Seven Surefire Strategies for Getting Unstuck From Dr. Seuss

I’m feeling so stuck!
I frown and I pout,
Cuz stuck is no place
That I want to hang out.

But then I remember
Stuck’s not where I’ll stay
It’s simply a place
That I pass on my way.

To live my potential
To live life with joy
The unstuck process
Is what I’ll employ.

With a few deep breaths
I’ll soon feel renewed.
I now have the space
To take the big view.

So yes, we get stuck!
Not all terrible though,
Because getting unstuck
Helps you learn, even grow.

It’ll happen again,
But with wisdom and pluck
I’ll find my way back
To the land of unstuck.

These seven quotes from Dr. Seuss are all powerful strategies to get – and stay – unstuck.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Be authentic.

Before you declare you can’t be yourself, check your assumptions. Will you really get fired, miss out on a promotion, lose your friends, or whatever harrowing scenario you’re envisioning?

There’s a good chance it’s not true.

On the other hand, if you truly can’t be who you are and respectfully say what you feel, you’re hanging out with the wrong people. Go find your tribe!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

The choices you make create the life you live. Don’t fritter away your power of choice.

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

In the midst of stuck, everything feels complicated. If it felt simple, you wouldn’t be stuck!

99% of the time, formulating the questions is what’s difficult. Once you find the right questions, your heart and your gut will give you the answer you need.

If you’re struggling with what to ask, find a friend, a colleague, or a coach to help. Don’t make things harder than they need to be.

“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting. So get on your way.”

Don’t get stuck getting ready to be ready. Just get going.

“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.”

Worry may worm its way into your psyche. But you get to control how you react when it surfaces.

As one of my yoga teachers said, “If you can do something about it, why worry? If you can’t do anything about it, why worry?”

So, take a deep breath and choose to “happen.”

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”

Be present and enjoy the journey.

“Oh, the things you can find if you don’t stay behind!”

Keep moving forward, eyes and heart wide open, and grab all the growth and learning you can find!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ~ Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

Special thanks to Caryn Ginsberg for her help in making the opening poem rhyme!