【原文】
The Story Behind The Story
By Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D.
I am thrilled to be telling you “the story behind the story of “Who Moved My Cheese?” Because it means the book has now been written, and is available for all of us to read, enjoy and share with others.
This is something I’ve wanted to see happen ever since I first heard Spencer Johnson tell his great “Cheese” story, years ago, before we wrote our book The One Minute Manager together.
I remember thinking then how good the story was and how helpful it would be to me from that moment on.
Who Moved My Cheese? Is a story about change that takes place in a Maze where four amusing characters look for “Cheese”- cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace, or even an activity like jogging or golf.
Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is, and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or it’s taken away, it can be traumatic.
The “Maze” in the story represents where you spend time looking for what you want. It can be the organization you work in, the community you live in, or the relationships you have in your life.
I tell the Cheese story that you are about to read in my talks around the world, and often hear later from people about what a difference it has made to them.
Believe it or not, this little story has been credited with saving careers, marriages and lives!
One of the many real-life examples comes from Charlie Jones, a well-respected broadcaster for NBC-TV, who revealed that hearing the story of “Who Moved My Cheese?” saved his career. His job as a broadcaster is unique, but the principles he learned can be used by anyone.
Here’s what happened: Charlie had worked hard and had done a great job of broadcasting Track and Field events at an earlier Olympic Games, so he was surprised and upset when his boss told him he’d been removed from these showcase events for the next Olympics and assigned to Swimming and Diving.
Not knowing these sports as well, he was frustrated. He felt unappreciated and he became angry. He said he felt it wasn’t fair! His anger began to affect everything he did.
Then, he heard the story of “Who Moved My Cheese?”
After that he said he laughed at himself and changed his attitude. He realized his boss had just “moved his Cheese.” So he adapted. He learned the two new sports, and in the process, found that doing something new made him feel young.
It wasn’t long before his boss recognized his new attitude and energy, and he soon got better assignments. He went on to enjoy more success than ever and was later inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame – Broadcaster’s Alley.
That’s just one of the many real-life stories. I’ve heard about the impact this story has had on people-from their work life to their love life.
I’m such a strong believer in the power or “Who Moved My Cheese?” that I recently gave a copy of an early pre-publication edition to everyone (more than 200 people) working with our company. Why?
Because like every company that wants to not only survive in the future but stay competitive, Blanchard Training & Development is constantly changing. They keep moving our “cheese.’ While in the past we may have wanted loyal employees, today we need flexible people who are not possessive about “the way things are done around here.’
And yet, as you know, living in constant white water with the changes occurring all the time at work or in life can be stressful, unless people have a way of looking at change that helps them understand it. Enter the Cheese story.
When I told people about the story and then they got to read Who Moved My Cheese? You could almost feel the release of negative energy beginning to occur. Person after person from every department went out of their way to thank me for the Book and told me how helpful it had been to them already in seeing the changes going on in our company in a different light. Believe me, this brief parable takes little time to read but its impact can be profound.
As you turn the pages, you will find three sections in this book. In the first, A Gathering, former classmates talk at a class reunion about trying to deal with the changes happening in their lives. The second section is The Story Of Who Moved My Cheese? the core of the book. In the third section, A Discussion, people discuss what The Story meant to them and how they are going to use it in their work and in their lives.
Some readers of this book’s early manuscript preferred to stop at the end of The Story, without reading further, and interpret its meaning for themselves. Others enjoyed reading A Discussion that follows because it stimulated their thinking about how they might apply what they’d learned to their own situation.
In any case, I hope each time you re-read Who Moved My Cheese? You will find something new and useful in it, as I do, and that it will help you deal with change and bring you success, whatever you decide success is for you.
I hope you enjoy what you discover and I wish you well. Remember: Move with the Cheese!
Ken Blanchard
San Diego,1998.
【译文】
故事背后的故事
几年前，斯宾塞.约翰逊和我一起合著《一分钟经理人》的时候，给我讲了一个精彩的故事——"奶酪的故事"。自从我听到这个寓意深长的故事以后，我就一直盼望着他能把这个故事写成书，使我们大家都能读到它，一起分享书中的故事带给我们的快乐和教益，因为从那时起，我就一直在回味这个绝妙的故事，惊叹于它带给我的启迪。
现在，我怀着激动的心情向大家介绍这本《谁动了我的奶酪》，并给各位讲述有关这个故事背后的故事。
《谁动了我的奶酪》讲的是一个关于"变化"的故事。故事发生在一个迷宫中，有四个可爱的小生灵在迷宫中寻找他们的奶酪。故事里的"奶酪"是对我们在现实生活中所追求目标的一种比喻，它可以是一份工作，一种人际关系，可以是金钱，一幢豪宅，还可以是自由、健康、社会的认可和老板的赏识。或许它只是一种精神上的宁静，甚至还可以只是一项运动，如马术、高尔夫球等等。
我们每个人的内心都有自己想要的"奶酪"，我们追寻它，想要得到它，因为我们相信，它会带给我们幸福和快乐。而一旦我们得到了自己梦寐以求的奶酪，又常常会对它产生依赖心理，甚至成为它的附庸；这时如果我们忽然失去了它，或者它被人拿走了，我们将会因此而受到极大的伤害。
故事里的迷宫代表着你花时间寻求着的东西所在的地方，它可以是你的效力的机构，你生活的社区，亦或是你生活中的某种人际关系。
我到世界各地演讲时就时常讲到这个各位即将在本书中读到的"奶酪的故事"，并且我常常听到人们在听完这个故事以后所发出的由衷的感叹，感叹这个故事带给我们的影响与改变。
信不信由你，这个小小的"奶酪的故事"已经获得了普遍的赞誉，它帮助了许许多多的人，因为它挽救了他们的事业、婚姻以及他们的生活！
这里我给大家讲一个真实的故事，主人翁就是深孚众望的NBC电视节目主持人查理.琼斯。他就是因为这个"奶酪的故事"，而使用自己的事业生涯获得了转机。虽然电视节目主持人的职业特性，并且人人都可以学习和掌握。
以下就是发生在查理.琼斯身上的故事：
查理早期所从事的主要工作，是报道奥运会中的田径项目，他在这项工作上很努力而且一直都干得非常出色。但是，突然有一天老板告诉他，下一届的奥运会将报道游泳和跳水项目。听到这个消息，查理既吃惊又难过。
因为他对游泳和跳水这两个项目完全不熟悉，这样的安排使他有一种挫折感，觉得自己不被重用和赏识。他说当时他感到这样的安排对他来说太不公平了，他为此而愤愤不平。并且这种愤怒的情绪几乎影响到了他所做的每一件事情，他的生活开始变得一团糟。
就在这时，他听到了这个故事——"谁动了我的奶酪"。
听完故事后，他觉得自己以前的态度和行为十分可笑并迅速采取行动，进行调整。从此，他的工作和行为大大的改善了。因为他已经明白，老板只是拿走了他的奶酪而已，而他所应该做的就是调整自己，适应变化。于是他很快调整好自己的状态，以便适应新的工作，并开始下功夫去熟悉、了解游泳和跳水项目。在开展新工作的过程中，他惊奇地发现，做新的事情竟然使他感觉又焕发了青春。
不久，老板发现查理改变了工作态度，并且重新焕发出了新的活力，于是，给他分派了更多的新的挑战的工作。从此查理走上了不断成功的道路，并从中享受到了前所未有的喜悦。后来，他被推选为"职业足球名人堂"最佳播音员之一。
我听到很多人表示，这个故事对他们的职业生涯和情感生活产生了巨大的冲击和震憾，而查理.琼斯的故事只是真实生活中这许许多多例子中的一个。
我是如此地相信"谁动了我的奶酪"这个故事所具有的影响力和震憾力，以致于我把这个故事成书之前的一个版本，送给每一位同我们公司有合作的人（大约有二百多人）。我为什么这样做呢？
因为，一个公司的经营，不能只停留在求生存的阶段，而必须始终保持一种竞争的状态。我们布兰查德培训公司就是在不断地改变着，有人不断地拿走我们的奶酪。过去，传统的公司喜欢忠诚刻板的员工"而今天，我们更需要的是迅速灵活的人而不是那种习惯于"按部就班"工作的雇员。
我们都知道，工作与生活就像不断翻滚的浪花，各种变化都在时时发生。生活在期中，的确使人感到紧张不安，除非有一种办法能使我们关注到这些变化，并且能够从中得到启迪。有一条找到这种办法的途径，那就是走进"奶酪的在故事"。
当人们听我讲起这个故事后，就纷纷开始去读《谁动了我的奶酪》。而在阅读过程中，几乎每个人都感觉到这个故事让人有一种释放压力并开始放松的神奇的作用。各个部门的人一个又一个地跑来感谢我向他们介绍了这本书，并且告诉我这本书对他们的帮助是多么巨大，使得他们能够从不同的角度看待公司正面临的种种变化。
请相信我，这则简短的寓言只需花费你不多的时间，但它带给你的影响将是深远的。
本书包括三个部分。
第一部分，："同学聚会"——讲述一群过去的同窗在一次聚会上讨论如何应对生活中的种种变化。
第二部分，你会发现，当面对变化时两个老鼠做得比两个小矮人要好，因为他们总是把事性简单化；而两个小矮人所具有的复杂的脑筋和人类的情感，却总是把事情变得复杂化。这并不是说老鼠比人更聪明，我们都知道人类更具智慧。但换个角度想，人类那些过于复杂的智慧和情感有时又倾听尝不是前进道路上的阻碍呢？
当你观察故事中四个角色的行为时，你会发现，其实老鼠和小矮人代表我们自身的不同方面——简单的一面和复杂的一面。当事物发生变化时，或许简单行事会给我们带来许多的便利和益处。
本书的第三部分，"讨论"——是那些同窗好友们围绕这个故事展开的讨论，他们讨论这个故事的意味，以及如何把这个故事带给人们的启迪运用到生活与工作中去。
有些读过这书之前的手稿的读者读完故事本身后就停下来，不再继续阅读关于这个故事的讨论。另外一些人则更乐于阅读故事后面的"讨论"，因为他们认为从中可以受到启发，可以思考如何从故事中学到的东西运用到他们的实际生活中去。
无论怎样，我都真诚地希望各位像我一样，在每次阅读这个故事的时候，都能从中领悟到一些新的、有用的东西；希望它能帮助你妥善地应对各种变化，不论你的成功目标是什么，它都能助你走向成功。
我希望你们能欢欣于你们从故事中所发现的道理，并能享受到这一发现的乐趣。祝你们一切顺利。请记住一句话：随着奶酪的变化而变化。