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Back in 1960, two men made a bet with $50 on the line. The people involved was a gentleman named Bennett Cerf, who was the founder of Random House. The second man was named Theo Geisel, but you know him as Dr. Seuss. Cerf bet Dr. Seuss that he wouldn't be able to write a children's book using only 50 different words, but it also had to be entertaining.

Dr. Seuss took the bet and was able to write a book called Green Eggs and Ham. This $50 bet has allowed Green Eggs and Ham to sell more than 200 million copies, giving it the rightly earned status of "Best-selling children's books in history."

On the surface, this appears to be a stroke of luck for Dr. Seuss. An author playing a fun game with 50 words ends up producing a massive hit. Looking for a learning lesson, well, here is what we can learn from Dr. Seuss…

There is power in constraints, meaning that setting limits for yourself can be beneficial and constructive in your daily life. Whether that involves the time you have to work out, the money you have to save for that awesome trip you want to plan, or another goal you would like to complete. Having constraints may actually deliver better results than "keeping your options open." Following the example provided by Dr. Seuss. He found that setting limits to work within was so useful that he employed this strategy for his other books. Do you remember The Cat in the Hat? This was written using only a first-grade vocabulary list.

Having constraints can give you the inspiration to look for creative ways to solve a problem. Another way to look at this is to say, "Limitations drive you to figure out solutions." Another benefit to having constraints. They force you to get something done.

For example, significant time constraints forced me to write this newsletter article, and time constraints will also help me finish my short story and hopefully provide an entertaining experience for those I read it to. We all have schedules and a schedule of things that need to get done. For me, I call these my non-negotiables. For example, my non-negotiables are the time I spend on learning German. I dedicate at a minimum of 2 hours a day towards this activity. I also practice yoga, which clocks in at 90-120 minutes a day (depending on the day). My work schedule is a minimum of 8 hours and another hour for driving (give or take 20 minutes). With sleep, I shoot for 7 hours a night. All of these activities give me 4.5 hours in "free time." So in those bonus hours, I find time to eat, read, learn something cool, listen to a podcast, or lounge around for a few minutes. All of these are self-imposed constraints that I willingly accepted. I say all of this to say, I could very easily push one of my non-negotiables to a different day or leave them to "When I have time." If I do this, though, I know I will never get back around to them or stop doing them altogether.  

The beauty in constraints is that they force us to get something done, and they don't allow us to procrastinate. Whatever your schedule is you have complete control over what you do and don't do. Sticking to your intentions, your goals, or your desires doesn't have to be grand or impressively complex. Just commit to a process you can sustain, and if you have to modify it, change it, but keep doing it. 

If we can learn anything from Dr. Seuss, it is this. We all have constraints in our lives. You and I are given the same 24 hours in a day. With those 24 hours paint within your canvas. Dr. Seuss was given 50 words to write a book, that was the size of his canvas. You have 30 minutes to fit a workout into your day. Do 30 minutes. You have 15 minutes to write in a journal, or read a book, take advantage of those 15 minutes. 

What kind of work of art can you create with the canvas you are provided? What kind of picture can you paint within your constraints?