Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Friday, May 16th, 2008

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 are on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.” ~ Dr. Seuss

As most of you know it’s nearing the time of the year when people graduate from high schools and colleges all over America. The bookstores are full of books that wish us well and often idealize our futures, and the sometimes-tenuous path in front of us. Graduates, aren’t thinking about that, they think graduating was the hard part and now is the reward, the smooth sailing part, and the end of the rainbow. We all come out the gate with a silly putty sense of mission and head full of passion and confidence. I loved that feeling…didn’t you?

So, it was with great nostalgia that I picked up Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” and began thumbing through the pages. What I found was a do-it-yourself-reality check about how life is–really and what we could expect if we hadn’t lived much of it yet. Or if suddenly we found ourselves in new territory, like going through a divorce, losing a job, retiring, moving across country, sending your last child off to college or starting a business. In other words the places where our foundations are given a good shake. Inside the cover in tiny font I found this summary of the book: advice in rhyme for proceeding in life, weathering fear, loneliness and being in charge of your actions. Dr, Seuss was and is a life coach for kids and adults alike.

In her book “The Path”, author Laurie Beth Jones shares that “people with clearly defined missions have always led those who haven’t any. You are either living your mission or you are living someone else’s.” She shares that during World War II if an unidentified soldier appeared suddenly in the dark and could not state his mission, he was automatically shot. Most of us do not live a life or death reality of not having a mission, and yet it would save us all so much angst, anger, regret, and tears, not to mention gobs of money.

If God put out a classified ad, I think it would read “Wanted: Urgently need humans who will use their passions to take on a important, customized, life or death missions. Must have good sense of humor.” Would that catapult you off your couch?

You have known pieces of your mission since you were a child, some of you have fanned the flame, and others have smothered the spark for fear of the fire. Waking up to our mission takes some courage, time and work. It is important to remember, it is never all about us. There are those that are counting on us to battle through all the stuff of life and to know that we know, what we are here for. In other words, proceed through life, weathering fear, loneliness and being in charge of your actions. Dr Seuss had it right from the start.

I encourage you to prayerfully think about what your heart is telling you in regards to your mission, get a hold of ‘The Path” and read through it. The book claims to give you a mission statement in two and half hours of your time. Let me know what you come up with.

So if you if your heart is willing
“Today is your day!”
“Your Mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!”

Wishing you all successful missions,

Kathy Vick C.L.C.
Life Coach, Author, Speaker
www.fluentlifecoaching.com Phone: 503 886 9642

“ If you do not know where you are going, you will end up somewhere else.” `Yogi Berra

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