Journal of today’s activities:

This morning I left my house quite early to drive to an event in Stockton. A community based organization known as Fathers and Families of San Joaquin County hosted a workshop known at The Boys and Men of Color. A few weeks ago they invited me to make a presentation and I agreed. I’m glad that I did.

The leaders who contribute to Fathers and Families are an impressive group. I met Sammy Nunez through my partner, Justin Paperny. We’ve been working together for the past year. Sammy is a formerly incarcerated individual who has made a 100 percent commitment to improving the lives of people who face challenges. Over the past decade, he has built an organization that serves hundreds of people each day. I know that his group provides contract services to law enforcement and other social service agencies, always with an interest of improving the community and opening new opportunities for the people who live with challenges.

I shared my story and described out Straight-A Guide program to an audience of several hundred people. We met in a conference room at The University of the Pacific. I hope the audience received the message well.

Following my presentation I went for a run near the university. Then I went to a restaurant with free wifi so that I could complete some work. At 5:00 pm I went to meet with the leader of another community based organization in Stockton. She had representatives from two other groups, so I told them all about the origins of the Michael G. Santos Foundation and our Straight-A Guide program. She indicated that she would be interested in purchasing a one-year licensing agreement as a pilot program, to test the Straight-A Guide as a tool for the people she serves. Following the meeting, I made the long drive back home.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 242
• Miles run today: 11.36
• Miles run this week: 44.16
• Miles run this month: 73.79
• Miles run in 2014: 809.8
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 146.23
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

I drove from my grandmother’s house to the airport in Long Beach at 4:30 this morning. My flight was scheduled to depart around 7:00, but I need to return the rental car and I wanted to complete some email work in the early morning before the flight. Fog delayed the flight, so I was able to complete many projects on my laptop while waiting.

Once I landed, I looked forward to preparing for the class that I would teach at San Francisco State University. I teach a course called The Architecture of Incarceration and I have 80 students enrolled. The students read my book Inside: Life Behind Bars in America during the first half of the class and they read Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-year Prison Term during the second half of the class.  Those two books provide a theoretical framework for the lectures that I deliver. In addition to lecturing, I frequently bring in guest speakers. Tonight I had Ross Mirkarimi, Sheriff of San Francisco.

Sheriff Mirkarimi was the first elected official I had in the class. I appreciated his willingness to visit, and I especially appreciated the wisdom of his experience that the Sheriff shared with our students. We learned about the various duties of our city’s Sheriff department and we learned his thoughts about how students can prepare for careers in law enforcement.

This role of university lecturer has been fulfilling, but I’ve decided that this semester will be my final semester teaching. I no longer have the time flexibility to meet the demands of a life on campus, with 80 students depending on me.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 241
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 32.8
• Miles run this month: 62.43
• Miles run in 2014: 798.44
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 141.44
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

While running this morning I had a long conversation with my partner, Justin Paperny. Running is the best time for me to talk on the phone. Whenever I’m at my desk, I focus on the computer screen or on writing. While writing or researching, I minimize phone time because conversations interfere with my concentration. This morning, I worked with Justin to draft a contract that our staffing company could use with employers.

Our staffing division seeks to provide a bridge between the formerly incarcerated and the workforce. We’ve created a handbook that teaches our Straight-A Guide strategy to the formerly incarcerated. We wrote the handbook in a manner that allows participants to study at their own pace. Participants respond to questions as they deem appropriate. To the extent that participants work through the program, we have an idea about the prospects for their success. It’s our hope that we can open more employment opportunities for the formerly incarcerated.

Following my morning run, I returned to Orange County to complete more work with the corporate development team that I’ve begun introducing to our Straight-A Guide.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 240
• Miles run today: 8
• Miles run this week: 32.8
• Miles run this month: 62.43
• Miles run in 2014: 798.44
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 148.01
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

Last night I slept at my grandmother’s home in Southern California. My mother lives there also, and my sister Julie happened to be in town with my niece, Sophia. It was the first time we’ve ever been together. I enjoyed seeing everyone, even though I was away working for the entire day.

I spent the day in Orange County working with an exciting real estate development company that is in rapid-growth mode. The company is building its sales force and I’ve begun doing some work to train the team. This project represents an essential step in developing the Straight-A Guide system of personal development. As I’ve frequently written, I use the context of my 26-year journey through prison as a teaching tool. The real message, however, shows that any individual can reach a higher potential when that individual takes time to define values, set clear goals, and then execute a plan that will deliver.

In preparation for this task, I met with senior members of the leadership team. The head of sales was out of town on personal business. I won’t be able to meet with him until later this month. I was only in town for a two-day visit, and he won’t return before I conclude my trip to Southern California. But I enjoyed learning from others on the team.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 239
• Miles run today: 8
• Miles run this week: 24.8
• Miles run this month: 54.43
• Miles run in 2014: 790.44
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 146.58
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

A popular saying teaches that the harder we work, the luckier we become. People who live in accordance with this principal inspire me. I am blessed to have numerous mentors who guide me, and they all have achieved extraordinary levels of professional success. Casual observers who hear about or observe wealth that my friends created frequently talk about how lucky they are. I know differently. The people from whom I learn worked exceptionally hard, always strategizing and anticipating the opportunity costs associated with every decision they made. By living a deliberate life, always focusing on success as they defined success, repeated good fortune came into their life. Some of my friends’ business transactions resulted in their earning more during a six-month span than most people earn during an entire lifetime. My friends succeed because they anticipate challenges and opportunities. Then they consider the costs associated with each choice. Their assessment leads to decisiveness. Then they commit wholeheartedly, moving aggressively to convert visions into reality. They own their decisions, both the good and the bad. I learn from them by asking questions. The responses they give help to guide decisions that I’m making as I navigate the coming seasons.

As I’m typing this entry I’m on a Jet Blue flight to Los Angeles. This trip will put me face-to-face with many individuals from whom I intend to learn. Some work in Hollywood, others work in business. One friend of mine built an extraordinary business. Initially I approached him with a request that he support the work that our team does to improve the outcome of our nation’s criminal justice system. He recognized the value of our Straight-A Guide, suggesting that I should modify the message for a corporate audience. We’re now contemplating the investment we’d have to make to modify our program, replacing the emphasis on prison and the formerly incarcerated with an emphasis on pursuing excellence.

In reality, pursuing a corporate market would expand our opportunities in significant ways. But it would not come without costs. My passion has been to work toward improving the outcomes of our nation’s criminal justice system. It’s a colossal problem that influences the life of every American citizen. Yet to succeed in this quest to improve upon the greatest social injustice of our time, our organization needs to generate additional financial resources. We need funding to sustain us through the long bottleneck that separates us from the sales cycle to the payment of purchase orders. Pursuing the corporate market may be a solution, but I also recognize the risk of being distracted from the mission.

I’m contemplating the strategy that I must follow moving forward. If I work harder, perhaps I’ll become fortunate in finding the solutions we need.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 238
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 16.8
• Miles run this month: 46.43
• Miles run in 2014: 782.42
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 145.12
• Today’s Weight: 168

Journal of today’s activities:

My friend Seth Nobmann and I enjoyed an 11 mile run around a local park in Petaluma this morning. After finish, I returned to my writing assignment. By 6:30 in the evening I concluded my handbook for the formerly incarcerated. For my next challenge, I’ll convert the lessons into PDF interactive documents. Individuals should be able to complete the assignments on their portable devices in a self-directed way. I’ve got some other responsibilities that will keep me busy Monday through Friday of next week, but I’ll turn my attention back to the handbook for the formerly incarcerated next weekend.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 237
• Miles run today: 16.8
• Miles run this week: 16.8
• Miles run this month: 46.43
• Miles run in 2014: 782.44
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 151.72
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

My friend Jerron Jordan brought incredible value to the students who are enrolled in the class I lead as a lecturer at San Francisco State University. He’s truly a dynamic speaker. His real contribution was his authenticity. Jerron is a former street gang member who served several years in high security prisons. While confined, Jerron became a prison gang leader, deeply involved in the prison subculture. He told our class of how he stabbedA few years prior to his release, Jerron saw the light and reformed. His transformation began while he was locked inside of a segregated housing cell. Since his release a few years ago, Jerron has been instrumental in teaching others how to transform their lives. I am grateful to him for helping our students grasp more understanding about how our nation’s prison system operates. The students in our class will advance to careers in law enforcement. Guest speakers like Jerron Jordan provide invaluable information that will shape the way these future leaders contribute to better outcomes from our nation’s prison system.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 234
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 44.58
• Miles run this month: 20.08
• Miles run in 2014: 756.09
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 145.08
• Today’s Weight: 164