As 2024 draws to an end I would like to reflect on my past year. It was filled with emotions and a deep desire to change my ways. On January 17th, my youngest son Kobe’s birthday, I was sentenced to 180 months in prison. This sentence is one of the greatest challenges I’ve faced in my entire life. Not so much the actual sentence and time but the impact it has had on my entire family. My actions have negatively affected each and every single one of them. I finally came to the point where I knew the only way to overcome this challenge is to use this time to become a better man for myself and for my family.
I am proud of the direction I began to take in May of 2024. Right after I was sentenced my significant other decided it was time that she moved on. This tore me up inside and I truly understood that my old life was gone. In May I finally arrived at my designated facility in Lompoc California and immediately signed up for as many programs as I could. I also enrolled in Hancock Community College and began taking classes here at the Lompoc facility. I have a goal to have a college degree before my release date. This is something I will continue to work on in 2025. I am proud to be staying busy. Another thing I am proud of is the types of books that I have been choosing to read. In the beginning I chose to only read novels, now I have been reading books written by successful people in the fields that I have interest to work in. For me a huge step in the right direction.
This year I will stay focused and motivated by holding myself accountable and keeping my future goals in mind. Keeping a journal to track my eating habits is something that I have done for years. I was once extremely overweight and having a journal to see my caloric intake was a crucial step in holding myself accountable and losing weight. I will keep a reading journal as well as a journal detailing the steps I am taking to becoming the man I know I can become. I look forward to building on my momentum from the previous year of 2024.
