Tuesday, December 2, 2014

What do you do today? Would you call yourself successful?

As of today I’ve been free from the prison system for fewer than 500 days. I am director of communications for a global property developer. But my passion remains to work toward improving outcomes of our nation’s prison system. I work to write programs and lesson plans that teach others how to navigate the criminal justice system successfully, and I do a lot of public speaking on the subject. The 26 years that I served as a prisoner gives me a different perception or definition of success than many people have. I would never call myself “successful” because that would imply the journey is over. In reality, success is a pursuit, a daily commitment. Every day I work to succeed in accordance with the values that define my life and the goals that I set. I am happily married and I am employed, but I must work very hard to continue achieving goals that I set. Success requires a daily commitment, and I don’t know how to perceive the concept of being “successful.”

 

Days since my release from prison: 477

Miles that I ran today: 0

Miles that I ran so far this week: 13.3

Miles that I’ve run during the month of December: 13.3

Miles that I ran so far in 2014: 2,244.29

Miles that I need to run in order to reach my annual goal of 2,400 miles: 155.71

Miles I’m ahead of schedule to reach my 2,400-mile goal by the end of 2014: 36.77

My weight for today: 168