I have always preferred candy and various sweets as snacks. It became my ritual very early in life. But one Sunday morning, after a night full of dancing, I found out that choices matter. Hang tight because you will find out the key to regaining power over your life. Is it simple? Yes—but simple doesn’t mean it’s not complex.

Around 2019, before COVID, my friends from college and I loved going to homecoming to meet old classmates, dance, and just have plain fun. Those were great times. By this time, I had two children, and the dad bod was in full effect. My habit of eating plenty of sweets daily continued. I would order off the secret menus for cookies and cinnamon rolls. I would also enlist the help of Amazon to send me packages of my favorite candy biweekly.

I didn’t notice it at first, but the weight slowly packed on daily as well. Have your bad decisions ever caught up to you when it seemed out of nowhere? Well, my bad decisions about not eating healthy caught up to me one homecoming. The Sunday after a great night of fun, my lower back was in pain. I was in so much pain that my left leg was throbbing.

After a few months of this pain, I went to my chiropractor, and they figured out it was a sciatic nerve issue. My weight gain was causing my hips to become misaligned. My bad habits took away my power, but now it was time to gain it back. I eventually lost the weight and regained my power.

How do you regain your power? Your power lies in your choices. Whatever you choose, you become a servant to.

What are 3 ways to choose wisely?

1. Make the decision that provides long-term benefits. The best things in life require process. Process requires time.

2. Make sure your environment puts you in a position to make better choices. This is crucial because environments cement the habits that you live by.

3. Be cautious of family and friends who support bad decisions. Many times, the people closest to you reflect who you really are.

​Your power has always lies in your ability to make the right choice. Some decisions are hard, but you’d rather choose your hard than have your hard choose you.