|
IWP!, flagship product is Chicago's premiere real estate Investment
magazine. Entitled Invest With Passion!, it is the tool for investors and professionals in the
Mid-West. The publication seeks to grow it's market share by providing
powerful information designed to build the reader both as an investor and a
person.
Since it's release in January of 2006, the magazine has been well received and
continues to gain momentum and support. The education, information, and
networking opportunities for the real estate investor has been long neglected.
No More!
The time is now and the momentum is building.
It's Happening!
|
|
BOOK REVIEW: WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?
By Anita
Clinton
Dealing with change is
often a challenge for most people. We like to dwell in familiar territory
and have a tendency to shy away from the unknown. However, there's a
saying that I learned years ago, “change is inevitable, growth is a
choice.” Therefore, if we are going to advance in life, knowing how to
adjust to change is essential. The book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” by
Spencer Johnson is the perfect reference on how to effectively cope with
change in life. The book depicts a story of two mice named “Sniff” and
“Scurry” and two little people named “Hem” and “Haw” who are traveling
through a maze in search of cheese. The mice live a simple life utilizing
their basic instincts. They use a simple trial and error method going
through the maze to locate cheese. The little people, on the other hand,
complicate and over think everything. They rely on their complex brains
to develop more sophisticated methods of finding cheese. The maze
represents the various paths that we take in life in our quest for our
individual cheese. The cheese is 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.” It is that thing or things that are important to us.
The four characters would
get up early each morning in search of cheese. Essentially they did what
most of us do each day, awake early in the morning and prepare to go to
work. Some days they would find a little cheese, some days a lot of
cheese, and other days none. Until one day they respectively arrive at
Cheese Station C, which was the cheese jackpot. This station consisted of
the various types of cheeses that each character liked. They had
“arrived” so to speak. They had found that thing that was important to
them - their cheese. Each morning thereafter, the mice would arrive
early, remove their shoes and tie them around their neck so that they
would be readily accessible when needed. Essentially, they understood the
importance of staying prepared for the future. On the other hand, as time
pasted, the little people would stroll in later each morning. When they
arrived they would throw their running shoes to the side and relax. They
became complacent and thought they were secure. They became so
comfortable that they didn't even notice what was happening around them.
One morning, Sniff and
Scurry arrived at the station at their normal time and discovered that the
cheese was gone. It didn't really surprise them, because they had noticed
the supply of cheese dwindling each day. They simply removed their
running shoes from around their neck and headed off into the maze in
search of new cheese. After some time, they found Station N that had more
cheese and was better then the previous one. Later that day Hem & Haw
arrived at the station and was completely disturbed by what they saw.
They both yelled, “who moved my cheese?” Unlike the mice, they hadn't paid
attention to their environment and never noticed the decrease in the
quantity of cheese. They spent the remainder of the day mad, in denial,
searching around the station hoping to find their cheese. They awoke the
next day and came back to the station hoping the cheese showed back up.
In fact, they continued to do the same thing day after day, thinking
things would get better. Instead they begin to get weak from hunger &
stress.
Then one day, Haw busted
out laughing. He begin to realize how foolish they were for doing the
same thing over and over again expecting different results. It finally
clicked to him that if they were to change their current situation, they
needed to change what they were doing. They needed to get up, find their
running shoes and get back in the maze in search of new cheese. He begin
to envision himself finding and enjoying new cheese in the maze, which
motivated him even more to get moving. Hem on the hand, was overtaken by
fear. He became very anger and refused to listen to Haw. As Haw ventured
out into the maze each day in search of new cheese, Hem continued to go
back to Station C in disgust.
Haw eventually found
Cheese Station N and was reunited with Sniff and Scurry. Although his
road was a little bumpy, he stayed with it and refused to give up. In
finding Cheese Station N, his hard work and effort had paid off. However
this time, he had learned from his past experience to stay aware of his
environment and prepared for future change. The story ends with Haw
hearing a sound in the bushes outside the station and Haw praying that his
friend Hem had finally woke up.
Change is the only thing
that is constant in life. As we venture through the maze of our
individual lives, just like the characters in the book, we will encounter
dead ends, detours, unexpected obstacles, etc. - CHANGE. How we react to
change is totally up to us. We can choose to be like Sniff and Scurry and
keep our running shoes polished and ready or waste time like Hem and Haw
complaining instead of finding “New Cheese.”
|
|
|
