Up until the 50s the international shipping industry was roughly unchanged. Drivers loaded up their trucks, drove to a port, and waited. They waited for hours as the crew unloaded the truck one parcel at a time.
This didn't sit well with Malcom McLean, a driver from South Carolina. Not only was he bored senseless sitting there, he was frustrated. His livelihood depended on getting as many shipments as possible.
So he started looking for alternatives. At first he thought about loading trucks directly onto the ship. This wasn't very effective because it wasted space and vehicles. Then he saw what the military was doing with containers. And thought to adapt it for commercial applications.
The first ship went out loaded with 55 containers. The rest is history. McLean's went on to be the first shipping company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Not bad for someone who never went to college.
That's the power of turning frustration into action. McLean could have been nothing more than a grumbling truck driver. But rather than accept things the way they were he saw the way they could be.
It's thanks to him that yesterday's luxuries, such as fresh fruit year round and all sorts of wonderful imports, are today's norms. That's probably why our grandparents chuckle when they hear about the "new" locally sourced trend.
Although Malcom McLean didn't know it, his frustration lead to something that changed the world forever.
Identifying something that doesn't work completely right and figuring out a solution is powerful. The need to fix things, to find a better way, is innate. It's so easy to complain that something is broken and do nothing.
Diagnose, then act. It's the only way to get something done.