NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Nik Wallenda can't visit a new place without envisioning a wire strung high above his head: Linking buildings, landmarks, nations. Even as a 6-year-old at Niagara Falls with his parents, he pictured walking a tightrope over the raging, whitewater maw.

Now 33, he's ready to live out that childhood fantasy when he attempts Friday to become the first person ever to walk a tightrope directly over the brink of Niagara Falls.

"It's just natural," Wallenda, a seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas, explained. "When I drive into a city, I'm always thinking, 'It would be cool to do a walk there.' It's just the way I think and always have."

The daredevil is youthful and athletic, solidly built from gym workouts and a lifetime of training. But it's the mental element, trusting in his skill and tuning out the potential danger, that can mean the difference between success and failure.

"You can either talk yourself out of doing something or you can talk yourself into doing something," he said.

Since first stepping on a wire when he was 2, Wallenda, who lives in Sarasota, Fla., has earned six Guinness records. His family has been performing for audiences at circus-style shows for more than 200 years. Read more at CBS News