Today is the birthday of Art Buchwald (1925-2007). This week’s Imagination Hat looks at five things we can learn from Art about life and business. Art is best known for his long-running syndicated column in the Washington Post and won the Pulitzer in1982 and 1986. Art was yesteryear’s equivalent to The Onion. He used humor as a disguise for social commentary – humor that poked fun of politics and current events and human nature. He slapped us all, but in a such way that after the first shock, we were glad about it.

Here’s what we can learn from Art about life and business.

Your childhood is not setback. It is a set-up. Art was a depression era kid, growing up in foster homes after his mother was committed to an insane asylum. His childhood was not pleasant, and his youth a colorful story that no one would covet. Yet his own story gave him a unique viewpoint that fueled his future career. So can yours.

Stop using your lack of a degree as an excuse. Nothing is stopping you from becoming what you want to be but you. Art had neither a high school nor college degree. And yet, he is USC alumni with an honorary doctorate.  Where there is a will, there is a way. You can hear Art tell this story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wizKiJqN1qA (At 10 minutes, 19 seconds).

Don’t sweat the haters. During the Eisenhower administration, US Press Secretary Jim Hagerty took one of Art’s political spoofs a little too seriously and called a press conference to denounce the article. Few people knew Art Buchwald before that event. Afterward, everyone in the US knew how to spell his name. Buchwald says, “Nobody ever sent Anthrax to the National Enquirer.” Haters are a compliment.

The bad stuff can end up being the best stuff. When working in Paris at the Herald Tribune, he asked his boss if he could start a new column reviewing the vibrant nightlife. His boss’s response was to throw him out. “Some people would have considered that a rejection,” he said. But Art was not derailed. When his boss was out of town, he asked up the ladder of authority. The supervisor thought it was a great idea. When his manager came back, there was Art, sitting at his new desk.

Whatever you do, don’t lose your optimism. Art lived through some perilous times. In an interview at USC right after 9/11, he confessed to carrying a quote in his pocket by Martin Luther.  “Even if I knew the world would end tomorrow, I’d still plant my apple tree”.

Art’s unabashed originality fueled his success. Whatever circumstances he found himself in, he used his available resources and his creativity to the make the most of it. Good advice for any entrepreneur. Keep planting your own future with hope.

That’s this week’s Imagination Hat.

Here’s some classic Art Buchwald:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw4dkqqR5MQ