All we have is time. Take time for you. Invest in knowing yourself and what you want. Move away from what was drilled into your brain about what you are supposed to do. If you look at your watch right now, you’ll find that the time is now. And if you look again in a few minutes, it will still be now.

We have choices. You are allowed to make your own rules and never let anyone get in your way. If you keep encountering the same roadblock — a bad relationship or stressful work situation — then there is a lesson you have yet to learn.

Take this precious time, dig deep inside and break the pattern. I recently went to dinner with a colleague who is still at Cisco. For the first time, I was able to see how he saw me at work; through his eyes. It was not pretty as he saw a woman who gave 250% of herself to her job. This explained why I felt so depleted. The challenge is that most people don’t want to do the hard work. And yet, they stay frustrated in their situations. There are no guarantees. You never can predict what’s next despite all the people in the world who tell you to follow your dreams. If it was so simple wouldn’t they teach this to us in school?

Last week at Wisdom 2.0, I sat around the table with 10 strangers talking about courage. It showed me how much we get stuck in the narrative of who we are and what people expect of us. It was a strained conversation since everyone had a different definition of courage and I found people talking at me rather than having a conversation. There were three people trying to sell their company’s coaching services and touting their PhDs and titles. There was Daisy who works with at risk youth in South Chicago who was trying to figure out how to make her rent payment in March while the youth she is working with don’t get killed in a gang. And she burst into tears that she didn’t want to become a burden on her family but she wants to help these young people stay alive. She is doing it on her own. Now, that was courage. But no one had the courage to help her. They could talk about courage but could they act?

There is no destination. Just a series of life lessons. Cherish time and be very present. Focus on what is possible for you. Here is what I am thinking about: Do we pay attention to courage? Do you celebrate it when you face a fear and try to face it?