“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”

DEUTERONOMY 30:19 (NIV)

The way we view life has a direct impact on how we navigate each day. Responsibilities, challenges, and uninvited situations can make the road ahead feel heavy before the day even begins. But amid the noise of life, there is one question that can change everything: What do you choose to do with what you have been given?

A popular gospel song by Donnie McClurkin asks, “What do you do when you’ve done all you can, and it seems like it’s never enough?” The answer, “You just stand,” has inspired countless people to persevere. But over time, I learned that standing was only the beginning. To truly grow, I had to take intentional steps forward, even when the road felt uncertain.

Over the years, friends and loved ones often asked how I stayed so positive through life’s “lemons.” Yes, I made lemonade (thank you, Beyoncé), but there was more to it than that. Life, in its fullness, offered both mountaintop moments and valleys of difficulty. It was like driving through a long, winding highway. Sometimes I was coasting with the windows down. Other times, I was gripping the wheel in the rain. But neither the joy nor the pain was permanent.

One of the most powerful tools we have for navigating the road ahead is optimism. Optimism does not ignore reality; it reframes it. It helps you see possibilities where others see roadblocks. It gives you the courage to keep going when the journey gets rough.

I remember one season when everything seemed to fall apart. Finances, relationships, family matters—each colliding at once. For a while, I felt lost. Then one day, I made a choice: instead of focusing on what I could not control, I would focus on how I responded. That decision shifted everything. The road did not instantly smooth out, but my outlook changed, and that changed the journey.

What we put into the world often circles back. If you release bitterness, you attract more of it. But when you choose joy, kindness, and gratitude, those same forces return to strengthen you. The road may not always lead where you expect, but how you travel it is always your choice.

So, on this day, although I dreaded waking up and getting on that highway, I knew, like the sun, life would eventually burn off the morning fog. Look at the miles behind you and the road ahead, and decide: Will you let this moment define you, or will you define it?

Because the truth is, the choice has always been yours.

You can’t always choose the road, but you can choose how you travel it.

Keep moving forward,

Dr. Key