"I'm too old for this !$%#%!" Complaining loudly to no one in particular, a hiker came into view 50 or 60 feet below me.
"How old are you?" I called. George (79) and I (55) were coming down from the summit of Picacho Peak, the site of the western-most battle of the Civil War. We were walking. The only mountain climbing gear we had were walking sticks made from the stalks of an agave.
The photo to the left is deceiving. You'll get a sense of the height and size of the mountain when I tell you that those tiny vertical green lines are saguaro cactus the size of telephone poles.
From the perspective of this photo, not one person in a hundred would think of trying to get to the summit with two legs and a walking stick. George has stood on the very top of that rock outcropping at least 17 times. (His legs are better than his memory, so it may be more than 17 times. He can't remember.)
The swearing hiker looked up, startled, when he heard my question. "47," he yelled. He stopped swearing. "Well, I'm 55, and my friend is 79. We're coming down from the summit." By this time, we were all close enough to stop yelling. "I should have worn better shoes, I think," said the hiker, looking at our boots. "No, you're fine" said George, "there's a six year old on the summit, and he's wearing sneakers."
The first picture is taken from the south, looking north. From that perspective, a hike to the top is impossible. That's how a lot of my colleagues are looking at their businesses right now.
The photo on the left doesn't tell the whole story either. And that's the point of my post. No single perspective gives us all we need to know in life in order to succeed. We have to look at things from all angles.
This perspective--the one on the left--beckons the hiker to switch back across the more gentle easterly slope to reach the saddle on the right of the photo. It looks possible, and so it is.
Only from the perspective of the saddle, once it's reached, can you see that the westerly slope provides a relatively easy stairway to the top, which is flat and broad, narrowing to a point at the southerly-most tip.
Now look at the first picture again. It's not so intimidating any more, is it? Not when someone who's been there tells you how it's done. I appreciate all the bloggers who take the time to "tell me how it's done!" What great people you are!
Now I have to go read your Real Estate blogs. If you're reading this on Localism, shoot me an email!
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ mortgage lender.
I waited in line patiently for more than 20 minutes. My turn came, my name was called, and I approached the counter with all the confidence of a sinner at the pearly gates.