When you have a dream, nothing really is impossible

"Most visitors to Antarctica go to see the penguins and the glaciers. Ashrita Furman went to hop on a pogo stick.

"Mr. Furman, seeking to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest mile on a pogo stick, jumped up and down a landing strip on the Antarctic tundra in 2003. "The conditions were pretty hard," says the 56-year-old New Yorker, noting that extreme temperatures caused his pogo stick to freeze up midway through the event. He nevertheless completed the feat in 17 minutes, 45 seconds, setting the world record.

"It was just another day in the life of Mr. Furman, who holds the ultimate Guinness world record: The record for Guinness world records...

You can read the rest of this amazing real-life adventurebolt story at the Wall Street Journal article by Jilian Mincer:

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Emerson: This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. Why this is especially true now:

The winds of change can be used like a kite to lift you higher or like a tumbleweed to toss you about. - Orrin Woodward

Good economy, bad economy, flat economy, rising economy; it doesn't matter. People can blame all sorts of outside circumstances for their woes, but when it gets down to it, it all comes down to how you react to what's going on around you. What matters is what's in your head and your heart. Take action on yourself, and the rest will take care of itself.

Life is what you make it. If you make the best of what you have, no matter what you have, you'll always have the best. - Eunique Jones

#adventurebolt living: Do what fits you. Use your own style, be unique; you will be rewarded by having no regrets.

How do you find clothes that fit you? Well, if you're like me, you need to try them on. Life is kind of like that...you probably need to try a bunch of different things before you know what fits you.

My daughter wanted to play a lot of sports this year in school, so she picked volleyball, basketball and swimming. She learned last year she didn't like track, and this year she found out basketball involves a lot of...running. Now she knows that volleyball and swimming "fit" her the best for future sports efforts.

What about you? What things fit you the best? What are you good at, or what do you like to do? The more you try, the more you narrow down the field, and pretty soon you're finding that you're spending more and more time on the things that really matter to you.

Then, the more you are doing what you want to do, you will start to find unique ways of accomplishing things and expressing yourself. The challenge is to continue to build your confidence in expressing your unique style in the accomplishment of your passion, even if you're working hard at it.

Remember, you will have the biggest impact on that which is most important to you, and you will find your greatest reward and the least amount of regret in doing that which you have always wanted to.

"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."-- Theodore Roosevelt

Want to do what you've always wanted? Here's how to determine what an #adventurebolt feels like to get you started:

Sometimes the spirit of an adventurebolt is captured in verse and illustrates a broader sense of the ideal. Most of the time, you will identify and adventurebolt by a feeling, rather than some sort of rational thought process or planning. This is why it can be very complicated to pursue adventurebolts at times, because we're not always in touch with what our feelings are about a specific situation.

I thought maybe some kind of guide would be helpful to define some of these feelings, so that you can identify with these themes when they occur in your life. They are usually spontaneous and fleeting, so this can make it extra challenging to grab onto these opportunities when they arise.

This short poem highlights the dynamics of adventure without defining what the particular adventure is:

"Adventure" - by Jenny Saravia

Adventure is what I long for

That excitement, that something new

To escape the typical

Adventure is curiosity untamed

Adventure is fresh air after being suffocated

Adventure is anything out of the ordinary

Adventure is like a bright and colorful flower in an arid desert

Adventure is bravery unleashed

Adventure's flavor is rich, its scent pungent and intoxicating

Adventure is exploring and discovery of the unknown

Adventure is like a pulsing heart in love

Adventure is your life feeling alive for once

This is what an adventurebolt feels like...what it is, and how long you hold onto it, is up to you.

Great things typically get done a little at a time, where you are now. Try this today:

Sure it would be great to solve world hunger, or save the whales, or accomplish whatever your cause is that you are passionate about.

But while it may be difficult to get the rest of the world in line with your way of thinking, what if you simply went out and worked your cause wherever you could, and made a difference in that place today?

The story is told of a little boy who walked along a beach as the tide was going out. As he walked, he would see a stranded sand dollar, pick it up, and then throw it back out into the water as far as he could.

An older man approached from the other end of the beach, watching the boy with interest and amusement. "Young man!" he called out. "Why are you wasting your time throwing those back in the water? There are so many of them on this beach, it hardly can make a difference."

The young boy thought for a second as he threw another sand dollar in the water, and then said, "It will for this one."

Maybe you can't save all the whales today, but you sure can help that turtle get across the busy street to the pond next door.

No matter how big your dreams, start now where you are already, and you will find your passion will help those whom you touch today.

Filed under: passion