Courage is the foundation of freedom. Thucydides (460 BC–395 BC) wrote:

“The secret to happiness is freedom … And the secret to freedom is courage.”

Last month I wrote about forgiveness and how showing forgiveness is the path to freedom. Showing forgiveness is not easy for any of us to contemplate, and true forgiveness takes a great deal of courage. Letting go, not blaming others, and taking responsibility for your own life takes courage, but until you find that courage, you’ll find it difficult to enter the “free space” I wrote about in my last article. We all have “free space” in our minds where we can choose to go. Here, we can make our own conscious decisions without reacting to negative situations coming from the outside. We can be in charge of our own feelings and reactions. However, for a long period of our lives, we may have handed over responsibility for our lives to others; we may have developed certain beliefs about ourselves and the world in ways that did not serve us. Perhaps we didn’t believe we were free—free to live in love, abundance, and good health. Because of this, it takes courage to reintroduce yourself to the world, let go of all the old energy blocks, and reclaim your power. It can be overwhelming to adjust and reclaim the power you once gave away. That is why we say: “It takes courage to be, it takes courage to do, and it takes courage to have.”

The courage “to do” something is relatively easy to understand; we might be afraid to even consider bungee jumping or public speaking, for example—we can be frightened to do these things—but “being different”—do we really need courage for that? The answer is yes, because unless you are truly “being it,” you cannot live it. A lot of people dream about having or doing different things but only look at them from the outside; often we’re looking at a façade rather than at what’s real. In my book *Better the Whole World Against Me than My Soul*, I describe my journey from dependence on old paradigms I hadn’t let go of, and my move into a space of freedom.

Who are you really? What is your true nature and your purpose? Do you dare to say that you are unique? Not only is your fingerprint different from anyone else’s—so are you! You are extraordinary. There is only one you. Remember, too, that copying others—or trying to be someone you’re not—won’t benefit you at all.

So do you really have the courage to be yourself? Only then will you be able to make use of the “free space” we talked about. When you have that “free space,” you are literally free to decide what you want to do, be, or have. This sounds simple, but is it? Many people dream of winning the lottery, thinking it would change their lives for the better, but often those very people who do win end up losing their money before long. This is because they didn’t have the courage to be different—to be among the minority who have the wealth and the opportunity to make life-changing decisions. But we’re not just talking about wealth here. This way of thinking can be applied to our health as well. Many people live with average health. Doctors often tell us that the chronic conditions we have are part of getting older—something we have to learn to live with—and this is considered normal. But is that normal? It takes courage to be super fit and super healthy, but once we enter that “free space,” we can look forward to achieving it.

People dream of living longer; they fear pain and death, but are we really more afraid that we’ll die before we’ve made our mark on life? Are we afraid of not having done the things we wished we had before we happily leave planet Earth? Very often I challenge people with the question: “What if you were the last of your kind—the last apple on the tree?” So many times, people tell me they’re lonely; all their friends are gone, perhaps they’ve lost their lifelong partner, and they feel there’s really nothing left to live for. But you can be lonely even when you’re surrounded by people; there are eight billion people on the planet, yet many feel isolated. But it’s simply a choice people make to be lonely—the result of building a life around just a few select people.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• If you really want to be rich, could you handle a life of wealth when you might be surrounded by people living in poverty?
• If you want to be in great shape, would you be comfortable with that when most people are in poor health or sick?
• Are you ready to live a long life, to be the last apple on the tree?

Your inner belief systems will determine the answers to the questions above and how you navigate life. The more aware you are, the more positive energy you’ll have to bring about change. And the good news is that modern science now shows us that our thought patterns and focused energy can even alter our DNA, unlock our genes, and create new, healthy stem cells.

So, at least for an hour once a week, I urge you to reflect on your life and consider the issues that require your forgiveness. Take the time to ask yourself if you’re truly ready to BE the person you want to be, to DO what you want to do, and to HAVE what you want to have. It takes courage to be ready to receive. But if you’re willing to delve deeper into your thoughts, you’ll understand that courage is the key to BEING.

Information about my book *Better the Whole World Against Me Than My Soul* is available on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/1543284280