Michigan is a very unique place for several reasons:
- Split into lower peninsula and upper peninsula
- Living here for one year will immerse you in all four seasons
- Parts of our northern neighbor, Canada, are south of Detroit ("Born and raised and south Detroit a.k.a. Canada" - Journey)
Now, because humans are a product of their environment (to an extent), you can only expect different perspectives of business from state to state and in places like Michigan, city to city. In my opinion, strangers in the UP (upper peninsula) are way more relaxed conversationally than a stranger in the lower peninsula. However, I believe LP strangers are more open-minded than a UP stranger in regard to topics of discussion. Also, growing up in Canton, then living in Ypsi, and now Brighton (all cities in MI), I have found that the 'vibe' varies drastically when it comes to conversational approach (or cold sales approach). I feel like working in different cities can sharpen your ability to network intuitively and avoid any conversational awkwardness.
Experiencing hot summers, freezing winters, and the smooth (or drastic at times) fall and spring times play a huge role in conditioning one's tolerance. I have never believed in a 'secret formula' for happiness or success as the formula must change and evolve all the time (like the seasons). Having worked in commissioned sales, I can safely say that month-to-month, my checks could be $2k less than the previous months. Not because I started to shoo customers away, but because foot traffic would unexpectedly drop. The point I am trying to get across is that in sales, you should hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Living in Michigan, you can wear a bathing suit all summer long, but you'll probably need to change if you want to be comfortable in the fall and winter. I hope you see the connection here.
As Andre 3000 said, "You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather."
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