It has been said that "graces come to the courageous"—to people who face life head-on and give it their best. Sometimes, courage is forced upon us. At other times, our courage comes from an inner urge to live a life of service or make a difference in the world. Essentially, courage is running toward the facts as they are instead of away from them or wishing they were different. Courage is about accepting the authorship of our lives instead of succumbing to victimhood. However, there are many faces of courage. There is the courage to face circumstances and the courage to walk your life path. There is the courage to confront challenges and overcome difficulties. The ultimate courage is to be yourself—not to pretend to be someone you are not or to try to be someone who meets the approval of others. Being yourself is what overcomes any personal shame over not being enough or being flawed. When you are courageous, you are taking responsibility for your role as the author of your life story. But something magical happens to the courageous. They find grace. Or, more accurately, grace finds them.

Grace comes to the courageous, not to the pious, not to the ones who run from the world or from themselves. Today, set your intention to be courageous; to step out into the world as yourself. Today, be courageous and stop worrying about hurting other people's feelings by expressing your needs and wants. Today, be courageous by standing up for what you know is right, no matter what the rest of the world is telling you. Today, choose to be courageous, and you will be given the gift of grace.

Just for today, I acknowledge that I am the star in my own movie. I am also the author and the director. I now create wonderful new roles for myself. I am good enough and everything is working out for my highest good. And so it is.