3 Unexpected Interventions that Changed the World

Ted Geisel crossed the Atlantic on stormy seas in the Fall of 1935. It was eight days of agonizing monotony. He sat at the bar for hours, the rhythmic thumping of the ship’s engines driving him crazy.

Ted’s wife finally suggested he write silly rhymes to the rhythm of the engine. It was an idea that changed the lives of millions of people, including Ted’s.

He got off the ship with a rhyme circling his head. “And that is a story that no one can beat.” Six months later Ted Geisel, the children’s author you know as Dr. Seuss, completed his first children’s book.

“I wrote the book to get it out of my head.” Dr. Suess

Ted couldn’t sell, “A Story that Can’t be Beat.” After his twenty-seventh rejection, he headed home to burn it. That’s when he ran into Marshall “Mike” McClintock.

Ted’s old college buddy from Dartmouth was the new Juvenile Editor for Vanguard Press. Twenty minutes later Ted had a book deal.

The third unexpected intervention happened when Ted was assigned to the Army Signal Corp during WWII. His commanding officer was film director Frank Capra. You’ve probably seen, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Frank taught Ted how to tell a story. Frank eliminated everything from Ted’s scripts that didn’t move the story forward. Sometimes there was nothing left and Dr. Suess had to start over.

Frank also taught Ted storyboards. In the future every children’s book Dr. Seuss ever wrote was storyboarded first. The surprise…

The three people that changed Ted’s life were just being themselves.

Develop yourself to enhance your contribution.

Go ahead!! Live with a hint of anticipation. You might change someone’s life today. You might not change the world, but you will contribute something.

Note: Since those irritating ship engines in 1935, Dr. Seuss has sold over 600,000,000 children’s books.

Source: “Becoming Dr. Suess“