You Are What You Eat... But You Are Also What You Think

Mental Nutrition Matters - Your Thoughts Have Calories Too

 

"Many people carefully monitor what goes into their body while ignoring what repeatedly enters their mind."

I Had a Praying Grandmother: Honoring the elders, stories, and prayers that shaped us

There are some conversations that catch you completely off guard.

Not because they are loud.
Not because they are dramatic.
But because they reveal something you never expected to hear.

I had one of those moments while talking with my mother.

Somehow, the conversation turned toward moonshine. Not just the idea of it. Not just stories about people making it. My mother began talking about her own ability, skill, knowledge, and experience with making moonshine.

I was surprised.

I listened as she spoke with confidence, familiarity, and a kind of practical wisdom that only comes from lived experience. She was not guessing. She was not repeating something she heard. She knew what she was talking about.

And in my surprise, I said something like, “You know that’s a boom.”

She laughed.

But inside, my thoughts went somewhere deeper.

“Oh my goodness,” I thought, “I know you had a praying grandmother.”

That moment stayed with me.

At first, it was funny. It was unexpected. It was one of those family conversations that makes you laugh because you realize there are whole parts of your elders’ lives that you may know nothing about.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the conversation was about more than moonshine.

It was about survival.

It was about wisdom.

It was about hard times.

It was about the things people learned to do because life did not always give them easy options.

And it was about the covering, strength, and prayers of those who came before us.

When we say, “I had a praying grandmother,” we are not just repeating a nice phrase. We are acknowledging something spiritual. We are recognizing that somewhere in our family line, somebody prayed when things were uncertain. Somebody prayed when money was short. Somebody prayed when the road was dangerous. Somebody prayed when children were making choices, when families were struggling, when sickness came, when disappointment came, when life felt heavy.

A praying grandmother represents more than a person.

She represents covering.

She represents intercession.

She represents faith that kept working even when circumstances did not look good.

She represents somebody who may not have had much in material things, but had power in prayer.

Many of our elders lived through challenges we may never fully understand. They faced poverty, injustice, loss, discrimination, grief, and limited opportunities. They had to be resourceful. They had to be strong. They had to stretch what little they had and make it work.

Sometimes their stories make us laugh.

Sometimes their stories surprise us.

Sometimes their stories make us uncomfortable.

But if we listen with humility, their stories can also teach us.

My mother talking about moonshine reminded me that our elders carry history in their voices. They carry lessons in their memories. They carry survival in their hands. What may sound strange to one generation may have been necessary to another.

That does not mean we glorify every choice. It does not mean we ignore consequences or pretend every decision was perfect. This reflection is not about blaming anyone. It is not about pointing fingers. It is not about judging the past from the comfort of the present.

It is about understanding.

It is about gratitude.

It is about realizing that people did what they knew how to do with what they had at the time.

And by the grace of God, many made it through.

There is something powerful about being able to sit with an elder and hear the truth of their life. Not the polished version. Not the version edited for public approval. But the real version. The transparent version. The version that says, “This is what I knew. This is what I saw. This is what I survived. This is what life taught me.”

Those conversations are a privilege.

We do not get to keep our elders forever. So when we have the opportunity to listen, we should listen. When we have the opportunity to ask questions, we should ask. When we have the opportunity to laugh with them, we should laugh. When we have the opportunity to learn from them, we should learn.

Because sometimes buried inside a simple conversation is a revelation.

A story about moonshine can become a story about strength.

A laugh from your mother can become a reminder of grace.

A surprising confession can become a spiritual reflection.

And one thought can rise above everything else:

“I know you had a praying grandmother.”

So many of us are standing today because somebody prayed.

Somebody called our names before we even understood the battles we would face.

Somebody asked God to cover us, guide us, protect us, and keep us.

Somebody prayed through addiction in the family.

Somebody prayed through brokenness.

Somebody prayed through fear.

Somebody prayed through bad decisions.

Somebody prayed through generational pain.

Somebody prayed through tough times and said, “Lord, make a way.”

And somehow, a way was made.

That does not mean life has been easy. It does not mean we have avoided hardship. It does not mean every prayer was answered the way people expected. But it does mean we were not uncovered. It means faith was present. It means love was present. It means somebody believed God for us, even when we did not know how to believe for ourselves.

That is why I am thankful.

Thankful for the elders.

Thankful for their stories.

Thankful for their honesty.

Thankful for their resilience.

Thankful for the laughter.

Thankful for the lessons.

And yes, thankful for a praying grandmother.

Because in a world where so much can break us, it is a blessing to know that someone prayed for us to make it. Someone prayed for us to learn. Someone prayed for us to grow. Someone prayed for us to become better, wiser, stronger, and more faithful.

We are not here by accident.

We are here through grace, survival, sacrifice, and prayer.

So the next time an elder shares something that surprises you, do not rush to judge it. Pause. Listen. Laugh if the moment calls for laughter. Reflect if the moment calls for reflection. Ask God to help you see the deeper lesson.

Because sometimes what sounds like a shocking story is really a testimony in disguise.

And sometimes the only thing you can say is:

“Oh my goodness…

I know you had a praying grandmother.”

Failure Is Data: Just Valuable Information

Why Successful People Learn to Value the Next Step Instead of the Last Mistake

How Micro Adjustments, Confidence, and Relationships Turn Setbacks into Success

One of the biggest differences between highly successful people and everyone else is not talent.

It is not intelligence.

It is not luck.

It is often their relationship with failure.

Most people see failure as evidence that something isn't working.

Successful people often see failure as information about what to do next.

That perspective changes everything.

The Misunderstanding of Failure

Many people grow up believing success and failure are opposites.

If you succeed, you win.

If you fail, you lose.

But life rarely works that way.

In reality, many successful people fail repeatedly before achieving their goals.

The difference is that they don't define themselves by the setback.

They define themselves by their willingness to continue adjusting.

Failure becomes part of the process rather than the end of it.

The Most Successful People Have Failed Multiple Times

Look at entrepreneurs.

Athletes.

Inventors.

Authors.

Business owners.

Scientists.

Leaders.

Most of them have stories filled with setbacks, rejection, mistakes, and disappointment.

The public often sees the outcome.

What they don't see are the countless adjustments made before success arrived.

The missed shot.

The failed business.

The rejected proposal.

The unsuccessful experiment.

The difficult lesson.

Success often sits on top of a mountain of previous failures.

Micro Adjustments Create Major Results

One reason successful people continue progressing is because they rarely try to change everything at once.

Instead, they make micro adjustments.

A slight improvement.

A small correction.

A new strategy.

A better habit.

A different approach.

To an outside observer, these changes may seem insignificant.

But over time, small improvements create significant results.

The athlete changes their technique.

The student improves their study habits.

The business owner adjusts a process.

The parent changes how they communicate.

Each adjustment moves them closer to the outcome they want.

Success Through Statistics

Some successful people view life through a statistical lens.

They understand that every attempt is not supposed to succeed.

A salesperson may know that ten conversations lead to one client.

An author may know that multiple drafts are required before publication.

A business owner may understand that several ideas must fail before one succeeds.

In these situations, failure is not a surprise.

It is expected.

It is built into the process.

Each unsuccessful attempt provides information that improves the next attempt.

Instead of asking:

"Why did I fail?"

They ask:

"What did I learn?"

That question changes failure into feedback.

Confidence Is Built Through Failure

Confidence is not built by avoiding failure. Confidence is built by surviving it, learning from it, and trying again.

One of the greatest myths about successful people is that they are naturally confident.

Many are not.

Their confidence was built.

And surprisingly, failure was often the builder.

Real confidence is not believing you will never fail.

Real confidence is believing you can recover when you do.

Every challenge overcome becomes evidence.

Every setback survived becomes proof.

Every adjustment made becomes another reason to trust yourself.

People often mistake confidence for certainty.

But confidence is not certainty.

Confidence is experience.

It is knowing:

"I've faced difficult situations before."

"I've adapted before."

"I've learned before."

"I can do it again."

The most confident people are often those who have failed enough times to know that failure will not destroy them.

Relationships Grow the Same Way

The strongest relationships are not built by people who never fail each other. They are built by people who learn how to repair, reconnect, and grow.

The same principle applies to relationships.

Many people expect relationships to succeed without difficulty.

They believe strong friendships, marriages, families, and partnerships should naturally work.

Yet every meaningful relationship experiences challenges.

Misunderstandings.

Disappointments.

Arguments.

Differences.

Unmet expectations.

What separates healthy relationships from unhealthy ones is not the absence of problems.

It is the willingness to adjust.

Just as successful people make micro adjustments toward goals, healthy people make micro adjustments toward connection.

They learn:

• how to communicate differently
• how to listen more effectively
• how to apologize
• how to repair trust
• how to understand another perspective

Every disagreement becomes data.

Every misunderstanding becomes information.

Every conflict becomes an opportunity to improve the relationship.

Confidence in Relationships

Many people struggle in relationships because they tie their confidence to perfection.

They think:

"If we argue, something is wrong."

"If I make a mistake, I've failed."

"If I disappoint someone, the relationship is over."

But healthy relationships do not require perfection.

They require resilience.

Confidence in relationships comes from knowing:

"We can work through this."

"We can learn from this."

"We can adjust."

"We can grow."

The strongest relationships are not built by people who never fail each other.

They are built by people who learn how to recover, repair, and reconnect.

Emotional Success Works the Same Way

The process is no different for personal growth.

People working through:

• anxiety
• depression
• grief
• addiction
• trauma
• self-doubt

often expect healing to happen in a straight line.

But growth rarely moves that way.

There are setbacks.

Bad days.

Old habits.

Moments of frustration.

Yet every return to the process matters.

Every attempt to try again matters.

Every step forward matters.

Progress is often hidden inside what feels like failure.

Milestones Hidden Inside Failure

Most people celebrate outcomes.

Successful people celebrate progress.

They recognize milestones hidden inside what others call failure.

For example:

You did not get the job.

But you completed the interview.

You did not finish the race where you wanted.

But you improved your time.

You did not reach your sales goal.

But you doubled your conversations.

You did not save the relationship immediately.

But you finally had the difficult conversation.

You did not eliminate anxiety.

But you attended the event anyway.

The milestone becomes evidence of growth.

And growth becomes evidence of progress.

The Power of Consecutive Improvements

Imagine improving by just one percent every day.

One better decision.

One better habit.

One better response.

One better effort.

Those improvements may seem invisible at first.

But consistency compounds.

Over time, small adjustments produce significant transformation.

Many successful people are not looking for perfection.

They are looking for momentum.

Because momentum often creates success before confidence arrives.

Reframing Failure

Perhaps failure is not what we think it is.

Maybe failure is not falling short.

Maybe failure is refusing to learn.

Maybe failure is refusing to adjust.

Maybe failure is stopping before the lesson is complete.

The people we admire most often failed more than the average person.

They simply refused to stop measuring progress.

Final Reflection

Success is rarely a straight line.

It is often a series of attempts, corrections, setbacks, lessons, and adjustments.

The most successful people understand something many others miss:

Failure is not always the opposite of success.

Sometimes failure is the pathway to success.

Sometimes confidence is built through recovery.

Sometimes relationships grow through repair.

Sometimes the lesson is hidden inside the setback.

Every mistake contains information.

Every adjustment creates progress.

Every milestone matters.

And every failure has the potential to become part of a future success story.

The question is not whether you will fail.

The question is whether you will learn enough from it to take the next step.

Because sometimes the next step is all success requires.

G-Pay: A Father's Day Tribute to the Men Who Invest Their Time

 Why the Greatest Men Leave More Than Money Behind

The Most Valuable Thing a Man Can Give

As Father's Day approaches, many conversations will focus on gifts, cards, cookouts, and celebrations.

All of those things have their place.

But this tribute is for a different kind of gift.

The gift of a man's time.

Not every man sees himself the same way the world sees him.

There is the man he perceives himself to be.

There is the man he presents to others.

And there is the man he exemplifies through his actions.

The man who leaves the greatest impact is often the one who understands that his value is measured by more than what he earns, owns, or provides financially.

It is measured by what he gives of himself.

His attention.

His presence.

His experience.

His wisdom.

His time.

The Man He Chooses to Be

A man's character is often revealed not during the easy moments, but through the choices he makes every day.

The choice to show up.

The choice to listen.

The choice to teach.

The choice to guide.

The choice to remain present even when life is difficult.

Many men quietly carry responsibilities that others never fully see.

They provide stability.

They provide direction.

They provide protection.

But the men who leave lasting legacies understand that providing extends far beyond money.

Because money can solve a temporary problem.

Time can change a life.

The Power of Presence

Some of the most influential men never realize their impact.

They are the fathers who attend the game.

The grandfathers who tell stories.

The uncles who teach skills.

The mentors who answer questions.

The coaches who stay after practice.

The coworkers who take a younger employee under their wing.

The community leaders who invest in people instead of simply managing programs.

Their gift is not always financial.

Their gift is presence.

And there is something powerful about being around a man whose investment in you makes you feel like your money is no good.

Not because he is buying your loyalty.

But because he sees your potential.

He pays for the training.

He shares the opportunity.

He introduces you to the right people.

He teaches the lesson.

He spends the extra hour.

He invests what he can never get back.

His time.

🌎 Why It Takes a Village

Not every child grows up with both parents present.

Some are raised by a single mother.

Some are raised by a single father.

Some grow up without knowing one parent.

Some are adopted into loving families.

Others are raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, foster parents, mentors, coaches, teachers, pastors, and community members who step into roles they never expected to fill.

This is why the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," remains true today.

Because no single person can be everything all the time.

Children need examples.

They need guidance.

They need correction.

They need encouragement.

They need different perspectives and different forms of support.

A child growing up without a father may learn valuable lessons from a grandfather, coach, teacher, mentor, or family friend.

A child growing up without a mother may receive nurturing, wisdom, and emotional support from a grandmother, aunt, foster parent, or other caring woman in their life.

Adoption itself is a powerful example of a village at work.

Someone made the decision to invest their time, energy, love, and commitment into a child's future.

Not because they had to.

Because they chose to.

That choice can change generations.

The Village Runs on Investment

The village is not built on money alone.

It is built on people willing to invest.

Someone teaches a skill.

Someone offers a ride.

Someone helps with homework.

Someone listens during a difficult season.

Someone opens a door of opportunity.

Someone believes in a young person before they believe in themselves.

These investments may seem small in the moment.

But over time they become life-changing.

Many successful adults can point to a person who was not their parent but still played a major role in their development.

A coach.

A neighbor.

A teacher.

A mentor.

A supervisor.

A family friend.

Someone who made a G-Pay deposit into their life.

Expanding the Meaning of Father's Day

Father's Day can be a celebration of fathers.

But it can also be a celebration of fatherhood.

The spirit of fatherhood extends beyond biology.

It includes every man who chooses to guide, teach, protect, encourage, and invest in others.

It includes the man who mentors a young employee.

The grandfather raising grandchildren.

The uncle who shows up consistently.

The coach who teaches discipline.

The community leader who invests in young people.

The adoptive father who chooses commitment.

The foster father who creates stability.

The mentor who shares wisdom.

These men may never receive a title, trophy, or recognition for their impact.

Yet their influence can shape a life for decades.

That is why the village matters.

Because every child deserves to experience the value of someone investing their time, wisdom, and presence into their future.

And this is where G-Pay becomes so powerful.

The greatest deposits made into our lives are often not financial transactions.

They are investments of time, wisdom, patience, experience, and belief from people who chose to be part of our village.

Introducing G-Pay

I call it G-Pay.

The inspiration comes from Google Pay.

Most people understand the concept of a digital payment.

A transaction.

An exchange of value.

But G-Pay is different.

G-Pay is the payment made through wisdom.

Through experience.

Through mentorship.

Through lessons learned the hard way.

Through emotional scars transformed into guidance.

Through years of success and failure offered freely to help someone else move forward.

These men pay with:

Knowledge.

Skill.

Talent.

Patience.

Encouragement.

Correction.

Perspective.

And sometimes, simply by being available when someone needs them most.

Their payment is not transferred through an app.

It is transferred through relationships.

The Hidden Cost of Wisdom

What many people do not see is what these men paid to acquire what they now share.

The mistakes.

The setbacks.

The disappointments.

The failures.

The sacrifices.

The sleepless nights.

The grief.

The uncertainty.

Life became their teacher.

And rather than keeping those lessons to themselves, they choose to pass them forward.

That is G-Pay.

A transfer of value earned through experience.

A Legacy Beyond Money

Many people inherit money.

Fewer inherit wisdom.

Many receive gifts.

Fewer receive guidance.

Many receive assistance.

Fewer receive access to someone's lived experience.

The men we honor today understand that true wealth is not measured by what remains in a bank account.

It is measured by what remains in the lives of the people they touched.

A lesson remembered.

A confidence built.

A skill learned.

A dream encouraged.

A life redirected.

Those returns continue long after the money is gone.

Father's Day Reflection

This Father's Day, take a moment to recognize the men who invested in you.

The man who taught you something.

The man who showed up.

The man who believed in you before you believed in yourself.

The man who gave his time when he could have spent it elsewhere.

Whether he was your father, grandfather, stepfather, uncle, mentor, coach, teacher, pastor, coworker, friend, or community leader, his investment mattered.

Because the greatest men understand something many people spend a lifetime learning:

The most valuable thing they possess is not their money.

It is their time.

And the greatest gift they can leave behind is not an inheritance.

It is an investment in the growth of others.

Happy Father's Day to the men who continue making deposits through G-Pay.

Your wisdom.

Your presence.

Your patience.

Your experience.

Your leadership.

And your investment are changing lives every day.

✨ Closing Reflection

A man's greatest wealth is not what he keeps for himself.

It is what he pours into others.

The lessons he teaches.

The wisdom he shares.

The doors he opens.

The opportunities he creates.

The lives he touches.

Long after the money is spent and the gifts are forgotten, people remember who invested in them.

And that is the true power of G-Pay.

A legacy paid forward through time, presence, wisdom, and love.

"The greatest men don't just leave money behind. They leave wisdom, time, presence, and a legacy of growth in the lives of others."  Sidney Bohanen

The Weight of an "Oops"

 

How Children May Carry the Meaning of an Unplanned Birth Throughout Life                                                         

Many parents have said it.                                                                         

"You were a surprise."

"You weren't planned."

"You were an accident."

"You were unexpected."

Sometimes it's said with laughter. Sometimes it's part of a family story. Sometimes it's intended to communicate resilience, sacrifice, or even gratitude for how life turned out.

But children do not always hear what parents mean.

They hear what their developing minds understand.

And there can be a significant difference between the two.

The Difference Between Intent and Interpretation

A parent may tell a child:

"You weren't planned, but you were the best thing that ever happened to me."

The parent's intention is often love.

The child may hear:

"I wasn't supposed to be here."

Those are two very different messages.

Children are natural meaning-makers. They spend years trying to understand who they are, where they belong, and whether they are valued.

When they hear words such as:

• mistake
• accident
• surprise
• unexpected
• oops

they may attach meanings that were never intended.

A parent may be describing a circumstance.

A child may be describing themselves.

How a Child Might Internalize the Message

Children often personalize information.

Instead of hearing:

"The timing was unexpected."

They may hear:

"I was unexpected."

Instead of hearing:

"We weren't prepared."

They may hear:

"I wasn't wanted."

Instead of hearing:

"We had different plans."

They may hear:

"I ruined the plan."

Over time, these interpretations can become part of a child's internal story.

Possible Effects Across the Lifespan

Not every child will experience negative effects, and many children who were unplanned grow into healthy, confident adults.

However, some individuals may struggle with themes connected to belonging, worth, and acceptance.

Childhood

A child may wonder:

"Was I wanted?"

"Would things have been better without me?"

"Did I cause problems for my family?"

Even if these questions are never spoken aloud, they may influence behavior.

Some children become people-pleasers.

Others become perfectionists.

Some become exceptionally helpful in an unconscious effort to earn their place.

Adolescence

During adolescence, identity becomes increasingly important.

Young people begin asking:

Who am I?

Where do I belong?

What value do I have?

An earlier message about being an accident or mistake may resurface during this period.

A teenager may become highly sensitive to rejection, criticism, or abandonment because these experiences reinforce an already existing fear.

Adulthood

Adults sometimes carry beliefs formed decades earlier without recognizing their origin.

They may struggle with:

• fear of rejection
• difficulty trusting relationships
• feelings of being a burden
• overachieving to prove worth
• difficulty accepting love
• chronic self-doubt

Many discover that the issue is not the fact that they were unplanned.

The issue is the meaning they assigned to being unplanned.

The Mixed Message Problem

One of the most confusing experiences for a child is receiving mixed messages.

A parent may say:

"You were an accident."

Then later say:

"I love you more than anything."

Both statements may be true from the parent's perspective.

But the child may struggle to reconcile them.

The child may think:

"If I am loved, why was I called a mistake?"

"If I am valuable, why was I described as an accident?"

Without clarification, the child's imagination often fills in the gaps.

And imagination tends to be harsher than reality.

Reframing the Story

Perhaps one of the healthiest conversations a parent can have is helping a child separate circumstances from value.

A pregnancy may have been unexpected.

A child is not unexpected.

A situation may have been unplanned.

A person's worth is not unplanned.

Life may have changed.

The child's value never did.

These distinctions matter.

Children deserve to know that being unplanned is not the same thing as being unwanted.

Being unexpected is not the same thing as being unloved.

And being a surprise is not the same thing as being a mistake.

For Adults Who Heard These Messages

If you grew up hearing that you were an accident, mistake, or unexpected surprise, consider asking yourself:

What story did I create from that message?

Is that story true?

Or is it simply the interpretation of a younger version of me trying to make sense of life?

Many adults discover they have spent years carrying a conclusion that was never intended.

Healing often begins when we examine the meaning—not just the memory.

Final Reflection

Children remember stories.

Especially stories about themselves.

Parents often speak from experience, stress, humor, or hindsight.

Children listen from a place of identity.

That is why words matter.

A child may hear "oops."

But what they need to hear is:

"You belong."

"You matter."

"You are loved."

And regardless of how you arrived in this world, your value was never an accident.

💔 When the Pain Turns Inward

One of the most overlooked consequences of these messages is not what happens outwardly—but what happens internally.

When a child repeatedly interprets themselves as a mistake, accident, burden, or problem, the emotional pain does not simply disappear.

Children often lack the life experience to challenge these conclusions. Instead, they may absorb them as truth.

Over time, thoughts such as:

• "I shouldn't be here."
• "I make life harder for people."
• "People would be better off without me."
• "I have to earn my place."
• "I am a problem."

can become part of their identity.

For some individuals, this pain may show up through self-destructive behaviors rather than direct conversations.

Not because they want to be harmed, but because they are trying to cope with feelings they do not fully understand.

Emotional Self-Harm

Self-harm is not always physical.

Sometimes it appears as:

• constant self-criticism
• sabotaging opportunities
• staying in unhealthy relationships
• refusing help
• believing they deserve less than others
• repeatedly choosing environments that reinforce feelings of worthlessness

The person may not realize they are recreating the emotional message they learned years ago.

If the internal belief is "I am not valuable," they may unconsciously make decisions that support that belief.

Physical Self-Harm and Risk-Taking

For some individuals, emotional pain may become so overwhelming that it manifests through physical self-harm, substance misuse, reckless behavior, or other actions that temporarily numb emotional distress.

The behavior is often misunderstood.

The goal is not always injury.

The goal is often relief.

Relief from shame.

Relief from loneliness.

Relief from the feeling of not belonging.

This is why it is so important to understand that words spoken in childhood can have effects far beyond the moment they are said.

The Hidden Question

Beneath many self-destructive behaviors is a question that was never answered:

"Am I wanted?"

"Do I matter?"

"Was I ever supposed to be here?"

When these questions remain unresolved, people sometimes spend years searching for answers through relationships, achievement, money, perfectionism, addiction, or approval.

Yet none of those things fully heal the wound.

Because the wound was never about success.

It was about significance.

The Healing Message

Healing often begins when a person separates their worth from the circumstances of their birth.

A pregnancy may have been unexpected.

A child's value was not.

A family may have been unprepared.

A child's existence was not a mistake.

The moment a person begins to understand that distinction, they often discover something powerful:

The story they carried for years was never the whole story.

And their value was never determined by the timing of their arrival.