Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Posted on February 23, 2025

Hi Monica

What a week! I started drinking tea. I woke up (one day) to temperatures above zero. I finished all the copy and layout for the new website and this morning before writing you I finally finished the Dr. Seuss biography. (430 pages knocked out). The more I read this book, the more visceral my experience with it became. That was unexpected.

I also was on a 3 hour zoom with 12-15 other professional speakers, who each had 15 minutes to talk to the “coach” about a challenge they were facing. It was such a great experience to get to listen to what others were working through and learn from their efforts. (Some on the call just listened in.) It was incredibly valuable.

One of the people on the call is a few years younger than me. He’s been making a million dollars a year for the last 8 years. He was wrestling with the effort and the lack of fulfillment. He concluded with “I’m just not sure this is what I’m supposed to be doing?” I recognized that inner-struggle. Of course, ya think if someone’s making a million bucks, that would temper the turmoil. It doesn’t.

I literally teared up when I read in the book at age 82, Ted was back in his hometown of Springfield, MA and the mayor had created a special Seuss Day. He took Geisel on a bus tour and when they turned on Mulberry street it was lined with hundreds of kids and parents cheering. He got out and was moved. I WAS MOVED.

ALIGNED

Ted Geisel found his voice in his mid-40’s. He had already written a few kids books (His first being “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.”) He had always used his creative/artistic gift for his livelihood, but the singular focus on kids books took hold around his 45th year on earth. He then lived singularly aligned with that calling.

It evolved. He targeted certain ages at times. He made television shows and wrote songs – he loved writing songs, He judiciously licensed merchandise. He put together art exhibits that traveled from museum to museum. All of it and more, aligned with his singular purpose of inspiring kids to want to read. How rewarding is that?

BIOGRAPHY

I have my values defined and my life’s purpose articulated. It’s not that specific. It creates space to attribute many of my efforts to fall under it. However, my wife can tell you, I deeply value specificity in communication. It makes all the difference. While Ted’s expressions were varied and broad, they all blossomed from his commitment to compel kids to love reading.

This is what’s so fascinating about biographies, huh? We get to see behind-the-curtain on someone, we’ve only seen from afar. What would your biography be called? What would we discover about you that would reveal motives for your public persona? What continuity of gifts, calling, focus, values, talent and purpose would we find? I bet more than you realize!

Instigating Ideas…

1. Read someone’s biography.

2. Consider what moves you about someone else’s life.

3. I dare you to summarize your purpose on the specific outcome effect it has on others.

4. Encourage someone who is attempting a creative endeavor.

So many people are living so many great stories. Also, people like that guy on my call, are in the midst of evaluating their life and wondering “is this how I want to spend my life?” Isn’t that a great question for us to ask ourselves, at least annually? Who wants to wake up 5, 10, 20 years from now and think “I don’t like the life I’ve lived.”

We live by routine and restriction, so even if the answer is “no”, oftentimes we feel unable to alter it. Yet, every day we wake up is a gift to make one small decision, take one small step, in the direction we want to go. Even if we’re not exactly where we want to be in this season, we can find purpose in it.