Shawn Anderson Is Preparing to Walk Across His 10th Country: "My Potential Line Is Always in Pencil"

The founder of Extra Mile Day says the limit we fear may not be our real limit at all.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Shawn Anderson is preparing to walk 270 miles across Jeju Olle Trail in South Korea, marking the 10th country he has crossed on foot. At 63, Anderson is taking on another challenge that will push the limits of what he believes he is capable of.

"I may be an ordinary person, but I want to live an extraordinary life," Anderson says. "I've spent my life pushing past what feels comfortable. The challenge never feels good when I start. It hurts. It is intimidating. I'm scared. But then I get rolling. And somewhere along the way, I learn I'm stronger than my fear said I was."

That approach has shaped much of Anderson's life. He has walked across nine countries, pedaled solo across the United States twice, started multiple businesses, written seven books and published more than 750 consecutive Extra Mile Thursday blogs.

In 2015, Anderson was told no one would come to a 30-day speaking tour he planned throughout the Philippines. Nearly 20,000 people came. He was also told his idea for Extra Mile Day was silly. The initiative launched in 2009 with 23 participating cities and, by 2025, had grown to 510 cities across all 50 states, recognizing thousands of people who went the extra mile in volunteerism and service in their communities.

Those experiences shaped the way Anderson now thinks about potential.

"We only go as far as we think we can go. Unless we change the distance in our head. Unless we erase where our potential line once was—and pencil it in a little farther."

Anderson has made that idea personal.

"We decide what we'll attempt, what we'll risk and what we'll settle for. Then we live inside that line so long that we forget we put it there."

He describes the difference between a limit that feels permanent and one that remains open to change.

"A line drawn with a permanent black Sharpie says, 'This is as far as I go. Period.' A line drawn with a pencil says, 'This is as far as I think I can go—for now.'"

Anderson has lived that belief by choosing challenges that force him beyond what he thought he could do.

"If we choose our limit before we even start, we'll never find out who we'd become on the other side of our line."

Anderson says not knowing where that edge is may be part of what keeps him moving.

"I still can't see the edge of my potential," he says. "That's what keeps me going. I haven't found it yet."

Now, Anderson is taking that belief to Jeju.

"When I move that line and find out I can do something I thought was beyond me, I come home more capable," Anderson says. "I have more confidence in myself to dream bigger. If I succeed in the Jeju walk, I am excited to see what I can become, think and create after I return home. And that is why I will go. I want to live my life fully and fearlessly. That is my juice."

Anderson isn't treating Jeju as a finish line. He's treating it as another chance to discover what might still be possible.

"I'm not ready to look at my life and say, 'Well, I guess that's it, guy. You did well...but that's all you had in you. You reached your potential. Game over.'"

"That's why I erase the current line...and pencil in a new one: 'Jeju, South Korea.'"

About Shawn Anderson
Shawn Anderson is an author, entrepreneur, adventurer and founder of Extra Mile Day, a national initiative recognizing people and organizations that go the extra mile in their communities. He has walked across nine countries, pedaled solo across the United States twice, written seven books and published more than 750 consecutive Extra Mile Thursday blogs. His mission is to empower one million people to live a more passionate, positive and purposeful life.

Media Contact:
Shawn Anderson
310-402-4826
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SOURCE Shawn Anderson