ey has had many ups and downs. I've had a marriage that ended in divorce, intimate relationships that led to my having children by multiple women, exchanges with friends that left me feeling drained and confused, and business partnerships that resulted in gridlock.

When I consider my relationships with family and friends, I've come to realize that sometimes those who are closest to you can hurt you the most.

And although one might think you should be able to turn to family for refuge or support, there are times family members are manipulative and, making it clear that "just cause we kin, don't make us friends." At my rock bottom, I became very frustrated and so discontent that I knew it was time to have a conversation with the person in the mirror, realizing the common denominator in all of these relationships was ME. When we hear the word "relationship," the first thing that comes to mind is romantic relationships. True enough, our relationship with our significant other gets most of our attention, time, and energy. What we don't realize is that every relationship in our lives - parental, familial, social, professional and others are affected by our first and most important relationship...the one we have with ourselves.

I'm excited to share my experiences good, bad, and indifferent in order to inspire change that starts with SELF. I hope to encourage you to take inventory of the things around you that you can control and not be controlled by the things around you. This means taking accountability for our choices, setting healthy boundaries, and giving ourselves permission to realign or redefine our WHY so that the outcomes line up more closely with our intentions. This is how to build a divine foundation of self that better serves us. Only then can we let our foundation lead the way and not allow people, situations, or circumstances to dictate our responses to life.

It all lends to our growth and is a part of the process. Loving the way God intends versus how we feel. This is how we build better families, better households, and better communities.