A vision will pull you forward.

Having a vision will pull you beyond anything you have ever done or not done; anything anyone else has said or believed about you.

The power of a focused mind.

Allow self-validation to grow within you, rather than seeking it externally.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” - Unknown

When you are convicted of a crime and the judge hands down a sentence, you receive a minimum and maximum. The minimum sentence is the time you’re mandated to serve before you can even be considered by the parole board for early release. Your maximum sentence is the most amount of time you have to serve before you have satised your debt to society.

Parole meant that any little infraction resulted in the loss of my fragile freedom.

I spent most of my life in jail not just because I was a risk-taker, but because I often bet against myself.

In devoting a great deal of my life to finding the fastest route to money, I gambled with two precious assets that you don’t get back when you lose that gamble: your time and your life. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t win some hands, but I would also be lying if I failed to admit that my biggest wins while leading a life of crime did not compare to the losses when I got caught.

Fortunate to still have breath in my body, I sat on my bed, painfully ashamed of the time that was gone forever—but for the first time in my life, I was equally optimistic about the fact that I had an opportunity to do something I had never done before: bet on myself.

If I could transfer the hustler’s energy that I brought to robbing, stealing, and dealing to motivating people to give one hundred percent to reaching their highest potential while staying out of trouble, I thought to myself, can’t nobody fuck with me.

Someone who could put a smile on your face was a valued asset in our community.

America loves the successful criminal.

“When you stop moving, you stop moving.”

“I don’t know when, or what, but one day you’re going to learn, and I hope you do before it’s too late.”

And most of the time I would get shot down because I wasn’t going for just any chick—I was going for the tens. And I would shoot at a grown-ass woman because you missed a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.

“You got to lick it before you stick it.”

“ A robbery ain’t nothing but a murder waiting to happen.”

“Do your thing but leave them guns alone. One wrong move and everyone’s life is gone.”

When you’re in jail, you got to see things from a different lens. It’s the only way to survive. If I looked at things from the lens of how things happened outside the wall, I’d have gone crazy because I’d be scared. When you’re shook, you’re in trouble. And when you ’re in trouble, the time you do begins to fuck with you.

It started with me being the person who motivated anyone who would listen to do just one thing better than they did the day before.

You can do what you want and kick it with who you want, but there are systems in play that keep shit running smooth, and you got to know who, what, and when to speak on certain things.

You got to learn to listen fast and talk slow.

From that point on, I told myself I would act as dumb as they come. I would go on about my time like I don’t know nothing about nothing.

Prison is one of the most respectful places I’ve ever been in my life. And I’m going to tell you why: because the smallest little thing could ignite a war, and tensions are so high, everyone prioritizes their safety and survival. Especially when you know you have a life beyond the cell.

There is no escaping the thoughts that weave in and out of your mind like a slithering snake filled with deadly venom. Some of the deepest, darkest thoughts find ways to poison every inch of your being to the point where you become your own worst enemy.

Y ou never knew what someone had going on in their life at the times you were able to get through. People said they would hold you down, but sooner than later, most of them forgot about you.

Things can really change when you put your mind to it.

In prison, you learn to stay ready so you never have to get ready.

If anyone ever thought prison was meant to reform, they’re sadly mistaken. If your entire foundation has been built on criminal intentions, what other skill would you have to lean on when your day-to-day survival depends on negotiations? It’s partly the reason why it’s such a revolving door. You come in and accidentally figure out how to become an even sharper criminal.

“Shake that shit off,” Ray said, without even asking what was wrong. “Leave what’s outside outside! You heard? You can only deal with what’s right in front of you, one day at a time.

Being a follower is for suckers.

When you're a follower, you have no control over the outcome.

More can be said in stretches of silence than anytime else.

Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, + God by Russell Simmons

There was no better legacy for a child than being present.

Crime might pay in the short term, but over time, it costs way more.

Jail is where you go before you’re successfully tried and convicted of a crime. Prison is where you’re sent after you’re found guilty and sentenced.

George Lois’s Damn Good Advice (For People with Talent!): How to Unleash Your Creative Potential by America’s Master Communicator.

You can’t attract people to your lifestyle by showing them everything. You have to show people what you want them to see, and what you know they want to see.

The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy by Steve Stoute

“Live your motherfucking life. Just do it for me.” - Shoes

Iyanla V anzant’s book Acts of Faith

The number one rule in prison is to mind your business and stay out of the way if you want to survive.

Who will you be today for a better tomorrow?

“And it’s just like that”

“Usually, when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.” - Malcolm X

It was okay to be angry, but what you do with that anger is what matters the most.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you can’t do, because if you can see it, you can be it.

Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia.”

You got to make ’em laugh to make ’em listen.

Did I want to rob the people who cared about me of more time than they already lost with me in prison? When I did it, I realized forgiveness was a gift I gave to myself because it freed me to move on with my life. I gave myself permission to live.

Anything I put my mind to, I can eventually master.

If you genuinely want to be fully transformed, you must be one hundred percent intentional!

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