Pack a positive attitude and overcome anything

On July 15th, 2015
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“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living”

-Miriam Beard

 

I still vividly remember the excitement that I had as I embarked on my first ever road trip when I was four years old. It was a long ten-hour trek, but the excitement powerfully overtrumped the boredom. That trip to Florida was fun of course, but it happened to be so much more than that, whether I knew it at that time or not. It was the beginning of my love affair with travel.

Since then I have been to fourteen countries and am head-over-heels in love with traveling, even as a wheelchair user. Sure, traveling in a wheelchair comes with a plethora of obstacles that non-wheelies don’t have to worry about, but is it worth the trouble? Definitely!

Perception can be the biggest obstacle to overcome when traveling as a wheelchair user. However, if you can turn that frown upside down then you will have a great time no matter what.

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I am pretty much considered the King of Bad Luck, but I don’t let it stop me. When my wheelchair battery charger managed to blow up on my first night in Germany or even when I was trapped on a burning bus in Washington, DC, I smiled through it, found a solution to the problem, and moved on to the next adventure. I could have just as easily wept and stayed in my hotel with no charger the rest of the trip, but I wouldn’t have gotten to drink beer in the famous Hofbräuhaus, or learn that Mozart was born in Salzburg, and then go see his actual birth home.

Travel, like life, is all about how you handle the cards that you are dealt.

While disabilities can affect your life with many challenges, you must focus on the abilities that you do have.

For example:

  • I can’t walk, but I can dream of my next adventure.
  • I can’t drive a vehicle, but I can have the motivation to drive myself further.
  • I can’t stand, but I can stand out.

All of these things that I can do have inspired me to follow my passion, roll out of my comfort zone and see the world. By having a positive attitude and focusing on what you can do, there truly is no limit to how far you can go.

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Whether you dream of hiking the Grand Canyon or swimming with dolphins, anything is possible with a bit of determination. There is too much beauty in the world to let a wheelchair, or any barrier for that matter, stop you from getting out there and rolling around the world.

Corey Lee is a world traveler who is continually inspiring others to make the most of what they have and live their dreams. You can read more about his adventures at Curb Free With Cory Lee.

Photo Credit: All photos belong to Cory Lee and cannot be reused without permission.