No Excuses: Be the Go-Getter You Were Meant To Be

When we are young, our parents guide us through critical milestones: crawling, walking, speaking, playing with peers. But somewhere along the way, teaching us how to persist, improvise, and lead ourselves often stops. That’s where books like The Go-Getter remind us of timeless truths. Success in life and leadership is not about luck or even intelligence—it’s about persistence, determination, resourcefulness, loyalty, and mindset.

Let’s break down the core lessons and how you can use them to design the life and career you want.

Persistence and Determination: Outlast the Competition

The world doesn’t always reward the smartest person in the room, but it almost always rewards the most persistent. Go-getters keep pushing despite setbacks. They understand that success is not about avoiding failure but about refusing to quit.

Persistence is the fuel that carries you through roadblocks, delays, and disappointments. Determination turns obstacles into stepping stones. If you want to design the life you want, persistence has to be part of your DNA.

Resourcefulness and Thinking Outside the Box

True leaders and go-getters do not wait for instructions. They take initiative, adapt, and improvise. Resourcefulness is about finding a creative solution when conventional paths fail.

Consider the example of “skunkwood,” a product nobody wanted until it was rebranded and marketed differently. A problem became an opportunity because someone had the courage to think outside the box.

The takeaway? Rebrand your setbacks. Shift your perspective. Ask, how can I see this challenge in a new way? That’s how you transform problems into platforms.

Loyalty and Commitment: Treat Every Task as Your Legacy

Success is not about doing what’s easy; it’s about doing what’s right. Commitment means treating every assignment, no matter how small, as if it will define your legacy.

Loyalty and follow-through open doors you cannot yet see. A job well done today plants the seeds of tomorrow’s opportunity. This is why attitude is more important than aptitude. Skills matter, but character is what sustains you when the spotlight is off.

Power of a Positive Mindset

Your mindset is either your prison or your passport. William Peck’s mantra, “It shall be done,” embodies the spirit of action without excuses. Leaders don’t dwell on victimhood. They decide. They act.

The truth is, your beliefs shape your reality. A positive mindset helps you navigate uncertainty with resilience. It empowers you to see what’s possible, not just what’s hard.

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Episode Transcript

Tim Staton (00:00):
Hey, and welcome back to another episode in this book review.
We're gonna look at a timeless gem from 1921 that's been motivating people and hustlers since then.
And I chose this book because it's a quick read, it's a short read, but it's got some really
good insightful stuff into it that we overlook in today's modern society.

(00:24):
And I say modern society because 1921 was modern society.
But you didn't have all the distractions and everything else that you. You have today.
You didn't have all the excuses that you have today.
And so the book is called the Go Getter by Peter Be Kind.
And it's a short parable that packs a mighty punch about self help.
And it's all about becoming that unstoppable force who doesn't take no for an answer.

(00:49):
So if you know somebody who takes no for an answer, or if you know somebody who's constantly
giving up after one obstacle or another, this book would be for them.
Or if you want to help people just kind of get over some things, this would be good for them.
If you ever chased a goal only to get hit by roadblocks and think, maybe it's not meant for
me because I've got obstacles in the way, then this episode is your wake up call.

(01:12):
Kind story follows a determined World War veteran who turns obstacles into opportunities, providing
that success isn't about talent or luck.
It's about grit and determination.
You know, in the world of distraction excuses that we live in.
And I've said this many times, the go getters win because they just keep going.

(01:33):
I was talking to somebody the other day and they were working on their PhD and I was like, man,
I was thinking, how did you find time to do a PhD and do all of this and do all of that?
And he was like, honestly, it's like a fat kid running a marathon. You just don't stop.
You just don't give up.
It's only hard when you're going through it.
But at the end and you look back and you go, oh, it's not that bad. So it's about grit.

(01:55):
This is Tim Staton with Tim stating the obvious.
What is this podcast about? It's simple.
You are entitled to great leadership everywhere you go, whether it's to church, whether it's
to work, whether it's at your house, you are entitled to great leadership.
And so in this podcast, we take leadership principles and theories and turn them into everyday,

(02:16):
relatable and usable advice and.

Disclaimer (02:19):
A quick Disclaimer this show process or service by trademark, trademark manufacturer, otherwise
does not necessarily constitute and apply the endorsement of anyone that I employed by or favors them in representation.
The views are expressed here in my show are my own expressed and do not necessarily state or
reflect those of any employer.

Tim Staton (02:29):
Alright, so let's. Let's start at the beginning, where Kyne starts dropping those motivational bombs.
Peck arrives at the mill and dives in head first.
The local manager warns him the wood is trash, it smells bad, warps easily, and nobody wants it but Peck. He innovates.
He rebrands it as yappook wood, perfect for cheap cigar stores or budget furniture.

(02:52):
Within weeks, he's not just selling it, he's outselling the whole company and turning a profit.
Cappy gets wind of this and calls Peck back to headquarters.
Stunned, he goes, how do you do it? He asks. Peck's response was simple.
He saw the opportunity where others saw failure.
This leads to the heart of the book, the infamous blue vase test.

(03:12):
Cappy wants to promote Peck to the manager of the new office in Shanghai.
But first he needs to confirm if Peck's true is a true go getter.
On on Sunday, when everything's closed, Cappy sends him on a wild goose chase for a rare blue
vase from a specific shop in San Francisco.
He gives bad directions on purpose and the shop owner is in on the test, instructed to make it impossible.

(03:35):
Peck spends the whole day hitching rides, breaking into the shop after hours, even jumping on
a moving train to chase down the owner at a funeral.
By nightfall, he returns with the vase, battered and bruised, declaring, it shall be done.
Obstacles aren't stop signs, they're tests of your resolve.
Peck passes with flying colors, earning the big job, proving that determination trumps everything.

(04:01):
So that's the basic gist of the plot, but let's break down some of the key themes because this
isn't just a fun yarn, it's a blueprint for success.
First up, persistence and determination kind hammers home.
The world is full of quitters who fold at the first.
But go getters like Peck keep pushing. Remember Peck?
He's a disabled war veteran, yet he outworks able bodied people.

(04:24):
The book states it plainly, success requires effort.
You get nothing for nothing.
I love how Cappy reflects on this, saying, the go getters are the ones who refuse to be denied
in your career or personal goals.
It's not about being the smartest, it's about outlasting your competition.
And I've known several people who have made it to very senior positions who Say, you know, I'm not that smart. I'm not that good.

(04:51):
I just outlasted everybody else.
Everybody else quit before I did, so don't quit too soon.
The second theme is resourcefulness and thinking outside the box. Peck doesn't just grind. He gets creative.
With the skunkwood, he doesn't complain.
He pivots, finding a niche market for it.
And with the vase, he improvises.
Like MacGyver in like the 1920s, Kind shows that true initiative means solving problems on your

(05:15):
feet, not waiting for permission.
This ties into loyalty and commitment, too.
Peck's all in for the company, treating every task like it's his legacy. And I love that.
So think about that for a second.
He treats everything like it's his legacy. So.
So how we do something is how we do everything.
And when you're given a task, no matter how small it is, no matter how menial it is, you need

(05:39):
to treat that task like it's the last time you're going to do it or possibly ever do it, because
there are people watching you.
You don't know how many times people will set you up knowing or not even knowing.
They're like, you know what?
I wonder how this person's going to react to this.
I wonder what this person's going to do.
Let's do this little test.
And then how you handle that determines how you're going to handle everything else.

(06:01):
And then they make a judgment on you, and you're either writt written off or you're part of the team. So.
So next time you're given a task and you're like, man, this is way beneath me. Doesn't matter. Go above and beyond.
That's part of, you know, Napoleon Hill's 13 principles that we talked about. Going above and beyond.
Every time you go above and beyond what you're supposed to go on to and people's expectations,
you're depositing seeds into your future that you can't even see yet.

(06:25):
And if you're like, well, I'm not getting paid for this, or I'm not going to do this, or I'm
not getting that, don't worry, it will eventually come back to you.
And in today's society, we have gotten away from that of, I'm not going above and beyond because
I'm not getting compensated for it.
Well, you'll never get compensated because you'll never go above and beyond.
So always go above and beyond, no matter what, and it will come back to you.

(06:49):
And Cappy in the book, he values this Principle over experience or age, proving that attitude beats aptitude every time.
The third principle in this one is a big one.
The power of a positive mindset.
Said this over and over and over again, how important it is to have a positive mindset.
Peck's motto is it shall be done. It becomes his mantra.

(07:11):
There's no excuses, there's no victim mentality, just action.
You know, he's missing a limb.
And I think today, you know, I've got an acquaintance that I know we've fallen apart over the
years and really don't get to keep up, but he's missing a limb and he's running marathons. He running half marathons.
I know people who won't even run to the bathroom.
So you got perfectly able bodied people who come up with excuses for everything.

(07:33):
And everyone wants to have a victim mentality.
Oh, somebody did this to me.
Oh, somebody did that to me. Nobody cares. Just do it.
Just do what you're supposed to do. Get after it.
Whenever you come up with all these excuses, that's when you give other people power.
That's when you give up your vote and your seat at the table.
And the book contrasts him with the killjoys who throttle industry with negativity.

(07:56):
Your words and belief shape your reality.
If you tell yourself something's impossible, it will be.
And Peck's story is a reminder that even though times are tough, you know, and you think about
this post World War I economy. Hello.
Like that was like a horrible time, right?
Optimism plus effort equals opportunity. So think about that.

(08:21):
So this book is short, but its lessons are going to last a long time, you know.
Published in 1921, it was written by Peter Be Kind, a prolific author of short stories and screenplays.
Not some business guru, he dedicated it to a fallen general emphasizing loyalty to the task at hand.
Interestingly enough, it wasn't meant as a self help book, but it exploded into popularity,

(08:44):
inspiring everyone from Dave Ramsey, who makes his team read it to modern entrepreneurs today.
And it's pretty self explanatory.
But the reason why is because the themes are universal in today's economy and corporate grind.
We're facing skunkwood challenges all over the place.
There's unappealing tasks that we're faced with that really test our metal, that really test

(09:06):
who we are as a person.
And we don't want to do these things.
And it's showing, it's showing in major ways.
And I think that we need to get back to the point of, of doing, no matter how menial the task
may be because it's important.
Somebody asks you to get it done. It's important.
Even if you don't understand how it fits into the big picture, that's okay.
They may be testing you.
They may be trying to see how ingenious you are.

(09:28):
They're maybe trying to see how creative you are. You never know.
So I always like to leave you with something practical.
Kind doesn't just tell a story, he embeds it.
He embeds exercises in it.
First, you gotta audit your attitude.
Like Peck in the interview.
Show up bold and prepared next time you're job hunting or networking.
Practice your elevator pitch or your 30 second pitch. It's important.

(09:49):
Some people disagree with that.
But if you can't say who you're about and what you're about in 30 seconds or less, you don't
know and neither does anybody else.
Highlight what you can do, not your limitations.
Yeah, you might be thinking it's super obvious, but how many of us mumble through it?
How many of us don't actually have that prepared?
The second thing we can do is tackle tough tasks head on.

(10:11):
When headed into a debt assignment, you know that promotion you think you'll never get or a project nobody wants?
Rebrand it like the skunk would. Find the angle. Who's the underserved buyer?
Track your progress daily and use the it shall be done as your daily affirmation. I use one day.
One day is my mindset.

(10:32):
One day I am going to get to where I want to be.
One day I'm going to achieve my goals.
One day I'm going to achieve my vision.
It may be today, but one day I'm going to achieve it.
And one day is going to happen.
And that is something that I tell myself. That is my mindset.
So everything I do today is in preparation for that one day when it comes.
And that one day may be today, it may be tomorrow.

(10:56):
But I got to be the person prepared to ready to answer the call for when that day comes.
The third thing that we can do is prepare for the blue vase test in life.
Expect roadblocks, bad bosses, market crashes, personal setbacks, and plan to improvise.
But build resiliency by starting small.
Set a weekly challenge like cold call five prospects or refuse to stop until something is done.

(11:21):
Kynes book reminds us that age, looks and circumstances don't matter. Results are what matter.
And for teams and leaders, listening hire for go getter traits.
Test candidates with tricky tasks like Cappy did one critique though the book's from 1921 so
it's a bit dated in its language and its views.
That young man's world lines feels a little bit off today, but I would say kind of read the

(11:45):
book like you're watching a Humphrey Bogart movie, right?
Get yourself in that black and white mentality of watching a timeless movie that is wholesome
and really there to get you into where you need to be.
So closing this out, the Go Getter isn't about overnight success.
It's about the daily grind that builds legends.
Bill Peck goes from the desperate job seeker to the Shanghai manager because he embodies persistence,

(12:11):
resourcefulness, and unshakable belief in a 2025 world of AI disruptions or remote work woes.
These lessons hit harder than ever today.
The Go Getters aren't born, they're made through tough choices.
And if we don't teach our kids early on and young adults early on how to be go, then take a

(12:31):
look at this book, adopt it and move forward.
If Peck can do it with one arm tied behind his back, literally, then you have no excuse.
Literally, you have no excuse.
And if you say, well, I have one arm too, well, great. Bill did it. Bill Peck did it.
You can do it too.
So my challenge to you is this.
This week, pick one impossible task, maybe asking for that raise or finishing that side project, and go get it.

(12:53):
Track how it feels when you say it shall be done. Share your story.
And lastly, I want to hear your stories. Share it.
Find us on TikTok or Facebook or Instagram and find a reel that I post and share your story with it.
I want to hear how it went for you this week.
As always, thank you for stopping by and checking out this episode and listening to it.

(13:14):
I really hope that you enjoyed it.
Before we go, I'd like to ask a favor of you if I could.
If you could please share this episode with one or two people who you think might like this topic.
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(13:34):
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Again, thanks for stopping by.
I'm Tim Staton, stating the obvious. Sam.