When we are young, we fearlessly dream about what our lives might be like. Since I was very young, I     1     (dream) of working for the United Nations in some of the most troubled     2     (country) in the world. And thanks to a lot of courage, that dream finally came true.

But here’s the thing about courage: It doesn’t just appear whenever we need it. It’s the result of tough     3     (consider) and real work, involving the balance between fear and bravery.     4     fear, we’ll do foolish things. And without courage, we will never step into     5     unknown. The balance of the two is where the magic lies, and it’s balance we all deal with every day.

    6     (diagnose) with a disease called HIBM three years ago, I found all my muscles affected from head to toe. It was     7     (frighten) news, because I had no idea how the disease might progress. But what was     8     (extreme) disheartening was listening to other people advise me to limit my ambitions and dreams. So, I ignored them and continued to pursue my dreams of working all over the world.

Life is already scary, so to make our dreams come true, we need to be brave. In facing my fears and     9     (find) the courage to push through them, I swear my life has been extraordinary. So live big and try to let your courage outweigh your fear. You never know     10     it might lead you in the life journey.