If Dr. Seuss had been an accountant
Illustration credit: Maren Kranking
Most of us at some point embrace the notion that we should let go of childhood dreams and settle for the conventional and safe. Along the way, we often begin to believe that it is selfish to follow our hearts. Perhaps we start to view our love of writing and illustrating as a bit silly, and a voice in our head insists that the responsible thing to do is to get a “real job” in finance or accounting. But is it responsible to abandon your dreams?
Let's take a hypothetical what if. I don't know much about the trajectory that led Theodor Giesel to become the author and illustrator known as Dr. Seuss, but I for one am glad he had the courage to open a window to his imagination and transcribe it with pen and ink so the rest of us could see what he saw. What a gift!
Imagine instead if he had kept that creativity bottled up, perhaps steered by well-meaning parents into what they saw as a more viable career, and grown up to be an accountant— Theodor Giesel, CPA. That means no Dr. Seuss, which means no Lorax. No Cat in the Hat. No Green Eggs and Ham. No Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Passion is an indicator and a path marker, much like the emergency evacuation lights onboard an aircraft which illuminate to guide us to the exits. When we find an activity which brings a brightness to our eyes, and an energy to our living, we are wise to lean into it and follow that path. Doing what we love is a way of living in harmony with our hearts, and it honors both who we are and the people around us. Putting our true talents to use can be glorious.
Through his writing, Dr. Seuss reminds us that the same possibility is open to us. We pick our path. We choose our contribution.
“We have brains in our head. And feet in our shoes. And we can steer ourselves any direction we choose.”
If ticking and tying along with debit-left, credit-right lights you up, then by all means, pursue accounting. But if your heart is elsewhere, maybe you'd be wise to honor that. I'm sure glad Theodor did.
Quote is from Oh, the Places You’ll Go! ©1990 by Dr. Seuss, published by Random House