situation is different, but the outcome of someone getting their cheese is always the same-“having cheese makes you happy.”

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