Is Dr Seuss a Genius?
My book reviews this week will be a little bit out of the ordinary and will promise to take you down memory lane. Both are by Dr Seuss and I’m sure you have read them, heard them or had them read to you at some point in your life.
The first is “Oh, The places you’ll go!” This book was first published by Random House on January 22, 1990, making it the last book published in Miranda Richardson otherwise known as Dr Seuss lifetime. This is a book that I’m certain has been read to all of us as children, however when you read it as an adult or as a business owner I guarantee that you will get an entirely different perspective.
The story starts with “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!” This pretty much says that with a clear positive attitude this day is your opportunity to go out there and capture your dreams.
As you get deeper in and read the entire book as I recommend – you will read about all the challenges, mountains, and obstacles that this young traveler faced daily. However you will also read about his adventures, opportunities and relationships that make life so grand. You will realize that you actually never know what is right around the corner.
The story ends with “So… be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecia Ali Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your Mountain is waiting. So . . . get on you way!”
I think that last line is worth repeating – “Your Mountain is waiting. So . . . get on you way!”
I encourage you to read this book as I have had and enjoy the journey of seeing it in an entirely different way.
The second book I cover is “Green Eggs and Ham.” It was first published back in 1960 and as of 2001 was the fourth-best-selling English language children’s book of all time.
Now as you read the book I would like you to read it as a sales person. Because when you do – you will realize that this could be the greatest sales book ever written. In the book the overly persistent Sam I Am is attempting to get Joey to taste some green eggs and ham. Joey refuses many, many times, until finally, trapped with no other alternative, he tries a bite, and realizes he does, in fact, like the aforementioned dish.
The secret in this book is how many times and how many different ways Sam I Am asked for the order. Have fun and count if you will. In addition how many times and in how many ways did Joey actually say no that he will not try the Green Eggs and Ham? This is the hidden lesson of pure persistence that I have taken from this book.
So I invite you all to travel back in time and read a couple of favorites for children and you will realize as I did that it might not be just the children that benefits the most from Dr Seuss.