As an adult, I’ve realized relationships from every walk of life can make or break you: relationships with your family, friends, teachers, children, managers, colleagues, business partners, and significant others. You can learn many things to push you forward or keep you on a path toward nowhere. Relationships shape you and teach you something about life, most notably yourself, that no one else can. But it’s up to you to pay attention to what you are telling yourself, what you are keeping around, the things you emphasize more, and the people you are better off without.

I always tell people one of my favorite sermons is from Bishop TD Jakes.

“There are people who can walk away from you. And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don’t want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean, hang up the phone. When people can walk away from you, let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.”

I started channeling Bishop TD. Jake’s words and Mrs. Child’s examples into daily affirmations I recited aloud, to myself, and by myself when looking in the bathroom mirror every morning. Affirmations are positive words and phrases that you can repeat daily to retrain your mind, body, and spirit for the better. The affirmations resonated, spoke volumes, and brought the terms “forgiveness” and “let it go” to the forefront of every aspect of my experiences. I began to feel a shift that caused me to let go and walk away from people and things that were no longer healthy for me. Of course, many didn’t like the change, and I honestly didn’t care because I spent too much time carrying baggage that needed to be dropped.