SUM OF FIVE
The Sum of Five is a narrative parable about environment, influence, and the standards we absorb without realizing it. It follows a capable professional forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: the five people closest to him have quietly defined his ceiling. Not through advice - but through proximity.
This isn’t a networking guide. It’s not a motivational script. It’s a story designed to expose the environments we tolerate and the circles we refuse to outgrow.
I decided to write this book about two years ago.
Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer. It was my “passion” career - but life got going, and it didn’t feel feasible. As I got older, I began to reach the milestones so many of us do: marriage, kids, work. Responsibility. Stability.
I have lost all of my parents and grandparents. What remains are a few photographs and fading stories. And that realization stayed with me.
I refused to let that be my ending.
I wanted to leave something tangible behind.
Something my children could hold.
Something my grandchildren could look back on.
Something my great-grandchildren could one day say,
“He built this.”
It is my fingerprint on life - long after I’m gone.
Excerpts
“No, Mitch. You heard the outcome. The circumstance. The fillers.
We ignore that noise.
Does it make for a heartfelt story? Sure. But that’s not the value.
The value is in who he is. He’s compassionate. Detail-oriented. Encouraging.
That’s about him.
The rest? That’s just what happened to him.”
“Mitch, you’ve earned your spot here. You have the right to stay. But I don’t think you fit here anymore.
Stop thinking in a transaction mindset. Life isn’t just about exchange - sometimes it’s about giving or taking. This isn’t a proposal. It’s an opportunity.
I think BraceSure has been a great place for you… until now. If you truly believe you belong here, I’ll see you tomorrow. But if you don’t, I know you’ll succeed when you find the niche where you belong.”
“Life is too short to miss the fresh batch.
I will take a bite while it’s warm.
Not all relationships last, but when one thing is taken away, it makes room for something else.
People you see every day with smiles on could easily have pain behind closed doors.
I won’t overlook the value in my relationships anymore.
These are lessons I learned because of the people around me… people I didn’t even realize were around me.”