Scrambled Brains and Ham, please, Dr. Seuss.
Scrambled Eggs.
That’s what we had for breakfast this morning. Boys devoured all the biscuits and eggs, finished the morning routine and then scrambled out to school like three little ducks. All in a row following Daddy.
Leaving me with dirty dishes, traces of scrambled eggs on their plates, and an overwhelming amount of work on my plate. Leaving me feeling scrambled. Spinning, tossing, shaken, beaten. So much to do, so much half-done, so much completely undone. Quick to blast and blame myself for tasks incomplete, calls to make, deadline to meet. Each taunting me.
Best of intentions, yet dividing my attention. Neurons clearly not connecting quite right and wiring all jumbled wambo-mambo-jiggety-jig. Some ends frayed. Some wires long fried.
You ever find yourself feeling Scrambled? Beating up on yourself?
Just as you cracked the eggs for breakfast – Beating up on yourself mentally does nothing but leave shattered emotional eggshells in its wake.
Unscrambling The Code of Opportunity
Woven through the Seuss tale is more than the pursuit of green cuisine; more than one message threads the fabric of this fable.
Green Eggs and Ham is a best-selling and critically acclaimed book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2001, according to Publishers Weekly, it was the fourth-bestselling English-language children’s book (novel) of all time.[1
If it’s been a while, here’s a story recap. Sam offers Green Eggs and Ham to the unnamed character. Beyond a shadow of doubt – the critter is rebuffed. Adamant he does NOT like them! Ready to write it off, closed-minded to any other possibility.
I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them anywhere!
But then you don’t know Sam. The ever-present epitome of persistence. Sam thinks outside the box, and in a train and on a car… instead of taking no for an answer – he looks for different opportunities and creative solutions.
You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say.
The character finally gives in and viola! He likes it! He likes it a lot! His closed thinking preventing him from new eggs-citement. (Pun intended. Albeit green.)
Which Seuss are You? Tips to Try:
Which character and their traits will you choose to model today?
Will you be: Closed-Minded, trapped in habit and cut-off from expansion. So stuck by past behaviors and ingrained patterns shackled by knee-jerk negativity. Take a cue from Seuss – Hey,why not try something new.
Your green eggs and ham may be to adopt a new technique for tackling your To-Do List. Look over and adjust it according to priorities. Say no to some things if you must. The key, my friend, is yourself to trust.
Don’t let your past determine your today! Ask yourself: What am I closing myself off to – look for new ideas and try ’em out.
Or are you Sam?
Take a hint from Sam-I-Am. Persist. And then persist some more. Never Give Up. Refuse to take no for an answer. Find a new approach, a new solution, an unproven idea. Think cutting edge solutions. Empower Yourself. Think creatively and most of all, never give up pursuing what you want!
Wager Yourself! Take a Dare!
Bennett Cerf, Dr. Seuss’s publisher, wagered $50 that Seuss could not write a book using only fifty different words. The vocabulary of the text consists of just fifty different words.
The 50 words are: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you
What are YOUR TOP 50 EMPOWERING Words?
What words energize, excite, empower you?
I challenge you today – write down YOUR Go-To List of Empowering Words.
It’s easy, it’s easy, I say. These glisten and glimmer. They shine and ignite. They expand, they entice, fill you full of delight.
Try words offering change, growth, power, passion. Energy, Purpose, Clarity, Strength, Creativity. Open yourself up to the possibilities. Challenging, Invigorating, Cutting-edge Jet-Fuel Thinking!
Think of it as Your Green Eggs And Ham Guide to Growth. It’s just what the Dr. ordered. Seuss style.
When you have so much to do – feel the pressure to ‘do-it-all’ and yet don’t know WHICH item needs your attention first (some screams are screechier) that’s exactly the time to empower yourself with kindness, creativity and support – not destructive, toxic criticism. Think bold, think action, think power and solution.
Take a hint from Sam.
Sam-I-Am.
And you DON’T want to miss my next post – 50 Empowering Words!