Bertrand Piccard is planning to circle the planet in a solar-powered airplane. He watched 6 Apollo takeoffs as a little boy. His Dad was a deep sea submarine diver and has been to The Mariana Trench – the deepest part of the world’s oceans. His grandfather invented the pressurized cabin – first person to see the curvature of the earth with his own eyes.
He grew up in a home where was no limit to big dreams – he thought it was normal in every family.
30 years after watching the Apollo spaceship go to the moon 1999 – Bertrand and Brian Jones were the first men to circle the earth in a hot air ballon. They landed with less than 2 hours worth of fuel – after 20 days of flying. And Bertrand made a promise to himself – that the next time he flew around the world it would be with no fuel. To not be threatened by the possibility of running out of fuel.
He says a “pioneering spirit” is to observe what we have learned to do and what we now think and believe and try something else. An active disruptive behavior from what you have learned to what you would like to achieve. 
He plans to fly his plane, the Solar Impulse, around the world next year – in 2015. And he’s already taken the maiden flight – just happened on Monday, June 2nd.
When Lindbergh crossed the ocean everyone knew that was the stretch limit – only enough fuel and capacity for one person. 20 years later we had planes carrying 200 people across the Atlantic.
Bertrand says people will tell you things are impossible – and that’s exactly why we should try to do them.
In the NPR TED Radio Hour where I heard this interview, Kai Ryssdal asked Bertrand, “Do you see a future where we will use solar energy to move us around?”
Bertrand replied, “I would be crazy to say Yes and stupid to say No.”
Today we don’t have the technology but we have to release our pioneering spirit to open new doors. People who fight to keep things the same will disappear.
Do you have a “pioneering spirit” or are you trying to keep things the same as they are now?
What personal dream do you have where you would be crazy to say it can be done but stupid to say it can’t be done? I love that kind of dream –
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Let me hear your dream. I’ll select 3 answers from responses received by Monday, July 21st and send you a copy of Chris Guillebeau’s book – The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World
