We have been living in a very dark time, from a certain perspective, a chapter of history in which our people have allowed fear to control our actions more than we realize. Terrible things have happened to change us from brave souls fearlessly exploring the world, into meeker versions of ourselves, reaching for safety at all costs. The cost of safety, it seems, is much too high. In our fear, we have become selfish and cold to the people around us, and we have not been investing in new ideas to expand our economy with the same kind of heroism and vision that once led our actions. This is beginning to change.

Many of you have chosen a different path than the narrow road that fear leads us down. There are a great many who have lived within the constraints of trepidation, over-protection, and close-heartedness, and have finally had enough. You have tasted freedom through the pursuit of the wide but dangerous path suggested by your heart, and you have benefited from your choice to never again allow fear to be a determining factor in your life. In matters of business, friendship and family, nothing yields greater returns than the choice to bravely do what feels right for you, and for the people around you.

The choice to live unhindered by fear leads us to become our real selves, unashamed of our true nature. The process of becoming more of who we really are and expressing it without concern for ridicule is very much like a flower unfolding from a bud. I remember a profound moment I had in a little surf-town in Australia. I was sitting outside with my notebook, writing what later would become a book called Transcending Fear. Next to me was a beautiful flowering bush, some of the flowers open, others waiting for their moment in the sun. I was struck by the great many flower buds that had fallen to the ground, unopened. I realized in that moment how many people live out their entire lives without every truly expressing what they had within them. The sinking feeling I got led me into a new emotion, a feeling of hope that more of these blossoms could be urged into bravely expanding into their full potential. That is why I do what I do.

Far from the people who crossed great oceans and landed on the moon, a large portion of humanity has become spectators of reality more than participants, and this does not suit us. We are brave explorers on the inside, and living any other way will always lead us to feel an emptiness inside that leads to depression with spurts of displaced aggression, and ultimately physical illness and premature death. Our bodies cannot live without inspiration, because the life force that sustains us requires our continued expansion.

Although sitting on the couch watching TV may seem safe, it is by far a more dangerous option than taking life head-on. We must grow into new realms and become more than we have been in the past, or we will never be truly happy. When we take life on as a heart-driven fearless adventure, our resolve leads us to open new aspects of ourselves that require even more heroic bravery: compassion, charity, and daring to care for one another. Nothing is scarier than allowing ourselves to feel and show love, and nothing is more worthy of the risk than walking the path of openhearted compassion. That is the real reason for being brave. Adventure merely trains us to be brave enough to truly be ourselves, and to share our love without letting fear mute our true feelings.

There is a story of a man at a funeral. He stood weeping at the gravesite long after all the others had gone. The Rabbi slowly walked up and stood next to the man. Taking a deep breath to soften his emotion enough to speak, the man said: "I loved that woman. I almost told her once."

Let your blossom open.

Cool Head,

Warm Heart.

-BSG-