Tuesday, June 29, 2010

98 and ¾ percent guaranteed


And will you succeed?


Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
 
*I just love these lines [above] from Dr. Seuss's "Oh! The Places you'll go!"
 
I mean seriously, if you ever want to try and make sense of a struggle in your life . . . read a children's book.  I'm thinking this would be a pretty great book to read every morning before even getting out of bed.
 
I'll surely be reading this Saturday night before my marathon.
 
Here are my favorite parts [parts that are most pertinent to me today]
 


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.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.


Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.


I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.


And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

33 comments:

KovasP said...

What an awesome motivational tool! Dr Seuss is amazing and he and I share a birthday, so that make shim doubly my favorite.

Anonymous said...

Best Book ever! It is definitely one of the best motivating, you can do it books around! I too have it and keep it handy!

misszippy said...

Perfect! Never thought of seeking motivation from Dr. Seuss, but what do you know!

Anonymous said...

That's just great. I already ran up one mountain this morning and now you're telling me there's another one? Damn.

Kelly Leigh said...

oh my gosh this post makes me happy, but also a little sad that my copy of this book is on my bookshelf in my parents house in the US of A. I feel like I could benefit from it right about now so thanks for posting the emz abridged version!

and good luck on ur marathon this weekend AND I like it when you post on my blog a few extra times makes me feel super popular ;)

Sarah said...

Love Dr. Suess. I should go fishing with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. ;-D

Is your upcoming marathon going to be a piece of cake compared to the last?

Anne said...

Love love love this! You're going to do great! Good luck!!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I would have never thought of Dr Suess for motivation, thanks for sharing this, if you didnt, I would have never known about it

Marlene said...

Dr. Seuss is so wise! Thanks for sharing.

Lucas R. Tucker said...

great book. I was given it as a gift at high school graduation and I have sicne then made it a habit to give it to all the graduates in my friends and family.

chloë. said...

This post made me happy :]

Quinton J said...

ONE OF FAVS! And my kids love it too.

MCM Mama said...

I love that book! I'm a big Seuss fan.

gmontalvo13 said...

love dr seuss! good luck on your marathon!

Molly said...

Dr. Seuss is the man...love the line about life being a balancing act!

Gina said...

For some reason, when I read this when I was 9, I didn't get all teary eyed - but today at age 29 - I did. What a wise man Dr Suess was!

Good luck this weekend!

And, no new iphone4 (yet) - those pics were taken with my lil ole 3GS.

Unknown said...

such sage advice :) I want to read it to my kiddos again now!
You are going to do great at your race!

Rad Runner said...

Yep... I think I need to go buy this book.. (I have until the middle of Oct. for my first full, but still) It will sit on my shelf, maybe a bit tattered by then due to continuous re reading :)
Thanks for this!
P.S. Duh, you know you will do
AMAZINGLYCUPCAKEINGLYFASTERANDFASTERLYWONDERFUL
On your run...

Char said...

I'm taking this to my races on the weekend. Who said that Dr Seuss was for kids? He's got something for everyone.

Patrick Mahoney said...

so great.

Kerrie said...

Love that book! Good luck on your marathon!

(And thanks for the follow!)

Unknown said...

Kids books make me so *happy* and sometimes they are so much better than adult books! Keep repeating these lines and have a RUN run!

Amy said...

I love this book. It is the best. I have read it to the young people I work with, but it has been a while and I'm glad you reminded me of it. Thank you.

The Boring Runner said...

LOVE this book. Love

Johann said...

Wise words by a wise man. That is really great and perfect before any race.

ShutUpandRun said...

I've always loved the message on that book!

Kenley said...

Best wishes to you on your upcoming marathon. Dr. Seuss is awesome. Have fun with the strange birds, and may your feet trod with full force. Cheers.

NY Wolve said...

Great words to remember! And I hope the marathon goes well.

Rad Runner said...

No FB or Twitter? I think YOUR the cool one silly! :)

Anonymous said...

LOVE this! Made me smile :) Have a great race!

Aimee said...

I love this book! I actually bought this book for every one of my 5th grade students when they graduated from elementary school! They loved it!

Jill said...

Love LOVE that book!! Best quotes ever, I think about them a lot. Have a great race, go get 'em!!

Lindsay said...

LOVE it!!! That book is one of my favs.