Daniel Vivier

Every one of the 6.8 billion people on this planet have dreams. Everyone of these people want their dreams to become true. Many fail and only a few succeed. Why?

What are my dreams? Too many to choose from and too few worth mentioning. Yet I have one aspiration that is worth voicing. I want to come to the end of my life, whenever that is, and be able to say, without a shadow of a doubt, that the word regret never comes up in the recollection of my life.

As a university student, I have seen many of my peers leave their dreams at the wayside in preparation for the "real world" and for "reality". Reasons for doing so range from poor excuses to genuine, well thought out debates. It seems financial security and corporate success rank quite high on our "wants" list as the youth of today and the future of tomorrow. I am not any different from the next person, only in that the one thing I know is that my life is mine, to do with as I please. No one stands in my way and no one is there to catch me if I fall. One chance is what I have been given and one chance is all I will get. Now, it is all down to choice, a leap of faith and pure blind luck. The blank page of my life lays before me, I just want to see if I can write something worth while before the clock runs out.

The way I want to live my life is by becoming a solo adventurer and embracing the life that that entails. I want to see the world, test my limits, explore the far reaches of my inner psyche and find true, humbling solitude and the wisdom that comes with it. My journey is mine and mine alone, and does not stand out amongst the billions of others around the world. My name will not endure in the annals of history, neither will my legacy become legend, but a life lived in hiding from your dreams, through fear of failure, can never truly be called living.

History

I was born on the 10th of February, 1990, in Johannesburg. Lived there for 11 years, went to school at Jan Cilliers Middle School. Then moved to Stellenbosch in 2001, at the age of 12, lived there for 2 years, and went to Eikestad Laerskool. I then moved to Geneva, Switzerland, as my father was sent to work there. I lived there for 7 years and attained an IB diploma at College du Leman. I spent a gap year working on the expedition yacht of internationally renowned explorer Mike Horn (www.mikehorn.com), currently busy with his latest project, Pangaea, a 4 year environmental expedition around the world, teaching the youth of the world about the natural world and all its beauty and how to conserve it. This gap year was a turning point in my life, as working for Mike taught me the value of inspiration and the importance of pursuing ones hopes without doubt. His mixture of environmental activism, exploration and adventure opened my eyes to what I want to do for the rest of my life. It now seems as if it had always been the most viable career option, something I have always subconsciously yearned to do, only not knowing that there was a viable career combining all the things that I loved and wanted to pursue.I am currently studying a BSc Conservation Ecology at the university of Stellenbosch, South Africa and a resident of Wilgenhof Male Residence.

Goals

• Fulfill my dream of becoming a solo adventurer and environmental advocate.
• To leave this world, having done all in my power to add something positive and meaningful behind that enriches the lives of others.
• To never forget that the human race is as dependent on the environment and world around us as is any other living organism.