An Australian palliative-care nurse named Bronnie Ware spent several years counseling individuals during the last 12 weeks of their lives. During the time she spent with them, she compiled their thoughts into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. These top five regrets were:

#5. I wish that I’d let myself be happier.

#4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

#3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

#2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

What was the number one regret of the dying?

#1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

Take that in for a moment. Individuals who only had 12 weeks left on this planet were most burdened by the knowledge that they hadn’t lived a life true to themselves.

I believe that’s what living your best life is all about. It’s living a life true to yourself. It’s about knowing who you really are—your dreams, your passions, your values, your likes, and your dislikes—and honoring that. It’s about letting go of trying to be who everyone else says you should be and embracing who you really are. It’s about speaking your truth—saying no when you mean no and yes when you mean yes! And that most certainly does take courage.

You deserve to live a life true to yourself. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you’ve been through, find comfort in the fact that it’s not too late for you to live a life true to yourself. You can move forward and transform your life forever!