Dad, How Do I? by Rob Kenney

Author:Rob Kenney [Kenney, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

GREEN EGGS AND YOU

Have you ever talked with a person who expressed excitement about their dreams for the future, about what could be, but then they sort of sigh and say, “Oh, but I could never do that.”

Many people don’t make needed decisions due to fear. They stay at the edge of the pool on a sweltering summer’s day, never diving into the cool water. They think and overthink the decision, continually weighing outcomes in their mind. Forty years later, they still haven’t jumped into the pool.

If you tell yourself you could never do something, then you will never do it. You’re already defeated. You will get what you get, and it won’t be your dream. Far better to count the costs, weigh the risks, and take the plunge, just like my brother Joe did at that swimming hole.

I’ve always loved the classic children’s book Green Eggs and Ham.13 It’s a children’s picture book with a few simple words repeated over and over, and the plot seems basic. But it offers strong layers of meaning, even for folks who aren’t kids anymore.

Do you remember how it goes? Profound nuances fill the story. Two characters are having a discussion. One is named Sam-I-Am, and his big goal is to get the other fellow, who’s never named, to eat a plate of food that’s new to him. The other fellow refuses. That’s the entire storyline in a nutshell. For pages and pages, Sam-I-Am tries to offer his friend what he believes is a good thing, but the other fellow keeps saying he doesn’t like it. Trouble is, the other fellow has never tried the new food.

Toward the end, the unnamed fellow makes a concession. He will try one bite of the new food, just to get Sam-I-Am off his back. After tentatively tasting it, the unnamed fellow—drumroll, please—likes the new food! He not only likes what he eats, he becomes passionate about the new food. He’s going to eat it anywhere. With a fox and in a box, and in a house and with a mouse.

Here are two thoughts that I take from this book, and which I want to leave with you. First, in the pursuit of your dreams, you will undoubtedly need to be persistent. If your job involves getting someone to try something new, you’ll need to ask more than once. If you have to knock on a career door to have it opened, you might need to keep knocking for a while. If you have something good to offer that really helps people, you’ll need to present it to them several times. Be persistent. Be polite. Keep your good humor. Ask twice. And again.

Second, any decision you face in life can lie before you like a big plate of unknowns. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Who knows? You might just love green eggs and ham.

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