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An article just came out in a local publication, regarding the loss of millennials in this community.These young people in their 20s and 30s apparently feel Sandpoint is too expensive to live here and they must move out. I have lived here 24 years and I showed up in my 30s with nothing except my will to stay and make this place, my permanent home.

My message to these young people is get off your behind and teach yourself a skill that will enable you to flourish in the good times and survive in the lean times. Learn to be self-sustaining. No one owes you anything. Make every job you take be a stepping stone to your ultimate objective. Find something you love to do and make it your goal to get paid to do it. Never take no for an answer. Understand that living here is privilege not a right.

I took a $6-an-hour job, just long enough to quit and start my own business. As long as you settle for living from paycheck to paycheck, you will never get paid what you think you’re worth. This town rewards entrepreneurs who are forward thinking.To raise a family here, it takes a family. Pool your assets together and share.You don’t need one of everything. When a business tells you, you can spend less and get more, it’s lying to you.

This truly is the best small town in America. I know, sometimes life here, feels like a game of survival, but to live in Sandpoint, just like in the TV show, you not only need to work harder, but to win, you must think smarter.

DAN MIMMACK

Sandpoint