On 3/11/17 Kev writes, I type...
We can never change the future by being stuck in the past. Resentment and guilt can be our greatest enemies and I watch men fall victim to these traps on a daily basis. I think a majority of the men in here see the department of rehabilitation and corrections as a failure. They believe the system has given up on them. What I see on a daily basis inside these walls certainly supports their argument. How do we expect to change something that is broken by ignoring it? In order for us to break the cycle of failure we must create a new wheel. I realize that true change starts within me. What most of these men don't understand is that you cannot wait on the "system" or someone else to change what has to be changed from within. Arresting failure takes the courage to be able to accept your failures and to not let the rest of your life be defined by those failures.
If you want anything to change, you must first change yourself. If you continue to allow yourself to be a statistic, you will never see things around you change. We have to fight for something instead of always fighting against everything. When we can learn from our failures we will end up finding a new direction.
I feel like I am repeating things I have written to you all before. I just feel like nothing will change unless we are able to find the change we wish for inside ourselves.
We must learn to arrest failure from acceptance from within for only then will we find the progress we seek around us. To truly fix what is broken, we must become the tools for success. Every day, I try to lead by example to show those around me that until you fix yourself, nothing else around you can be fixed. I feel it's more courageous to admit your faults than to pass the blame to someone or something else. I am at a very special place in my life. I have an understanding of myself today and I take each day as it comes. I do not let speed bumps become mountains. I give myself a chance to mess up but I strive for progress rather than perfection , and by doing that I am able to find peace. When we can lay our heads down at night and know we have given our best, to me that is what living is all about.
I plan to leave this place the person I was always supposed to be. I want to be a vital part of the solution and not the problem. I want to be an example and a catalyst for others to not only find hope from but also for them to find the guidance they need to not end up in a place like this...
How can YOU arrest failure?
Today's Positive Affirmation: I will be the example for all others to find guidance, and be a light that shines in the darkness...
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Measuring Sticks
On 3/4/17 Kev writes, I type:
How do you measure success? Most people believe success is measured by decimal points and dollar signs. Success is not measured by the numeric value of your bank account or by the outside appearance of material assets you have obtained. Success is a much more spiritual and internal concept that most of us have a hard time grasping. Some of us spend an entire lifetime searching for "our" version of success. What we end up doing is spending that time chasing happiness instead of ever truly finding it. Sometimes, the happiness we end up chasing becomes a trap, sometimes it ends up becoming a prison.
I used to measure my version of success through how I was perceived by other people because I was never able to truly understand and accept myself. I think most young people in today's world can relate to this. When we rely on perceptions of others to define who we are, we lose our true identity. When we learn to accept ourselves from within happiness will reveal itself in the form of our actions and decisions. I've found my own negative choices and the consequences of those choices are merely the outward expression of my own internal discontent.
Being able to find contentment within myself has allowed me to redirect my focus, and has been able to show me what happiness means to me. Through this newfound happiness I've experienced true change and through that change I am able to help change others. I measure success by what I've overcome. When we make one mistake, we must learn two lessons that will push us further forward. If we succumb to our mistakes instead of trying to learn those lessons, we only push ourselves back further from where we want to be. In the evolution of self our greatest achievement is progress not perfection.
We are each born into a prison. That prison is ourselves. Don't let your internal perception become an outward expression defined by destruction. I want each of you to look in the mirror and smile. Realize this: Life, your life, is greater than all the wars we wage. It burns brighter than any star. We are precious, fragile but brilliant beings. Do not strive to be perfect because in return you will never truly live. Strive to be human, find contentment within yourself and project your light through an expression of happiness. You can be your own success story, measured by your happiness.
Today's Positive Affirmation: I am an outward expression of internal happiness....
How do you measure success? Most people believe success is measured by decimal points and dollar signs. Success is not measured by the numeric value of your bank account or by the outside appearance of material assets you have obtained. Success is a much more spiritual and internal concept that most of us have a hard time grasping. Some of us spend an entire lifetime searching for "our" version of success. What we end up doing is spending that time chasing happiness instead of ever truly finding it. Sometimes, the happiness we end up chasing becomes a trap, sometimes it ends up becoming a prison.
I used to measure my version of success through how I was perceived by other people because I was never able to truly understand and accept myself. I think most young people in today's world can relate to this. When we rely on perceptions of others to define who we are, we lose our true identity. When we learn to accept ourselves from within happiness will reveal itself in the form of our actions and decisions. I've found my own negative choices and the consequences of those choices are merely the outward expression of my own internal discontent.
Being able to find contentment within myself has allowed me to redirect my focus, and has been able to show me what happiness means to me. Through this newfound happiness I've experienced true change and through that change I am able to help change others. I measure success by what I've overcome. When we make one mistake, we must learn two lessons that will push us further forward. If we succumb to our mistakes instead of trying to learn those lessons, we only push ourselves back further from where we want to be. In the evolution of self our greatest achievement is progress not perfection.
We are each born into a prison. That prison is ourselves. Don't let your internal perception become an outward expression defined by destruction. I want each of you to look in the mirror and smile. Realize this: Life, your life, is greater than all the wars we wage. It burns brighter than any star. We are precious, fragile but brilliant beings. Do not strive to be perfect because in return you will never truly live. Strive to be human, find contentment within yourself and project your light through an expression of happiness. You can be your own success story, measured by your happiness.
Today's Positive Affirmation: I am an outward expression of internal happiness....
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Little Lights
On 2/27/17 Kev writes, I type..
There is so much darkness in the world that sometimes it becomes hard to find your way. Most of us look for comfort in all the wrong places. We must only look within ourselves to find that little light of hope. Each time I write a new post, I leave you all a new positive affirmation.
It's so important...I used to have the most negative self talks towards myself, but now each day I try to encourage and motivate myself through positive affirmations.
If we constantly tell ourselves over and over again that we cannot achieve something, that we are not good enough...we end up becoming the way we talk. That negative voice takes over.
We must be able to encourage ourselves and motivate the good that lies within each of us. The more you believe in who you want to be and where you want to go in life....the closer you get to that goal and the quicker you begin to reach your dreams. I don't allow outside voices to dictate who I am, or allow them to tell me where I am going in life. I don't take no for an answer in regards to the dreams I am most ambitious about . Having a healthy confidence in yourself is way different from selfish pride built from fear or anxiety.
Each morning try to stand in front of your mirror and tell yourself face to face something good about who you are and where you are going.
Today's positive affirmation: I create my own destiny through the inner strength I find within...
There is so much darkness in the world that sometimes it becomes hard to find your way. Most of us look for comfort in all the wrong places. We must only look within ourselves to find that little light of hope. Each time I write a new post, I leave you all a new positive affirmation.
It's so important...I used to have the most negative self talks towards myself, but now each day I try to encourage and motivate myself through positive affirmations.
If we constantly tell ourselves over and over again that we cannot achieve something, that we are not good enough...we end up becoming the way we talk. That negative voice takes over.
We must be able to encourage ourselves and motivate the good that lies within each of us. The more you believe in who you want to be and where you want to go in life....the closer you get to that goal and the quicker you begin to reach your dreams. I don't allow outside voices to dictate who I am, or allow them to tell me where I am going in life. I don't take no for an answer in regards to the dreams I am most ambitious about . Having a healthy confidence in yourself is way different from selfish pride built from fear or anxiety.
Each morning try to stand in front of your mirror and tell yourself face to face something good about who you are and where you are going.
Today's positive affirmation: I create my own destiny through the inner strength I find within...
A Price Too High To Pay
On 2/25/17 Kev writes and I type....
The decisions we make in this life all come at a cost...I know first hand what my negative decisions in life have cost me. When we don't think before we act, or we act out of pure self-seeking behavior we end up costing ourselves more pain instead of the pleasure we attempt to seek.
I think people fail to realize that you don't have to be famous to make an impact visually. We make an impact on the rest of the world through the way we choose to live our lives . Our personal decisions are the subtle imprints we leave in life. When we die it will be the moments we have shared with one another that will determine what legacy we leave to be followed. If the world is a stage, what will be remembered about your "performance"?
My heart is no longer content in just letting life pass me by. I am able to part my lips today without fear and smile. Happiness comes to me the most at the end of each day when I lay my head to rest, knowing that I made the right decisions throughout the day.
The little things we choose to do right each day matter. They not only benefit our own well-being, they also benefit those around you.
Life is not a gentle ride...There are speed bumps. It is what we choose to do when we hit those bumps that matter the most. I used to run to drugs and alcohol to solve everything I did not want to face head on in this life...In the end the cost became to high for me to pay, and those same speed bumps became mountains.
Today, I choose not only to climb those mountains..I choose to create a path that offers guidance for others like myself to follow.
We must realize that we all have something that others can learn from..our actions become the blueprint for those around us to follow and build a better world from. In reality we are all teachers of our own truth, and we are all parts of a very similar machine. take time each day to decide just what mark you leave on the world around you.
Today's positive affirmation: Self-destruction is too high a price to pay. I will never take being alive for granted!
The decisions we make in this life all come at a cost...I know first hand what my negative decisions in life have cost me. When we don't think before we act, or we act out of pure self-seeking behavior we end up costing ourselves more pain instead of the pleasure we attempt to seek.
I think people fail to realize that you don't have to be famous to make an impact visually. We make an impact on the rest of the world through the way we choose to live our lives . Our personal decisions are the subtle imprints we leave in life. When we die it will be the moments we have shared with one another that will determine what legacy we leave to be followed. If the world is a stage, what will be remembered about your "performance"?
My heart is no longer content in just letting life pass me by. I am able to part my lips today without fear and smile. Happiness comes to me the most at the end of each day when I lay my head to rest, knowing that I made the right decisions throughout the day.
The little things we choose to do right each day matter. They not only benefit our own well-being, they also benefit those around you.
Life is not a gentle ride...There are speed bumps. It is what we choose to do when we hit those bumps that matter the most. I used to run to drugs and alcohol to solve everything I did not want to face head on in this life...In the end the cost became to high for me to pay, and those same speed bumps became mountains.
Today, I choose not only to climb those mountains..I choose to create a path that offers guidance for others like myself to follow.
We must realize that we all have something that others can learn from..our actions become the blueprint for those around us to follow and build a better world from. In reality we are all teachers of our own truth, and we are all parts of a very similar machine. take time each day to decide just what mark you leave on the world around you.
Today's positive affirmation: Self-destruction is too high a price to pay. I will never take being alive for granted!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
The Fault With Fame
On 2/21/17 Kev writes I type....
I was watching a talk show this afternoon that usually portrays a positive family oriented message, and was disappointed by the musical performance that was chosen for today's episode.
The host introduced a rap group that performed a song with lyrics specifically written to glorify selling drugs and violence. There were numerous times during the song where the lyrics clearly displayed these subjects in a positive manner. I was highly upset by this display. After this specific performance the next guest that was brought out was a young child. What message did we send in this instance when we blatantly overlook the previous message that was just displayed? Why does our popular culture continuously work to lower our moral standards and constantly stereotype specific groups in a negative fashion?
When we choose to portray ourselves in a negative fashion, we only work to hold back positive progress in our world. When a child grows up in an inner city community and is continuously subjected to music that portrays his culture and community in a way that only displays negative attributes and criminal lifestyle choices, that child becomes conditioned into believing that he or she is only entitled to live in this negative pattern due to his or her socioeconomic condition or because of his or her specific race. In return, these specific setbacks that they long to escape from only become more permanent when we choose not to change the message.
When will people start to have the guts to stand up for what they know is right? Show our children, our world, a better way to live by not accepting the negative messages we have become accustomed to.
I just believe that if we truly want anything to change..we must first start becoming that change. This starts with ourselves. We must chose to show the world a different way to live by having the courage to portray a different message. Until we are able to show all people no matter what community they live in... no matter what color their skin is,,, no matter what difference...that we all have the same opportunity, because we are all the same..We are all human...nothing will change.
I want you all to interact to this post by finding a positive person in pop culture or the media, and place an example of how they are using their fame in a way that benefits our world.
Place your findings in the comment section of this post and help create a mirror for a different message to be reflected.
Today's positive affirmation: I will represent a message worth hearing for all to benefit from.
I was watching a talk show this afternoon that usually portrays a positive family oriented message, and was disappointed by the musical performance that was chosen for today's episode.
The host introduced a rap group that performed a song with lyrics specifically written to glorify selling drugs and violence. There were numerous times during the song where the lyrics clearly displayed these subjects in a positive manner. I was highly upset by this display. After this specific performance the next guest that was brought out was a young child. What message did we send in this instance when we blatantly overlook the previous message that was just displayed? Why does our popular culture continuously work to lower our moral standards and constantly stereotype specific groups in a negative fashion?
When we choose to portray ourselves in a negative fashion, we only work to hold back positive progress in our world. When a child grows up in an inner city community and is continuously subjected to music that portrays his culture and community in a way that only displays negative attributes and criminal lifestyle choices, that child becomes conditioned into believing that he or she is only entitled to live in this negative pattern due to his or her socioeconomic condition or because of his or her specific race. In return, these specific setbacks that they long to escape from only become more permanent when we choose not to change the message.
When will people start to have the guts to stand up for what they know is right? Show our children, our world, a better way to live by not accepting the negative messages we have become accustomed to.
I just believe that if we truly want anything to change..we must first start becoming that change. This starts with ourselves. We must chose to show the world a different way to live by having the courage to portray a different message. Until we are able to show all people no matter what community they live in... no matter what color their skin is,,, no matter what difference...that we all have the same opportunity, because we are all the same..We are all human...nothing will change.
I want you all to interact to this post by finding a positive person in pop culture or the media, and place an example of how they are using their fame in a way that benefits our world.
Place your findings in the comment section of this post and help create a mirror for a different message to be reflected.
Today's positive affirmation: I will represent a message worth hearing for all to benefit from.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Lighthouse
2/19/17 Kev writes I type.....
The world can be a very dark and unpredictable place. At times, we all need a light to guide us back to safety the same way a sailor uses a lighthouse to guide him or her back to shore. Sometimes we get caught drifting towards nowhere and lose sight of our destination...we search for that beacon of hope to help guide us where we need to be. When you begin to accept that light inside yourself...you become an illuminated example of positivity. When we shine we also shine for others. I notice the more content I become with myself... the more happiness I have and it's that same happiness that shines for others to see and find comfort in. I can't count the number of times in these past months where another inmate has chosen to confide their problems to me in the hope that I will be able to offer them guidance. I never try to preach to someone who is struggling, I only attempt to offer my own experience, strength and hope. I try to offer them suggestions that could lead them to that same light they sense in me. In those moments it is another clear example of how we are all mirrors reflecting into each other.
If you are filled with negativity and a discontent within yourself, you end up becoming the wave that pulls the rest of the world around you into discontent. When we become lost in our own selfish battle to satisfy ourselves, we turn off that light that shines inside us that can help others find their way to serenity. We all look to one another for some form of guidance. In my recovery I have discovered that I cannot offer something to someone else that I do not yet have within myself...
I had to find that way to the light house within me in order to shine for others. We feed off the energy we sense in others. It is evident in history just how powerful self confidence can be with regard to persuading those around us. Even the most negative and horrible human beings have had the ability to lead millions into false ideas and beliefs. They used their self confidence to help control those around them in order to satisfy their own selfish desires. Their beacon was a false light. We must be grounded in selfless intentions when we work to help others. Today, I would never try to take advantage of another human being's weakness in order to satisfy myself. I now strive to be an example of how happiness, hard work and self acceptance can bring so much into your life. When others can sense that happiness inside you that they are searching for inside themselves, they can find direction. It is our duty to become that lighthouse of guidance they can use to find that contentment. It starts with us first. Become the open arms that help pull those lost at sea to shore..Every day try to lead by example by committing yourself to what you know is right, even if the rest of the world seems to be against you. Do not allow the misery that corrupts our path dictate what you know to be as your personal truth. Let your light shine for others to follow!
I ask you all to do something each day to help lead those who are lost inside back to happiness. Respect yourself by respecting others and you will end up not only guiding yourself to peace, you will end up guiding others towards a new sense of happiness and hope.
Use the comment space on this page to be a lighthouse for someone you know or love...
Today's positive affirmation: I will become the beacon of happiness that others can find their smile in.
The world can be a very dark and unpredictable place. At times, we all need a light to guide us back to safety the same way a sailor uses a lighthouse to guide him or her back to shore. Sometimes we get caught drifting towards nowhere and lose sight of our destination...we search for that beacon of hope to help guide us where we need to be. When you begin to accept that light inside yourself...you become an illuminated example of positivity. When we shine we also shine for others. I notice the more content I become with myself... the more happiness I have and it's that same happiness that shines for others to see and find comfort in. I can't count the number of times in these past months where another inmate has chosen to confide their problems to me in the hope that I will be able to offer them guidance. I never try to preach to someone who is struggling, I only attempt to offer my own experience, strength and hope. I try to offer them suggestions that could lead them to that same light they sense in me. In those moments it is another clear example of how we are all mirrors reflecting into each other.
If you are filled with negativity and a discontent within yourself, you end up becoming the wave that pulls the rest of the world around you into discontent. When we become lost in our own selfish battle to satisfy ourselves, we turn off that light that shines inside us that can help others find their way to serenity. We all look to one another for some form of guidance. In my recovery I have discovered that I cannot offer something to someone else that I do not yet have within myself...
I had to find that way to the light house within me in order to shine for others. We feed off the energy we sense in others. It is evident in history just how powerful self confidence can be with regard to persuading those around us. Even the most negative and horrible human beings have had the ability to lead millions into false ideas and beliefs. They used their self confidence to help control those around them in order to satisfy their own selfish desires. Their beacon was a false light. We must be grounded in selfless intentions when we work to help others. Today, I would never try to take advantage of another human being's weakness in order to satisfy myself. I now strive to be an example of how happiness, hard work and self acceptance can bring so much into your life. When others can sense that happiness inside you that they are searching for inside themselves, they can find direction. It is our duty to become that lighthouse of guidance they can use to find that contentment. It starts with us first. Become the open arms that help pull those lost at sea to shore..Every day try to lead by example by committing yourself to what you know is right, even if the rest of the world seems to be against you. Do not allow the misery that corrupts our path dictate what you know to be as your personal truth. Let your light shine for others to follow!
I ask you all to do something each day to help lead those who are lost inside back to happiness. Respect yourself by respecting others and you will end up not only guiding yourself to peace, you will end up guiding others towards a new sense of happiness and hope.
Use the comment space on this page to be a lighthouse for someone you know or love...
Today's positive affirmation: I will become the beacon of happiness that others can find their smile in.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Vessels
2/17/17 Kev writes, I type...
It gets really hard to find true moments of peace behind these walls. My favorite time of day in here comes late at night mostly. When everyone is sleeping there is silence...there is peace...I am able to focus my thoughts and listen to that voice inside me that gives me clear guidance.
The conversations we have with ourselves tend to be the conversations we share with God. After all, we are the vessels He lives through. We all have different conceptions of God but the truth is all human beings want to believe in something greater than themselves. Our relationship with that life force is what gives us purpose. We shine the brightest when we represent how close we are to that spiritual being that lives through us all....we become empty vessels when we choose to turn from what we feel inside us.
I may be in this physical prison right now. but believe it or not, this is the most free I've ever felt in my life. I have been able to find true happiness in so many little things lately. I choose to feed my relationship with the God of my understanding by appreciating what I have and through being in service to others.
Sometimes we have to learn to distance ourselves from those outside forces that corrupt our happiness. Just because there is a storm raging outside does not mean we have to stand in it. When we make ourselves stronger...We become a shelter for others to find safety through...
Today's positive affirmation: I will only choose to stand in the light of understanding.
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