I was taught to always leave a place better than you found it. I believe that by creating the Peer Success Team here amoung so many other things, I have done that. But there are things I could not accomplish that will have to go on my long list of things to do once I am on the other side.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find motivation, this morning I woke up to the song LIFETIME, by Maxwell (& Ben Watt Lazy Dog )
and I think back to all the times when music kept me dancing here in the midst of dark days. Music helped me drown out the chaos.
The sticky situation is that here we only have access to tablets anymore. They are $150.oo and that is without music loaded. The second biggest problem next to the cost is the inconvenience. The tablets are clearly designed for laying in bed or sitting in a chair holding them. There are no attachements sold that allow a person to move.
In leading a movement here to get folks up and going; setting goals towards better physical health, one needs music.
Let’s add this to my goal list:
– while in Washington speaking about positive change and how to foster true re-entry from the very first day in the BOP
ask them to find a better solution to the big bulky tablet or to find a solution to carrying them.
-create an incentive program that allows prisoner’s to earn music devices and tru-units.
One of the things I feel so strongly about here is the fact that the television has so much negative programming.
I have not been able to make headway here thus far as to the removal of programs such as ID or Oxygen, ( toxic tales of murder, deceit, revenge, unforgiveness that the women here 24 hours a day & even listen to WHILE THEY ARE SLEEPING AT NIGHT! )
However, I plan to do a fresh round of awareness prior to leaving in the coming weeks and then I will add this to the list for
Washington.
In the song, Maxwell says he can work it on out this time, ” I can let my life pass me by, I can get down and try, work it all out this lifetime, work it all out this time, I can let my life pass me by..been through a storm, no use in hoping, I can work it all out this lifetime..”
This song is great, because we can retrain our brain with music that tells us positive affirmations and makes our body want to move and dance…..and this has been part of my success.
This fall under Michael Santos’ brilliant category of, ” STRATEGIES THAT CULTIVATE A GROWTH MINDSET”
Embrace Challenges
Practice Positive Self Talk
Set Goals
Learn From Failures
Seek Feedback
As I was typing the list I remembered all the years when I mentored women on the rec yard. I had quite a reputation as
“a beast” and some were afraid to join, but others dared to come and challenge themselves and workout with our group. I generally would interview the person ahead of time and often, if they had not been active at all I would assign them to the elliptical or the track for a few weeks, to check in with me each day ( so they didn’t die ) but others, whom I had seen out there doing a work out, I would invite to come on over. One the first day they were told the rules of the group.
-No negative talk, no ” I cant’ “, ” it hurts” etc..
-No sitting down
-No judgement of others
-and my favorite, if you can talk, you aren’t working hard enough
If anyone says anything negative they have to say the opposite and do 3 burpees. The beautiful part of our tribe is that everyone does the burpees with the newbies and it doesn’t take long to break them of the negative self talk.
By having a move of the month, a difficult compound exercise that I put together, we always met and embraced new challenges. Often we will add a side goal, like to do 350 Myan burpees that week or what ever.
Over the years though, I have toned down my boot camp ways, as I have learned from the feedback that some people are not motivated in that way. And what I know is that it comes down to their blood type, which no one here seems to know.
But that is a story for another day.
