Dear friends,

It's been another 3 months already. My goal was to send out one newsletter a month, but I've been fighting a battle behind the scenes to keep Google happy with my website. So, if you visit, you may notice that it's faster and easier to read. In addition, I've been continuing my rebrand. More on that below.

Also, I have big news. In a few weeks, I have an interview to be a diplomatic courier for the US Department of State. If all goes well, I'll be traveling the world delivering top-secret packages. Very exciting. I'm on round 4 of 8 rounds, and what I believe to be the most difficult. After my time as a cultural ambassador, I'm excited to continue my work as a diplomat. Wish me luck.

Below, I have a new series of illustrations and some other interesting things that I've found.

Cheers,
Scott

How to turn dreams into reality

When I returned home from my big trip around the world on a bicycle, people wanted to know how they could do something similar. So, after much thought, I came up with this formula, which is the simplest explanation I could think of:

Get inspired. Dream big or little.
Plan your adventure. To me, everything is an adventure.
Go explore! Live your dream, share your adventure, get support and inspire others.
Grow! Reflect on your successes and “failures”.

Actually, that last step is brand new. I used to think of it as part of step 3: exploring, playing, learning from your lessons and reiterating. That is true for all the steps you take to get to your goal. But what if you succeed and your journey is over? Or what if you quit or fail? I believe we still grow, possibly even more so.

Step 1: Dream.

An infographic showing what a dream means. An arrow points to a box with the label "Who you are." An arrow points to dashed circle around the box with the label "What you believe possible." And a cloud outside everything with the label "Dreams." — Dreams are just outside of reach until we commit to pursuing them.

Step 2: Plan.

An infographic showing what a plan means. Plan A is just a straight line from start to finish. Plan B takes into account going around obstacles. And Plan C is a squiggly line showing what a realistic plan might actually be. This squiggly line is cursive writing that says, "Where there is a will, there is a way." — Even if we have a plan, we'll need to learn to adapt. Hint: Can you read the hidden message in Plan C?

Step 3: Explore.

An infographic showing what participation or exploring means. On one side is a cloud representing our dreams. On the other side is a box that represents turning our dreams into reality. In the middle, are footsteps that represent the literal and figurative steps or journey we must take to reach our goal. — To make our dreams a reality, we must take lots of steps of action.

Step 1: Grow.

An infographic showing what it means to grow. The infograph shows you, represented by a box, growing bigger each time you realize a new dream. — Each thing we achieve in life, whether it is a success or a lesson learned from mistakes, helps us grow and reach for bigger and better.

Favorite adventure books

A Walk Across America

Peter Jenkins

When I announced my dream to cycle across America, this book was gifted to me. (When it is said that an author is a gifted writer, this is what it means.) I had never imagined such a thing was possible, and I never imagined someone was feeling and thinking the same things. "I started out searching for myself and my country," Peter Jenkins wrote, "and found both." Jenkins's journey to find himself set the stage for me to do the same.

If you like real-life adventures, I recommend A Walk Across America.

His son also wrote a coming-of-age book about his 16-month bike ride from Oregon to Patagonia. To Shake the Sleeping Self. I enjoyed it but was disappointed that he disregarded his father's influence.

PS. These are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission, but it won't affect your price.

Shareworthy

Speaking of walking... This journalist retraced the path blazed by Homo sapiens out of Africa. A Twenty-Four-Thousand-Mile Walk Across Human History. The New Yorker.

Thanks for tagging along

As always, hit reply to share any thoughts or questions or just to say hello. Hearing your stories is one of my biggest rewards.

I make most of my work free to entertain, inspire and educate. If you enjoy my stories, books, blog or worksheets, please share this newsletter with a friend. It helps keep me motivated, and more importantly, it helps other people.

Let’s Go Exploring!

Let's go exploring. #180