It's time to explore, dream and discover

"Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain.

I find these words both challenging and comforting. In a world where so many are paralyzed by the fear of failure, this says you'll never know if you don't take the chance. And although some things will end in failure, it's the adventure of the challenge that really matters in the end.

If anyone knew about adventure and overcoming the odds, it was Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, "Mark Twain," was born in 1835 to a Tennessee country merchant. Of his six brothers and sisters, only three survived childhood.

Twain's father died when Twain was only 11, and from there he took on a printer's apprentice job and eventually worked his way through the ranks by becoming a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal.

Twain never had the opportunity to attend a major university, but rather spent his nights in public libraries teaching himself. Twain also worked as a riverboat pilot and a miner before finding success in the newspaper business. He went on to write several novels including "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," for which most know Twain.

To me, Twain's story says it doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn't matter what kind of degree you have hanging on the wall. It doesn't matter how young or how old you are. What really counts in the end is a passion for life and the courage to pursue your dreams.

I think if Twain were alive today he would probably tell us to turn off the television, put down the cell phones and quit filling our lives with so many "busy things" that we don't have time to pursue our dreams anymore. Next time an adventure comes your way, forget that you're "too busy" and take a chance. You never know what might happen.