The Book That Fell Off the Top Shelf

One night, as we went to bed and my head hit the pillow, a great book title rang in my ears.

I said it out loud as Richard lay next to me.

He rolled over and turned the light back on to grab a pen and paper he kept next to the bed for precisely these moments. We laughed and agreed—as our kids were the very focus of our attention and world—that ‘What Do You Want to Be When Your Kids Grow Up?’ was a great book title. Sort of like All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

A book unwritten—but a great idea nonetheless.

How many great ideas for books do we have that we never pursue because we’re so busy living life? We forget our passion for writing. The ideas pop in and out like a ball that bounces before we can catch it. We have a plethora of concepts with no structure to hold them in place.

For any idea to take form, it takes intention, attention, and an insurmountable amount of tenacity and drive to keep that idea moving forward into momentum.

Many years ago, before my late husband, Richard Carlson, became a famous writer, he was that guy who had to keep writing books until he had a big hit.

Just before his breakthrough, he almost quit—about seven years into his writing career.

We were sitting at a café having a quick bite to eat after a mid-week workout, and he looked unusually despondent. Richard was such a true optimist that this was indeed a rare occurrence. I asked him what was on his mind.

He replied,

“I just got news today that I’ll be receiving a very low advance for my latest book. It’s not nearly what I was hoping for. I think I may need to look for a real job—perhaps in human resources or something.”

I could see he was really low, and I encouraged him to keep going. I told him I could get work in sales or marketing, but he needed to keep writing.

We left the café for home in two cars.

I walked in the door just as the phone rang. I picked it up, and on the other end a woman’s chipper voice rang clear:

“Is this the home of the author of You Can Be Happy No Matter What by Richard Carlson? This is Alice from The Oprah Winfrey Show. The strangest thing just happened about fifteen minutes ago. I was looking for a book on stress management, and your husband’s book popped off the top shelf and hit me in the back of the head.

He would be the perfect panelist for a show we’re filming in two days. Could Richard be on a plane to Chicago tomorrow?”

The door opened, and as Richard walked through, I handed him the phone and said,

“Hon, do you think you could be on a plane to Chicago tomorrow to be on the Oprah show?”

The book popped off the shelf at exactly the moment we were talking about his writing career and the change he thought he should make.

Wow—out of this world, right?

Divine guidance happens sometimes subtly—and sometimes not so quietly.

That appearance on Oprah marked the turning point in Richard’s writing career. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff was published three years later; however, it may never have come along, remaining an idea in fermentation, if not for the pure tenacity it took for him to continue pursuing what was obviously his divine purpose here on Earth.

Did you know that most people give up on their dream right before they have a breakthrough?

Don’t give up on yours—keep going.
Keep writing.

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