CAGED: Lessons from behind the walls.

No matter what you do to make a living, I believe that it’s very important to give back to the world, asking for nothing in return. Karma is real. Good Karma is even better.  I am a master business coach. And for over ten years, I’ve dedicated a portion of my coaching, consulting, and training practice to working with men in prison. Maximum security, to be exact. 

Every 60 days, I spend a full day behind the walls, working with maximum- and medium-security prisoners on business and personal development. I do it on my own time. I do it out of my own pocket. I ask nothing in return. I do it because it’s necessary and sometimes, life-changing.  Often, 50% of my classes are men serving life sentences, and others are there for innumerable types of convictions. But I soon realized that they weren’t that different from the entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives that I work with on the outside. They all are seeking HOPE, ENCOURAGEMENT, and a HUMAN connection. They all come to my sessions because they want to be there. They have decided to make a change. In some cases, it’s a life-changing decision. 

That decision was to do something to improve themselves. What I teach, every session is based on what they want for personal and (at some level) professional growth. I always ask them to vote on our next workshop topic. I give them choices that mirror what I offer to my business coaching clients who are business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives. A couple of years ago, the overwhelming vote was for a class on goal setting. 

Goal setting? I thought, ” Why do they want to learn goal setting? Some of these guys are never getting out.” But one of my guys explained it this way, “You see, Coach, when you come in here, you have two choices. One, be the same knucklehead that got you in here, talking smack, playing checkers all day, and getting in trouble. The second choice is to give myself a second chance and learn something of value and change, grow, and improve.”  

I learned my first big lesson. You can physically be imprisoned, but that doesn’t have to include an imprisoned mind. One inmate who has been at our sessions since we started is fulfilling a life sentence. He’s been incarcerated for a bit over 38 years. I know his story and his past, and it isn’t pretty. However, from the very beginning, he decided that you can keep my body in prison, but you can’t keep my mind imprisoned. His mindset became one of personal improvement, leaving the past behind and taking advantage of every opportunity to grow. Using the programs that the prison offered, he went back to school. He took every certification offered. He received a Ph.D. in Christian Counseling. 

Yes, that’s not a typo. He has earned a Ph.D. 

He’s an avid reader and has completed over 50 different certification classes. He’s currently studying trauma counseling. And he’s making a difference every day in the environment that he must live in. He has no complaints and no excuses. He chooses to use his time for growth, education, and helping other inmates. 

He lives every day with a mindset of possibilities while in a world of survival. 

If I’ve learned one thing about my continuing work “inside” it is this. Anyone in any situation can learn. Anyone. Whether you’re in prison or not, you need to understand this: Everyone gets a second chance. We have the power to give ourselves a second, third, and fourth chance. The alternative is to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, waiting, moaning, groaning, and whining about how tough the world is and how unlucky you are. If you wait for someone to give you a second chance, nothing positive ever happens. 

Learning and personal improvement never happen without a personal vision, a possibility mindset, and a concerted effort.  

And again, yes, my sessions with these men follow the same curriculum I use with my business coaching clients. We discuss mindset, goal setting and achievement, time and priority management, strategic thinking, writing business plans, marketing, communication, and more.  

Negative comments and negative mindsets are not tolerated in our sessions. And that is enforced by my attendees rather than me. Those who attend want to be there. They want to improve their mind and their possibilities. Some will be paroled, and when they are, they want more than a menial job. They really want to make a difference, for themselves, their families, and for society. And they start by learning. 

My question is this. Are people who waste their time and wallow in mediocrity, always complaining about their situation, any less of a prisoner than the men that I work with? Have they imprisoned their mind even though their physical bodies are not imprisoned? 

 So, inside or outside, know that anyone can seek learning and personal growth. The opportunities are everywhere. But don’t wait for someone to be charitable and give it to you. You have to make it happen. And if you choose to be happy waiting for your good luck to happen, well, good luck with that. 

The world will pass you by.