As a teenager the word wisdom was as foreign to me as some far away land in Southeast Asia. As I sit here finishing up a 22 and half-year prison sentence I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my life. I’ve realized that it was the poor decisions I made as a teenager that led to me spending all of my adult life in prison.

For me the unwise choices I made had to do with seeking acceptance from my peers. I wanted validation so much and I was willing to do nearly anything to get it. I joined a gang and I allowed others (my peers) to dictate my decisions, or rather, my fear of rejection from them. The true definition of wisdom is looking ahead before you act, because one day you’ll have to look back on the choices you made.

The question is where will you be looking back from? A prison cell? A street corner? Or maybe worse, maybe up from a grave?

Maybe you don’t get validation or acceptance at home, but be assured, you matter and your life has value beyond what you even know. You can do anything you want in life. I have learned it takes true courage to be set apart, and oftentimes this means being willing to be rejected. It could determine your destiny. Don’t give up, you have value and purpose.

Ben