As I write this, I’m on an airplane flying from Sydney to Hong Kong. And, as I follow our journey, I see from the map from the screen in front of my seat that we are about to cross the Equator.

When I was a kid in Crothersville, Indiana in our grade school geography class, the Equator seemed about as far away to me as the moon. In our small classroom, we studied tropical climates, the Equator’s global positioning, the countries above and below it, and the differences in weather and seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Yet, I have to admit, it never occurred to me there in my wonderful rural hometown, and with the circumstances that surrounded me, that I would ever actually cross the Equator in person, as I have now done many times.

The first time was when I was invited to be a part of the Indiana Trade Mission to Brazil. I had just left office as the State President of the Indiana FFA (then the Future Farmers of America), and our Lt. Governor Robert Orr thought that the trade mission he was leading to Indiana’s sister state in the southernmost region of Brazil would be well served to have a student representing young Hoosiers. And, thankfully, he selected me.  It was a life-changing experience — not in the least because I was the only teenager as a part of an adult group of businessmen. 

I grew up on that trip in many ways. It was my first experience in being a part of serious business meetings. It gave me the opportunity to see how economic leaders and governmental authorities conducted business. I even had a short conversation with the President of Brazil.

Many years later, I’ve lost count of how many times that I’ve crossed the Equator for business —and even a small number of times for pleasure and vacation.

The main point is this: what seemed so unreachable for me at one point in my life later became achievable…then, somewhat normal.

What’s YOUR version of the Equator?  What seems unattainable for you in life right now, given your current circumstances?

My message to you is that what seems so far away now truly is possible to achieve. It might take a while — it was a decade between the young dream of travel and the crossing into a new hemisphere for me.

However, I would be willing to wager that if you take the dream…and add hard work, planning, and execution…you, too, will find the reality is superior to the fantasy. I truly hope you do.