In this story, four characters live in a maze. Two mice named Sniff and Scurry travel the maze looking for cheese. They are accompanied by two little people called Hem and Haw who also want to find cheese.

The journey is not just about finding food but understanding human nature as well.

In this article, you will learn how to better prepare for a major life change. You’ll also find out why thinking like a “simple” mouse may help you reach your goals. Finally, you’ll learn how to visualize your goals in order to improve your chances of attaining them.

Big Idea #1: Your “cheese” or success in life may be paralyzing you.

Two mice, Sniff and Scurry, don’t overthink things. They just run up and down the corridors of their maze in search of cheese.

The way in which these two mice achieved their goal is a good lesson for us. In fact, this method of “thinking without thinking” can be useful when we’re trying to reach our own goals.

If you don’t get the results you want, just try something else. Don’t waste time being frustrated or angry about it.

Hem and Haw also searched for cheese in the maze, but not because they were hungry. Rather, they thought that finding cheese would make them feel happy and successful. Since their brains were more complex than those of mice, Hem and Haw worked out strategies to find cheese by memorizing the maze’s dark corners and blind alleys. However, with all this planning, sometimes Hem and Haw got confused or lost their way when searching for the cheese. And whenever they came up empty-handed, Hem and Haw became depressed because they wondered if happiness would ever be attainable.
(Adapted from The Cheese Thief, a story written by James Proimos)

In real life, we also tend to overcomplicate things. We think too much and get attached to the status quo.

Finally, Hem and Haw found a huge stash of fancy cheese at Cheese Station C. Every day they made sure to wake up early and visit the station for a snack.

However, the two began to take Cheese Station C for granted. They were proud of it and felt at home there, but they also started taking it for granted.

As Hem and Haw, we can become so dependent on one thing that it becomes our cheese. When this happens, we are limited to only doing things related to that one thing.

Big Idea #2: Good situations never last forever, so be prepared!

Hem and Haw woke up one morning shocked to realize that their cheese was gone. Change is inevitable, so it’s important to pay attention to changes in your environment as they happen.

In contrast, Sniff and Scurry kept a close eye on the cheese supply. As a result of their diligence, they noticed that the amount of cheese was slowly decreasing over time.

If you don’t notice a change in your surroundings, then you may not realize that something has changed. Hem and Haw were so happy with the cheese they didn’t even notice when it started to go bad!