What's your favorite disguise? [/meta]

posted by letter shredder @ 11:59 a.m. on 1/20/2006

"Great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex and sex disguised as love..."
                                          -- Lester Bangs, Almost Famous



Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Never Lose Sight of Your Dreams

posted by letter shredder at 1:10 PM

mike fossum, from www.nasa.com


I met a Texan businessman last Saturday, Terry Fossum. He taught me how to properly say "Howdy" (Texan style) and a lot of other things regarding attitude and character towards business.


The picture above is his brother, Mike Fossum.


And I've learned a lot from the story Terry told about his family.


They grew up in an area along the border of Mexico, their house practically barred. Their father was killed when Terry was in high school. He even remembers a guy coming to their house telling his father that none of them (Terry and his two siblings) would be ANYTHING in the future.


The Fossum brothers obviously proved that man wrong.


Terry became a captain in the US Air Force in charge of the B-52 Bombers.

from www.fas.org


In 1991, he quit his job and is now a successful businessman.


His brother has another story. Mike wanted to become an astronaut. With a background of being "from the border," many people thought he was crazy. He tried. And as Terry says it, "Not all stories have happy endings." Mike failed.


Mike had the spirit and tried again the next year. Again, he failed.


Still, he did not give up. For five years, he tried and failed. From being COURAGEOUS and PERSISTENT, he was called STUBBORN.


On the sixth year, he tried again. And his neighbor across the street got in. They got six, he was seventh. Terry said he knew how terrible Mike felt when that happened. Mike was happy for his neighbor and friend, but he still lost the chance.


Next year, the seventh year, Mike tried it again. And people from NASA, mostly his friends, call him CRAZY because he was messing up his career. They were telling him that he wouldn't be admitted because he was already too old.


Terry found out about it and immediately called his brother Mike. And he said, "I couldn't be more proud of you."


On the seventh year, he made it. Now, he is part of the crew for the STS-121 as a mission specialist.


STS-121 crew, from www.nasa.gov


According to NASA, "this second Return to Flight test mission is to carry on analysis of safety improvements that debuted on the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114, and build upon those tests."


mission patch, from www.nasa.gov


Through Terry, he sent me and my business partners a message, "Never give up!"


Yes, TO DREAM is FREE.


But TO ACHIEVE THOSE DREAMS IS ANOTHER STORY.


What are your dreams? And what are you ready to do, no matter what, to achieve them?


=====


note: pics from www.fas.org and www.nasa.gov
Thanks to Terry Fossum for a very inspiring story. Bring it on!

1 revealed their disguise



1 Masks: Anonymous Anonymous whispered...

How heartwarming to come across this story online. I recently arrived back from Texas where they named a school after my brother for overcoming the odds, and inspiring so many others to do the same. Where there is a dream, there is hope. When there is hope - ANYTHING can be accomplished! Bring it on! Terry Fossum

10:25 AM  

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