To Build a Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge that spans the river tying Manhattan Island to Brooklyn is
truly a miracle bridge. In 1863, a creative engineer named John Roebling was
inspired by an idea for this spectacular bridge. However, bridge-building experts
throughout the world told him to forget it; it could not be done.
Roebling convinced his son, Washington, who was a young upand coming
engineer, that the bridge could be built. The two of them developed the concepts
of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With
un harnessed excitement and inspiration, they hired their crew and began to
build their dream bridge.
The project was only a few months under construction when a tragic accident on
the site took the life of John Roebling and severely injured his son, Washington.
Washington was left with permanent brain damage and was unable to talk or
walk. Everyone felt that the project would have to be scrapped since the
Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built.
Even though Washington was unable to move or talk, his mind was as sharp as
ever, and he still had a burning desire to complete the bridge. An idea hit him as
he lay in his hospital bed, and he developed a code for communication. All he
could move was one finger, so he touched the arm of his wife with that finger,
tapping out the code to communicate to her what to tell the engineers who were
building the bridge. For thirteen years, Washington tapped out his instructions
with his finger until the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge was finally completed.

The Italian sculptor Agostino d'Antonio worked diligently on a large piece of

marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece, he lamented, "I can do
nothing with it." Other sculptors also worked this difficult piece of marble, but to
no avail. Michelangelo discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it.
His "I-can-make-it-happen" attitude resulted in one of the world's masterpieces
David.
"Forget it," the experts advised Madame Curie. They agreed radium was a
scientifically impossible idea. However, Marie Curie insisted, "I can make it
happen."
Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the History of the World during a thirteen year
imprisonment
Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Castle of
Wartburg
Adversity - the grindstone of life. Will it grind you down or polish you up
Hang In There

Nicolo Paganini was a well-known and gifted nineteenth century violinist. He

was also well known as a great showman with a quick sense of humor. His most
memorable concert was in Italy with a full orchestra. He was performing before a
packed house and his technique was incredible, his tone was fantastic, and his
audience dearly loved him. Toward the end of his concert, Paganini was
astounding his audience with an unbelievable composition when suddenly one
string on his violin snapped and hung limply from his instrument. Paganini
frowned briefly, shook his head, and continued to play, improvising beautifully.
Then to everyone's surprise, a second string broke. And shortly thereafter, a
third. Almost like a slapstick comedy, Paganini stood there with three strings
dangling from his Stradivarius. But instead of leaving the stage, Paganini stood
his ground and calmly completed the difficult number on the one remaining
string.

Post-it Notes
The 3M Company encourages creativity from its employees. The company allows
its researchers to spend 15 percent of their time on any project that interests
them. This attitude has brought fantastic benefits not only to the employees but
to the 3M Company itself Many times, a spark of an idea turned into a successful
product has boosted 3M's profits tremendously.
Some years ago, a scientist in 3M's commercial office took advantage of this 15
percent creative time. This scientist, Art Fry, came up with an idea for one of
3M's best-selling products. It seems that Art Fry dealt with a small irritation
every Sunday as he sang in the church choir. After marking his pages in the
hymnal with small bits of paper, the small pieces would invariably fall out all
over the floor.
Suddenly, an idea struck Fry. He remembered an adhesive developed by a
colleague that everyone thought was a failure because it did not stick very well. "I
coated the adhesive on a paper sample," Fry recalls, "and I found that it was not
only a good bookmark, but it was great for writing notes. It will stay in place as
long as you want it to, and then you can remove it without damage."
Yes, Art Fry hit the jackpot. The resulting product was called Post-it! and has
become one of 3M's most successful office products.
From Candles to Soap
In 1879, Procter and Gamble's best seller was candles. But the company was in
trouble. Thomas Edison had invented the light bulb, and it looked as if candles
would become obsolete. Their fears became reality when the market for candles
plummeted since they were now sold only for-special occasions.
The outlook appeared to be bleak for Procter and Gamble. However, at this time,
it seemed that destiny played a dramatic part in pulling the struggling company
from the clutches of bankruptcy. A forgetful employee at a small factory in

Cincinnati forgot to turn off his machine when he went to lunch. The result? A
frothing mass of lather filled with air bubbles. He almost threw the stuff away
but instead decided to make it into soap. The soap floated. Thus, Ivory soap was
born and became the mainstay of the Procter and Gamble Company.
Why was soap that floats such a hot item at that time? In Cincinnati, during that
period, some people bathed in the Ohio River. Floating soap would never sink
and consequently never got lost. So, Ivory soap became a best seller in Ohio and
eventually across the country also.
Like Procter and Gamble, never give up when things go wrong or when
seemingly unsurmountable problems arise. Creativity put to work can change a
problem and turn it into a gold mine.
A Ten-Cent Idea
When young F. W. Woolworth was a store clerk, he tried to convince his boss to
have a ten-cent sale to reduce inventory. The boss agreed, and the idea was a
resounding success. This inspired Woolworth to open his own store and price
items at a nickel and a dime. He needed capital for such a venture, so he asked
his boss to supply the capital for part interest in the store. His boss turned him
down flat. "The idea is too risky," he told Woolworth. "There are not enough
items to sell for five and ten cents." Woolworth went ahead without his boss's
backing, and he not only was successful in his first store, but eventually he
owned a chain of F. W. Woolworth stores across the nation. Later, his former
boss was heard to remark, "As far as I can figure out, every word I used to turn
Woolworth down cost me about a million dollars."