Mike’s Lone PEEK Summit!!

Perseverance: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

As the youngest of 4 boys in my family I may not have known what perseverance meant but I was bound and determined to be on equal footing with my big brothers. I took my fair share of bumps and bruises but I made it. I was never a big kid, even my twin sister at one time was a full foot taller then me. Let’s just say I was used to being on the bottom of the pile. As a 3 year old I got pretty sick and had to take some special medicine it cured me but for whatever reasons left me with terrible dreams. My older siblings both took care of me and ribbed me for my silly dreams. I was told (I really don’t remember I think they made this all up) that I had an unusual fear of ladders and stairs. This most likely is why, for along time, I suffered from a severe fear of heights (bridges, amusement rides, cliffs, forget it!!)

Like most kids with good parents I became accustomed to the word “NO” at a very young age. In reality, I never wanted for anything but as kid you always want whatever you don’t have. Certainly I was never bashful about asking; Bikes, guns, sports equipment you name it. I know that I must have asked for a dog at least 1 million times without ever once hearing the word yes. Even Santa said no!

Luckily, I got to witness my mother and fathers hard work which taught me all I ever needed to know about perseverance. Like all of us they made plenty of mistakes but they always bounced back and took on life’s next challenge. In my senior year of high school after being accepted to the University of St Johns I saw my Dad lose his business forcing me to change my plans and attend the University of MN. The U turned out great. I made life long friends and even earned a full scholarship for my final 2 years. Meanwhile my Dad took the remnants of his company and started another successful business. The year after College I saw my mom lose her battle to liver disease and again watched my dad pick up the pieces and build a new life with a wonderful woman until his passing a few years ago at the age of 79. My parents were living proof that with faith, family and friends anything was possible regardless of how many no’s were put in front of you.

After College I was bound and determined to find the right career. Unfortunately for me I was not sure what, if anything, I was good at. But after another night out at the bar with buddies it dawned on me how often and well I dealt with the word no. It was almost like I was already a pro! But how do you turn the word no into a career I wondered. I thought of the priesthood but in the end I realized I’d rather receive then give the no’s! Finally, I had my epiphany and realized sales are where I needed to be. Heck, you get a hundred no’s for every yes in sales. I liked my chances! Luckily it was a match made in heaven (forgive the pun) and I have been fortunate enough to have had some success.

All kidding aside the reality is that we all have our own issues to deal with and mountains we want to climb. We are all going to be told you can’t or you should not. Luckily we live in America where with a little perseverance anything is possible. I have my very own dog and a little place high atop a very tall mountain to prove it!

"Thankfully, perseverance is a good substitute for talent" - Steve Martin