Been there, survived that

COEUR d’ALENE — Terry Fossum wasn’t supposed to be here.

He grew up in McAllen, Texas — the poorest city in the United States — where he was surrounded by drugs and gang violence.

At age 14, a drug dealer threatened him with an assault rifle. When Terry was in high school, his father died, leaving him without a role model and with few opportunities. By all accounts, Fossum should never have amounted to anything.

“I’m supposed to be in a gang,” he said. “I’m supposed to be on drugs. I’m supposed to be dead.”

Instead, Fossum earned a mechanical engineering degree from Texas A&M University. After serving in the Air Force, he went on to build a global direct sales business and became a multimillion-dollar earner.

On Wednesday, the veteran, businessman, adventurer and survivor spoke to local business owners at The Coeur d’Alene Resort about how to “blow the bolts” that hold people in place and keep them from reaching their full potential.

Fossum used a unique metaphor to explain his philosophy.

“I found out something about the Space Shuttle that blew my mind,” he told the crowd.

During the countdown to launch, Fossum said, all of the Space Shuttle’s engines are firing at full power by T-minus four, billowing smoke — and yet, the shuttle doesn’t blast off.

“All that power, all that potential, and it goes nowhere,” Fossum said.

Eight bolts hold the shuttle to the launch pad — that’s all.

At T-minus zero, something amazing happens: Explosive charges inside the bolts go off, shattering them. The bolts can’t hold the shuttle back anymore.

The first “bolt” that holds people back in business is complacency, Fossum said.

“You’re either moving forward or you’re moving backward,” he said. “If you sit still, you will get run over in business.”

Another “bolt” that holds people in place is fear — fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown. Conventional wisdom is to face one’s fear in order to overcome it — but Fossum takes the opposite approach.

Focusing on fear gives the fear more power, he said. Instead, he advises business owners to focus on the goal that lies beyond the fear.

“Do not focus on your fears,” he said. “Focus on your goals. Focus on your dreams. The rest of that stuff will disappear.”

Fossum also shared a personal story of overcoming obstacles: His brother, Mike Fossum, dreamed of becoming an astronaut since childhood. He made six failed attempts over the course of 14 years. Success seemed impossible, but Mike refused to give up.

“Sometimes a losing battle is worth fighting,” Terry said.

On his seventh attempt, NASA selected Mike to be an astronaut. Since then, Mike flew into space three times — including once as the commander of Expedition 29 aboard the International Space Station.

“We can’t be complacent,” Fossum said. “We’ve got to look past our fears. We’ve got to stand for what is right … Go forth, because we all have a power in us much greater than we could ever do on our own.”

That message in particular resonated with Ed and Gail Stevenson, co-founders of Life Recovery Solutions. Based in Coeur d’Alene, the company creates software that connects people struggling with addiction or mental illness with the resources they need.

Ed Stevenson said Fossum’s stories of perseverance are inspirational.

“Our company is four and a half years old and we’ve been fighting every day to keep it going,” he said. “Keep dreaming. Keep fighting.”

After his many adventures in life — including winning a survival reality TV show called “Kicking and Screaming” in 2017 — Fossum said he’s regularly asked what he plans to do next.

“I have no clue, but I’m not worried about it,” he said with a laugh. “I can’t wait to find out.”