When your life is topsy-turvy and upside town, consider it as an opportunity to start afresh or perform course correction. Dr. Seuss is a master of the whimsical, so today, I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes of his.
I was born with a congenital heart defect, and so I spent a LOT of time in hospitals until I had, at age five, the final open heart surgery operation, Tetralogy of Fallot, that corrected my malformed ticker. With all of this time on my hands, I learned quickly how to lose myself in books, chief among them the work of Theodor Geisel, commercially known as the author, Dr. Seuss.
As a child, I loved the whimsical sing-songy rhymes that knit his narratives together, but as I grew older, I grew to appreciate the greater wisdom tucked into each stanza. Folks who spend a lot of time in the social space will see some of his quotes tweeted and retweeted (or quoted in updates, pinned via Pinterest etc.), but today I’d like to introduce you to some of my favorite snippets of his that don’t get a lot of attention by comparison.
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”— Dr. Seuss
As an art student in college, there were times when we were instructed to flip a panel upside down and recreate it from the “upside down” perspective. In addition to flexing different centers of the brain, the results from this inverted copying session were usually more accurate than the right side up ones. Why? When we see something “right side up,” we usually record what we perceive as reality through own lens and interpretations of what we see. When forced to look at something in an unfamiliar frame of reference, we actually observe things as they are, rather than the skewed perception our filters provide.
More to the point of the actual quote, nonsense is vital if we wish to remain open to possibility. By making space for the unplanned and the unorthodox, we allow for unforeseen resolutions of challenges we may be facing. Keep it loose. See what comes of it.
“Being crazy isn’t enough.” — Dr. Seuss
This quote isn’t from one of Dr. Seuss’s children’s books. But I think it’s important to include among my favorites, because many times those who imagine themselves as operating outside the periphery think that it’s simply enough to be different for different’s sake. It’s not.
It’s a start, certainly, because there are insights that can be drawn from the outside by the nature of its perspective. However, change happens when you act on your observations from the periphery. Being “crazy” is one thing: doing something with your craziness is another. Once you begin to implement your solutions based upon your observations, watch out for the next step…
“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.” — Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go
This is the part where you must have faith in yourself, your vision and your ability to withstand the flux of implementation. Once you begin to act, social physics kicks in and your world will begin to alter and shift in response to your actions. Congratulations—you are now in the disruption phase.
If you can hang in there, you will see that the “Things That Start Happening” phase will mold you into a stronger, more resilient person. More than likely, you will become more compassionate. You will become more resourceful. You will expand to become your highest self (or at least make it more possible for you to reach that phase).
“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” — Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
It is during this time of disruption that you MUST train yourself to look for opportunities and ask for the ability to recognize them. By the way, I mean literally: Ask out loud. We live in a call and response universe. It may seem silly, but when it starts to work, you’ll understand why. Ask daily. Keep an open mind when it comes to the forms the answers take. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, problems cannot be solved using the same method of thinking that created them. It is in this spirit that you MUST keep your eyes open, because as you are now in uncharted territory, you will not naturally be conversant with what’s possible.
Learn how to tune in to the signals from your intuition, follow up on the opportunities that resonate with you and keep moving forward.
“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.” — Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
This is one of my favorite quotes of all time, Seussian or no. One of the central truths I’ve learned is that all of our power, our talents and our insights are worthless if they are not leveraged to help another actualize and flex his or her own.
As we grow in knowledge and skills, it is incumbent upon ourselves to ask, “are we speaking for those who have no voice?” Being the Lorax means that you must be secure in yourself, your knowledge and talents to withstand the onslaught of the naysayers and the haters. It takes courage to stand your ground and speak for those who cannot, for whatever reason, speak for themselves.
The truly powerful understand that it is a privilege and responsibility to defend the weak. Simple as that.
These are some of the quotes I keep in my head as I move through my world. I hope that it has helped you. Pop down in the comments and share one of your favorite quotes (whether it’s from Dr. Seuss or not).
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