The Go-Getter

In the unforgiving arena of business, countless talented individuals watch opportunities slip through their fingers, not because they lack ability, but because they lack the relentless determination to push through seemingly impossible obstacles. Every day, promising careers stagnate and ambitious dreams crumble under the weight of excuses, bureaucratic red tape, and the dangerous comfort of "good enough." The harsh truth is that in a world where mediocrity masquerades as competence, only those who refuse to accept defeat truly rise to the top.

This timeless narrative unveils the anatomy of unstoppable achievement through the compelling journey of a war veteran who transforms rejection into opportunity and obstacles into stepping stones. You will discover how to cultivate the mindset that views every "no" as merely the first step in a negotiation, how to prove your worth when others doubt your capabilities, and how to harness the power of absolute commitment to carry you through challenges that would break lesser spirits. Most importantly, you will learn that true success comes not from avoiding difficulties, but from developing the unshakeable resolve to declare "it shall be done" and mean it with every fiber of your being.

The corporate offices of the Blue Star Navigation Company buzzed with tension as Cappy Ricks, the formidable company patriarch, faced yet another personnel crisis. His Shanghai office manager had absconded with company funds, leaving him scrambling to find a replacement capable of handling the pressures of international business. Into this chaos walked William E. Peck, a one-armed war veteran with an empty sleeve tucked into his coat pocket and an unshakeable smile on his weathered face.

Peck had already been rejected by both the lumber division manager and the shipping captain, yet he refused to retreat. Instead, he marched straight into the old man's office with a confidence that bordered on audacious. "I've called for my job," he announced simply, as if his hiring was already a foregone conclusion. When Cappy questioned his certainty, Peck replied with the wisdom of a seasoned salesman: "Before proceeding to sell goods, I had to sell the manufacturer of those goods something first—myself. I am about to sell myself to you."

The veteran's approach revealed a fundamental truth about opportunity: it rarely arrives gift-wrapped with a bow. Instead, it often appears disguised as rejection, setback, or impossibility. Peck understood that every "no" from lower-level managers was simply redirecting him toward the person with real decision-making power. He recognized that true opportunity lies not in finding the easy path, but in persisting when others have given up.

When you face rejection in your own career, remember Peck's strategy. Don't accept the first "no" as final judgment on your worth. Instead, view it as valuable intelligence about where real authority lies. The person who can truly help you advance might be just one conversation away, waiting to meet someone with the determination to reach them.

The key insight here is revolutionary: opportunity doesn't knock once and politely wait—it tests your resolve by forcing you to knock on its door repeatedly until you prove you're worthy of what lies behind it.

After months of successful sales performance, Peck found himself selected for the ultimate challenge: retrieving a specific blue vase from a San Francisco shop and delivering it to Cappy Ricks before his evening train departure. What seemed like a simple errand quickly transformed into a masterclass in problem-solving under pressure. The store wasn't where Cappy said it would be, the owner's name was spelled differently than expected, and the shop was closed on Sunday with the proprietor dining somewhere in Marin County.

As hours ticked away and obstacles multiplied, Peck's determination never wavered. He methodically called every variation of the owner's name in multiple phone directories, tracked down the proprietor through a chain of phone calls that stretched across the Bay Area, and discovered the vase cost $2,000—far more than he possessed. When traditional solutions failed, he pawned his personal diamond ring to secure the funds, hired a pilot friend to fly him through the night, and flagged down the moving train in a stubble field to make the delivery.

Unknown to Peck, this was no ordinary errand but Cappy's legendary "Degree of the Blue Vase"—a carefully orchestrated test designed to separate true go-getters from mere job applicants. The obstacles weren't accidental; they were deliberate challenges meant to reveal character under extreme pressure. Only two men out of fifteen had ever successfully completed the test, and both had gone on to extraordinary careers.

This story illuminates a crucial principle: the most valuable opportunities often masquerade as impossible tasks. When someone in authority gives you what appears to be an insurmountable challenge, they're not trying to watch you fail—they're trying to discover if you possess the rare combination of creativity, persistence, and resourcefulness that defines exceptional performers.

The test reveals that true competence isn't measured by your ability to handle routine tasks, but by your response when everything goes wrong and conventional solutions prove inadequate. Your moment of greatest frustration might actually be your greatest opportunity to demonstrate the qualities that set you apart from everyone else.

When Peck encountered the maze of telephone directories searching for B. Cohen, B. Cohn, and every other variation of the art dealer's name, he faced a choice that defines every high achiever: surrender to the overwhelming complexity of the task or systematically demolish each barrier one phone call at a time. Lesser individuals would have declared the task impossible after the first dozen fruitless calls, but Peck understood that persistence isn't just about continuing—it's about adapting your approach while maintaining unwavering commitment to the outcome.

The veteran's methodical assault on the problem revealed the anatomy of persistence. He didn't simply repeat the same failed strategy; instead, he evolved his approach with each setback. When the name spelling proved wrong, he tried multiple variations. When direct contact failed, he traced connection networks. When conventional payment methods were unavailable, he found creative collateral. Each obstacle became data rather than defeat, information that brought him closer to his ultimate objective.

Perhaps most remarkably, Peck never allowed emotional frustration to derail his logical problem-solving process. Even when reduced to what he described as wanting to "commit suicide" after calling every Cohen in creation, he channeled that frustration into fuel for the next attempt. This emotional discipline separates true persistence from mere stubbornness—the ability to maintain clear thinking while experiencing maximum stress.

Your own career will inevitably present you with challenges that appear impossible at first glance. The secret isn't to find tasks that match your current capabilities, but to develop the systematic approach that expands your capabilities to meet any challenge. When you encounter seemingly impossible obstacles, break them down into smaller, manageable components and attack each piece methodically.

Remember that persistence isn't about working harder—it's about working systematically until you find the pathway that others missed because they quit too soon. The solution often lies just beyond the point where most people give up.

When Cappy Ricks finally revealed the true nature of the blue vase test, he asked Peck what had prevented him from quitting during the most frustrating moments. Peck's response unveiled the deeper force driving his persistence: unwavering loyalty to his former brigade commander and the motto that had shaped his character in combat. "It shall be done" wasn't merely a phrase to Peck—it was a sacred commitment that had guided him through life-and-death situations and now powered his civilian achievements.

The veteran explained how his brigadier had created an unbreakable chain of commitment throughout the entire brigade. When the divisional commander issued orders, the brigadier would respond simply: "Very well, sir. It shall be done." This commitment flowed downward through every level of command, creating a culture where impossible tasks became routine accomplishments. The brigadier had visited Peck in the field hospital, wounded and discouraged, and transformed despair into determination with a simple order: "Private Peck will do his utmost to recover, and as a starter, he will smile."

This military experience taught Peck that true leadership isn't about inspiring people to attempt great things—it's about creating a culture where people refuse to accept failure as an option. The brigadier's influence extended far beyond the battlefield because he had instilled a mindset that treated obstacles as temporary inconveniences rather than permanent barriers. Years later, that same mindset drove Peck to pursue solutions that others couldn't even imagine.

The principle applies directly to your professional life: the strongest leaders aren't those who never face impossible situations, but those who create such powerful commitment in themselves and others that "impossible" becomes irrelevant. When you adopt the mindset that "it shall be done," you stop searching for reasons why tasks can't be accomplished and start finding ways to make them happen.

Your loyalty to this principle becomes a force multiplier that transforms ordinary capabilities into extraordinary results. The moment you truly commit to an outcome, you begin seeing possibilities that remain invisible to those still debating whether success is achievable.

The complete arc of Peck's journey—from rejected job applicant to ten-thousand-dollar Shanghai manager—demonstrates the transformative power of refusing to accept "no" as a final answer. His initial rejections from both Skinner and Captain Peasley weren't roadblocks; they were simply steps in a process that led him to the one person with both the authority and the vision to recognize his true potential. By the time Cappy Ricks offered him the blue vase test, Peck had already proven that conventional barriers couldn't contain his determination.

What distinguished Peck from countless other job seekers wasn't superior qualifications or connections—it was his fundamental refusal to allow other people's limitations to define his possibilities. When Skinner cited company policy and Captain Peasley pleaded budgetary constraints, Peck didn't argue with their reasoning or attempt to change their minds. Instead, he simply moved past them toward his objective, understanding that every "no" was merely information about where decision-making power actually resided.

The blue vase episode crystallized this principle into its most powerful form. When faced with obstacles that would have justified failure to any reasonable observer, Peck never entertained the possibility of returning empty-handed to report his defeat. His military training had eliminated "can't be done" from his vocabulary, replacing it with an automatic search for alternative approaches. The $2,000 price tag, the closed store, the scattered contact information—all became puzzles to solve rather than excuses to quit.

This mindset shift represents the difference between those who achieve extraordinary results and those who settle for ordinary outcomes. When you truly internalize the principle that "no" is simply the starting point for creative problem-solving, you begin operating in a different reality than your competitors. While they're accepting limitations, you're engineering breakthroughs.

The ultimate lesson is that success belongs to those who refuse to be stopped by the word "impossible." Your breakthrough moment often lies just beyond the point where everyone else turns back, convinced that further effort is futile.

The essence of unstoppable achievement lies in this revolutionary mindset: treat every obstacle as a problem to be solved rather than a barrier to be accepted, and commit so completely to your objectives that failure ceases to exist as an option in your mental vocabulary.

Transform your approach to challenges immediately: when faced with rejection, ask yourself who really holds decision-making authority and find a way to reach them directly. When confronted with impossible tasks, break them into smaller components and attack each piece systematically until you find the breakthrough pathway. When others cite policy, budget constraints, or conventional limitations, remember that these are their limitations, not yours—successful people create new realities rather than accepting existing ones. Most importantly, develop such unshakeable commitment to your goals that you automatically search for solutions instead of excuses, understanding that persistence combined with creative problem-solving will eventually overcome any obstacle that stands between you and your objectives.