Author of Book Report: Bo$$ Boyd
Book: No Excuses: The Power of Self Discipline
Author: Brian Tracy
Why I chose to read No Excuses?
Once again, I found myself in foreign territory. I was booked into FCI Tallahassee, a long way from home with 939 other female inmates telling me there is no hope for getting anywhere or anything done. We arrived on a Thursday night, Friday morning it was on as usual. Fresh meat is an understatement. Diamond II’s had hit the compound and everyone LOVES my glasses, lips and smile.
I heard all the stories about what’s wrong with the institution, few stories of the action to make anything better or attempts to create ways to receive better assistance. For a split second I wanted to believe the crowd, but my ego wouldn’t allow me. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I will figure out a way to succeed for myself. Preparing myself to not be a part of the crowd, but lead the crowd.
I headed to the library, something I have been stricken of the past thirteen months of my life. There was a period of my life, I would take my children to the library, a minimum of twice a week, to get books and have story time or let my children interact with other children whose parents knew the importance of children actual touching books.
I made it a point to locate a book that would get me back on the mental track I need to be on. Page one quoted Mark Twain, “There are a thousand excuses for failure, but never one good reason.” I didn’t have one good reason to sit back and soak on assumptions and negative conversations with others. I was going to continue on the path best traveled for me to figure “the change” out, and help others on the way as well.
What I learned reading No Excuses?
“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what has happens to him.” Aldus Huxley.
I learned multiple strategies to apply self discipline in every aspect of life, even while jailing it out. “The Sufi philosopher Ishrat Khan once said, ” Life is a continuous succession of problems, like waves from the ocean. They never stop.” This means that your ability to practices self discipline, self mastery and self control, when faced with the never ending flow of problems, difficulties, set backs and temporary failures you will experience is essential to your success in any aspect of life.”(Page 200).
From this point, moving forward I will strive to be the top twenty percent. “The top twenty percent of people in our society earn and control eighty percent of assets”( pg. 81). It all starts with mentality. Physically I’m in BOP custody, mentally I’m in my office, fighting for Reform, getting ready to send an email to one individual that will listen and help with change. I’m already in the mind state of the top twenty percent. I’ve wrote down multiple plans in detail, ready to execute, and have no objection to working towards every single goal I have set for myself. “The average self made millionaire works fifty nine hours a week.”(pg. 140).
Understanding that everything I want out of life will take time and reconstruction. No Excuses has clarified time management. Looking for a 1,000 percent return on investment using the A, B, C,D,E method. A is a “must do”, to E ” eliminate completely” (p.194). The act of planning thoroughly and setting clear priorities before starting your first task of the day is how we maximize our productivity.
Discipline also includes staying teachable. If we knew everything, we would all be on the same track, running the same race. It takes 10,000 hours to become a expert, and a life time to master anything. We should all utilize this technique,the three percent self investment. Use three percent of your year earnings or more, to invest in learning something that will advance your career or areas of interest. Stay teachable, read books in areas you want to navigate to. Be open to attending conferences, conventions and seminars of top individuals and companies in your field. Stay in the rooms where there is always someone more knowledgeable than you are.
How reading No Excuses will contribute to my success upon release?
No Excuses is a blue print on exactly the way I would like to reenter society. It clearly gave me an outline for personal and business goals. With realistic expectations with my life plan.
If you were to answer every end of chapter action exercise for all twenty one chapters you would have all the answers you need to hold yourself accountable for everything you set out to accomplish. I’m choosing the path of discipline. Everything that happens to an individual in life is contingent on one simple choice we’ve made. We can choose the path of least resistance and stay content in the now, or push the limits and dare to accomplish more. Its simply up to us.
“Self respect is the root of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself”.
Being incarcerated has taught me a lot about myself, but has opened me up to communicating with a group of individuals I have an automatic bias against. The Mothers who choose to use drugs during pregnancy. Born as a child with drugs in my system has always made me “feel a type of way” toward individuals that choose to use substances while pregnant, and choosing to disregard the education the doctors provide during pregnancy, if medical care was even of importance.
Speaking with Mother with drug addictions, I understand that ANY addiction isn’t BLACK AND WHITE, there is a huge grey area when it comes to the mental, emotional and physical make up to women who embark on the path of least resistance. In many areas of life, support and being one choice away from downward spiraling. I not longer choose to judge, but to understand. Challenging every assumption I’ve had since childhood and abandonment.
You can have a room full of people surrounding you, and still feel alone!
1.) What does you plan to succeed consist of, and how do you plan to accomplish it?
2.) What area of life do you need more discipline in? Behind bars and in the free world?
3.) What will make you more successful than the 97% of people who don’t write there plans down?
