Dream Big and Dare to Fail

by David
DeFord

Let me introduce a man
who lived by the motto, "dream big and dare to fail."

Norman Vaughan recently
died a few days after his 100th birthday.

Vaughan served as dog
handler and driver in Admiral Richard Byrd's expedition to the South Pole in
1928. He drove the dog teams 1,500 miles across Antarctica to collect scientific
data.

Just a few days before
his 89th birthday, Vaughan and his wife returned to Antarctica and climbed to
the top of 10,320-foot Mount Vaughan, the mountain named in his
honor.

Norman Vaughan sought
adventure all his life.

He finished the 1,100
mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race six times after age 70. At age 96 he carried
the Olympic Torch--70 years after he competed in the Olympic Games as a sled dog
racer.

Vaughan planned to climb
Mount Vaughan again to celebrate his 100th birthday, but his funding fell
short.

He wrote two books,
"With Byrd at the Bottom of the World," the story of his South Pole adventure,
and "My Life of Adventure," about his other exploits.

Norman Vaughan lived his
motto, "dream big and dare to fail" for 100 years.

You may not drive a dog
team across Antarctica, but you can dream big and dare to fail.

Most big dreams have
associated risks. And many people trade their big dreams for comfort and
safety.

Don't trade away your
dreams for a little comfort. Have you have always swallowed your big
dreams--afraid to put your lesser attainments at risk?

I challenge you to count
the cost of chasing your dreams and compare that cost against living a life far
short of them.

You will not succeed
every step of the way. You will suffer some losses. You will fail to meet your
expectations at times. But if you plan, and work, and strive toward your dreams,
you will attain them.

You can do
this.

Dream big and dare to
fail.