We must be willing to give up what we are

 in order to become what we aspire to be. 

To learn how to ride a bike, we had to lift our feet off the ground, place them on the pedals, and then frantically steer the handlebars once our father let go of the bike. We also had to let go—of our fear of crashing. Learning to swim, we had to let go the side of the pool. Going to college, we had to leave home and go live with a bunch of strangers.

Becoming a bike rider, a swimmer, a college student required us to leave what we knew and who we were, and sally forth into the unknown. Essentially, we had to leave a familiar place to arrive at a new one. That venturing forth wasn’t easy.

But venture forth, we did. Why? We were enthralled by the possibility of what we could become. Working to achieve our dreams took courage and imagination. And determination. We deemed the freedom to be gained every time we succeed to be worth the effort.

But someday, we’ll realize that they were nothing compared to the freedom we will gain venturing forth to awakening.