Dr. Seuss, we all know of him. Some of us grew up on his books, while others raised children & grand children on his books. And personally, I will keep that going by imparting Dr. Seuss wisdoms on our child in the coming months.
Dr. Seuss wrote on vision, enthusiam, persistance, acceptance and being an individual. Yes he rhyms and its sounds so fun as we read, but I think there's more to it. My husband and I were having a chat about poetry the last couple nights; neither of us are poets nor do we read poetry but it came up somehow. Matt had been listening to Oliver DeMille who was teaching on the thinking you acquire through poetry. The example Matt gave me from Oliver DeMille. DeMille explained that we are taught to think literally today, not poetically. I know this is true for myself. That we don't look deeper for any other meaning besides literal that the author may be trying to portray in his/her writing.
So then I got to thinking (attempting this new poetic thinking) and realized Dr. Seuss is a perfect example everyone can relate to. And "tada", a new blog post is born!
Oh! The Places You'll Go is one of my favourites. Its so motivating, encouraging, but still "realistic" enough for the average person who has yet to acquire the ability to have a big vision and strong belief. If you read this entire story you will see where the importance of persistence comes in. It is very encouraging, but does give you the warnings of things you will run into; teaching that persistence will get you through these things and that you ARE the person it takes to make it happen.
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Yes, its a children's story, which is why I believe its overlooked for its true value. Children are fortunate to have the ability to dream, believe and envision a bright future. But maybe, Dr. Seuss knew that YOU and I - the parent/adult-reading to that child needed encouragement, vision and belief even more than that developing child. Are you maximizing this opportunity?!
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss
Here Dr. Seuss is teaching us to not get stuck in the past. Be positive and enthusiastic. Simple but very meaningful and valuable when put to good practice!
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."- Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
Continuous learning is an important part of a successful life. Reading stretches our minds - and much like an elastic band it will then not go back to its previous form; meaning success will happen. The moment we stop learning is the moment we begin to age at a rapid pace! I don't know about you, but I will continue to read and stay young and alive in my heart & soul. A perfect real-life example of this in my life is my great-grandmother Jessie MacKinnon. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 94, of old age I should add. She was always reading, doing puzzles and stimulating her mind - which I believe 100% is the reason she lived a long, happy and fulfilled life.
"A person's a person, no matter how small."- Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!
This is the acceptance I spoke of. Sure, in the book Dr. Seuss literally means that the Whos in the little Whoville are people too. But invoke your poetic thinking as Oliver Demille describes and you will get the true meaning of this simple message from Dr. Seuss. Acceptance is important in today's society, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, way of living and thinking. Who are we to judge people? Accept people where they are at in their life, you have no idea what is going on behind closed doors. As Amanda Marshall sings "Everybody's got a story that would break your heart!"
"Only you can control your future." - Dr. Seuss
You are in control of you life, take responsibility for it. As John Wooden writes: Never whine, Never Complain, Never makes excuses. To be successful (up to your own personal definition) you may never pass the buck. "The buck stops here" should be a sign you have posted on your desk. Passing blame is passing responsibility and ownership for your life and your future to someone else. Think about it next time you want to place blame - do you REALLY want THAT person responsibile for your future and your success?? No thank you!
And finally...
"Being crazy isn't enough." - Dr. Seuss
"Crazy" to the child you are reading to is being silly, funny and just wacked right out there in left field. Children find this funny and probably don't think much more of it. But I believe Dr. Seuss has a deeper meaning and message behind this small, silly and much overlooked quote. By "being crazy" what if he means just being different, being an individual. Thinking for yourself; perhaps even not following that herd of sheep (today's society) to the edge of the cliff (mediocrity). Instead "swim upstream." "If being crazy means living a life as if it matters, then I don't care if we are completely insane." - Unknown
Sure, you will be different; but ultimately what is your goal in life? To get to the "finish line" safely with time wasted infront of the TV, instead of out making a difference in someone's life? With time spent stuck inside for 8-10+ hours of the day at work, instead of investing that time in your family? I guess it comes down to asking yourself some hard questions. What if you knew you had two more weeks to live? Is/has your life panned out so far how you wanted/had hoped it would? No? Well are you willing to step up NOW and start making that right? There is nothing wrong with going against the grain, being average only gets you average results, and frankly, I don't know about you, but AVERAGE just isn't enough for this girl!
Again I repeat...
"Only you can control your future." - Dr. Seuss
Keep Dreaming,
M
