Oh, the Places You'll Go!

I just recently read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss. One reason why I think this is my favorite picture book is because people of any age can relate to the message Dr. Seuss is trying to teach. I found that the overall message in the book is to help people realize that there are going to be many ups and downs in life as well as many difficulties such as fear, loneliness, and confusion. When I read this book, I began to think about all the hardships I have had to face but then I realized that life will always have bumps along the way but only you can decide what to make of your life by facing these hardships and taking control. I think the book overall is amazing but there are a couple verses that really stood out to me and made me think deeper….

One of my favorite verses in the book is:

“I’m afraid that sometimes,
You’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win,
‘cause you’ll play against you.”

This was really powerful for me and after thinking about it on a much deeper level, I found that what this really means is that there will be times where you will succeed, but other times when you don’t believe in yourself, you just end up losing the game or not succeeding at all. One reason why I find this verse so meaningful is because it’s true and we probably don’t even realize it.

Not only was this verse really powerful but I realized that I could also relate to it….this is probably one of the reasons why I understood it so well. When I was a little munchkin with chubby red cheeks I was incredibly shy. As a person I was (and I’ll have to admit I still am) very reserved and humble. Although most people say these aren’t necessarily bad traits, they seemed to take away from my self-confidence, especially in my “munchkin” years. When my mom would stop to talk to a family friend or someone on the street I would hide behind her and I wouldn’t budge. It was this internal fear that was taking over my life and I finally realized that I couldn’t go on in fear. Little by little as I started to overcome my shyness, I realized that I was becoming a much more confident person in everything I decided to do—from reciting monologues in drama, playing the piano at recitals, and pitching in softball. In all of these things I grew less and less nervous and I became a much more determined person.

All in all, I think that in order to do great things in life you must be determined and fight through your fears that try to stop you. The key to success is believing in yourself….well….at least for me ;)