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 begin to believe that it is selfish to follow our hearts. We start to think it makes sense to abandon our love of writing and illustrating and that the responsible thing to do is to get a job in finance or accounting. Is it really responsible to abandon your dreams? If debit-left-credit-right lights you up, then go for it. Grow up and be a Certified Public Accountant. But if your heart is elsewhere, honor that. Passion is an indicator and a path marker, much like the emergency evacuation lights onboard an aircraft which illuminate to lead you 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. How might we better nurture that divine spark of passion in ourselves and each other, and find the courage to lead with our hearts?
I for one am glad that Theodor Geisel did not grow up to be an accountant. I doubt we would gather around at bedtime to look with triumph at the tax savings achieved for Mrs. Williamson if Theodor had become a CPA. But lucky for us, Theodor grew up to be a writer and illustrator called Dr. Seuss. He had the courage to open a window into his imagination and transcribe it with pen and ink so the rest of us could see what he saw. What a gift! He even left us a story to remind 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. So… let’s make like Dr. Seuss and get on our way!
© March 2012 by Pam Daniels. All rights reserved. References to Oh, the Places You’ll Go! ©1990 by Dr. Seuss, published by Random House.
Pam Daniels 