Persevere And Fly!Written by Mary Holzrichter
"The Wright Brothers created  single greatest cultural force since invention of writing. The airplane became first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together." ~~~ Bill Gates, Microsoft I had opportunity to recently visit Outer Banks of North Carolina. One of our stops was at The Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills. The Wrights, Wilbur and Orville, were first to design and build a flying aircraft that could be *controlled* while in air. No one up to this point had used three control factors; roll, pitch, and yaw. These three dimensions make it possible to fly from place to place. The aerospace business depends on this simple but brilliant idea. So do spacecraft and submarines. This changed way we view our world. Seen from above, distances shrink and horizon stretches. The world seems grander, more vast and three-dimensional. Open to endless possibilities. We talk about perseverance needed to make our niche on internet today. Just think of Wilbur and Orville. Their accomplishment certainly didn't happen overnight! Wilbur and Orville were 12 and 8 years of age, respectively, when their father brought home a simple toy rubber band-powered helicopter made in France. They were so intrigued by concept and playing with it, it broke! Immediately, they began building copies. They were hooked on aviation! In 1900, as young men, having built their first glider, they decided to try it out at Kitty Hawk on Kill Devil Hills. It provided consistent stiff winds, and somewhat cushioning effects of sand and water. That first flight was unsuccessful, but it didn't deter them.
| | The Magic of Positive ThinkingWritten by John Boe
Yes, there is magic in positive thinking! In aviation, word attitude means angle at which plane meets wind, whether wings are level with horizon, and whether it is climbing or descending. The pilot who fails to take responsibility for attitude of his aircraft is in serious trouble. And likewise, any person who has not taken charge of his or her own beliefs and attitudes runs a similar risk. The key to cultivating and maintaining a positive mental attitude is to take control of your thinking and avoid negative minded people. It’s a challenging task to develop a calm, focused mind, but well worth effort. Every setback and failure you experience also comes with a great opportunity. When one door closes, a window of possibility opens. The key is to look for opportunity and avoid dwelling on failure. Think thoughts of defeat and you are bound to feel defeated. Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to those circumstances. Your mind determines your attitude; you always have choice to respond either positively or negatively. What happens to a person is less important than what happens within them. The great inventor, Thomas A. Edison, was known for his positive mental attitude. In December 1914, Edison Laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, was almost entirely destroyed by fire. Edison lost $2,000,000 worth of equipment and records of much of his life’s work. The morning after fire, as 67-year-old inventor walked among ashes, he was anything but defeated. Looking around, he remarked, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Yes, there is magic in a positive attitude!
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