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Cover Page Working Title: Cell Block Society Post-Release Master Plan (Self-Motivation Tools) Author: Levert Brookshire Page count: (8) Word Count: (5,600) • Create a vision of who it is I want to become in life. ‘Think’ of a plan, write down the choices I have to make, which will move me to words that direction…. • Make my own ‘Rituals,’ daily ‘habits,’ and schedules for small-steps, everyday…. • Write down all of ‘small’ steps to be taken each morning. Stay the course, don’t be distracted from Rituals… • Find a private, solitary, quiet place, for alone time. Depend on my own mind to sort-out, and solve my own problems…. • Create daily reminders every morning, writing-out what it is, I’m suppose to do for that day. To move me in the direction of my goals…. • Stay ‘disciplined’ and ‘committed’ to my customized personal development program of daily rituals and habits. Maintain structure in my daily life/outside…. • Become a producer, produce results daily… • Develop daily rituals for the following activities: eating/diet rituals, exercise/workout rituals, studying/writing rituals, personal leisure/quiet time, being of service to others/volunteering. Cell Block Society Initiative (Research Project) 2016 Self-Motivation Tools My future will be determined by the choices I make right now, today. If I choose to be ‘lazy’ today, doing nothing. Tomorrow will be without any goals or plans. If I just sit here, or lay here quietly, inside my cell, completely relaxed. Ideas begin to flow, insights start appearing. I notice how just being here absolutely alone with my thoughts, something happens inside of me. I feel like I belong to the silence. My relationship with myself starts to strengthen and get better, more closer than ever. But, if I were to do nothing, with this sense of clarity, comfort, and peace. Allowing it, to go to waste and let these moments of ‘truth’ slip away, without any effort whatsoever to capture these conversations with myself, great ideas, profound insights and very important solutions, even answers to complex problems can be lost for good. Never to be found again. So I’ve created a healthy good habit of documenting these moment of truth, clarity, and insightful observance, as they occur. The information-rich meditation-state’s come about, at unpredictable times. Sometimes during the day when I’m alone in my cell, quiet, without distractions from my T.V. set, or radio, no inmate background noises, yelling, screaming or, or distractions. Nothing to distract my mind from observing everything in my life, or conversing with itself. That, is when my best ‘thinking’ starts to happen. Motivating ideas come about. Truly inspiring answers and solutions are found this way. By discovering this ability, I’ve been able to notice more ways to do things. Which has always been something I’ve needed, but never had before. And so, I never wake up in the morning with a plan for the day, the week, or the month, for that matter, let alone for the year. That is the reason why, most of my life has been wasted living, ‘out of touch’ and ‘wandering’ about, without a purpose. Spending many years unable to see the truth of who I could really be. No goals in life, no plans for the future, no answers or solutions to the difficulties that were all around me. What I’ve come to learn is, that has to change. I must use this time here to pay closer attention to my mind, my ideas my thoughts in general. Writing them down, recording them, creating a catalogue of my concepts, ideas, and insights. I didn’t worry about organizing any of it at first. I just made a note of it all, as it appeared to me. Eventually I began to see a vision start to form, simple ideas and some well-intended attempts at problem-solving, written down. Whenever we pull them out again, years later. They can start to make up sources of our motivation. Looking at them again later-on, we can find their potential. This is why I plan to continue with this method, even when I get released from prison. Building up my written catalogue of plans, ideas, and solutions, right now it’s about time I start to sort-out what I’ve documented over the years, creating individual categories for every subject matter. Organizing everything, to where it belongs. Each, part of my life having it’s own assigned section. Helping me to manage the organizing, planning process. This has worked so well for me inside prison, I’m looking forward to taking this with me to the streets. An important part of living, self-motivated every day is to create something for ourselves to wake up to every morning. Something that, we are up to in life, to keep us [illegible]. Basically, becoming a ‘producer’ in life. Producing something of value and meaning. Everyday, should be a habit. After organizing everything that I’ve been writing down for all these years, sifting through it all, sorting-it all out, this master plan was conceived. A way that can utilize and become the purpose for gathering all of these ideas, plans, and insights, in the first place. So that, they can go into making a tool for me to use throughout my life. A reference guide, once I’m released from prison. I designed to guide me along- showing me the way to my goals. This master plan will be used as my own unique personal aid to help me along, as I navigate my way through civil-society. There will be occasions when I’m going to feel discouraged, frustrated, and inferior. In our immediate re-entry back into society, that’s what we commonly experience, when we don’t know what’s ahead, or have any plans. In my journey to preserve my freedom, my life and my legacy, this time around. I want to make the choice now, today, that I will use whatever time that I have left to plan, create goals for myself, and pursue them each and everyday. Because of the fact, I’ve learned that my motivation comes from my own thoughts first. Everything starts with our own mind, first. Just like my writing down the notes, ideas, and insights that eventually led to the plans, which now have come to make up this master plan. Once we stop, ‘thinking’, then we stop noticing things worth writing down. We stop being motivated to take action. Soon we begin to slide into negative thoughts, doubting our own abilities, becoming pessimistic and even stop thinking altogether. Less thinking always leads to less-action, less-progress, and less-results. Which is, my reason for becoming interested in writing, while inside these cell blocks. To keep me thinking, all the time. I stay writing in order to stay thinking. This has become the way, I continue to produce something meaningful, everyday. Something I can look forward to in my life, even inside of here. Whether, we’re in here or out there, when we can produce something ourselves it’s because we first had to ‘think’ about it, plan it out and write it all out, before taking any action. Writing is action too. It’s become a healthy habit for me, a daily ritual, when I have no other ways’ to take action or pursue my plans while, in here. Any producer, that looks to ‘create’ something of value, they have ritual’s and healthy habit’s they do, regularly, consistently. To keep themselves always ‘thinking’, so they’re motivated to word’s finishing their goals. As a producer myself, I’m always asking myself what could I do today, to produce something of value, something useful and beneficial to myself or someone else. A tool for achieving a task, a goal later on in life. Given my limitations and restrictions that I have to face living in these cell block’s each and everyday, without my freedom, very minimum mobility. This leaves me with just an ink pen, and writing paper, so I can teach myself to be creative and artistic with them, during my time in prison. The limitations haven’t stopped me from producing something I can use, later on, in my life. It was my ‘thinking’ that has led me to producing this master plan. A plan that was created and produced for me to use, when I’m released. Producing something with my pen and paper started for me many years ago, long before I began producing this master plan. Writing was my very first action towards reaching my goals. By following a simple schedule everyday of making time to sit down, collect all my material’s, find some quiet peaceful ‘block’ of the day, most commonly found to be silent at ease and free of distractions, usually early in the morning, that’s when I’m inspired to put my pen to the paper. I plan to continue with this ritual once I’m out there in society too. If I’m able to do it while inside here, being surrounded by all of the negative energy, bitterness, and dysfunctional people. Prisoner’s are mostly pessimistic and apathetic people. Not all of them, but majority are. I depend on my writing rituals to use as my way, to remain optimistic in here. In civil-society, I’m going to need something similar to use as my ‘ritual.’ Once I’m out. In order to keep me optimistic and motivated while I’m surrounded by negative energy, pessimistic people, bitter and malicious. Pre-judgmental parole officers, bias employers and stereotyping public, outside of here. I’ve got to prepare myself for when I happen to come across them. Starting with my reading and writing ritual’s, when I get up in the morning, out there. Beginning each and everyday, with a ritual of small actions. Doing something small, to start the day with ‘action’. Simple action’s, which will lead me to more and more action, as the day progresses. Simple action’s that are subject to change, at my discretion. Anything which will help me to keep myself thinking and moving towards my goals. There’s not going to be any wrong way to go about doing this, as long as it’s helping me with my self-motivation process, orienting my mind, training my thoughts toward’s thinking ahead. Once I’m released from here. It will be crucially important that I create reminders for myself, of those goals, that I’m looking forward to. Having ritual’s out there, like in here. Will keep me reminded of my goals. Writing down my ideas, insights, and goals down on paper. While I was locked up became my very first action. Writing this master plan, has also become a part of the whole motivating process, and taking action as a small step in the direction, leading toward’s my ultimate goal, in life, that I envision. This is the very beginning of the ‘goal-setting’ process. Writing down everything, as I conducted my research, over a thirteen year span of time, came to be the way that I exercised, more and more freedom and control over my daily life, here inside these cell blocks. It gave me a sense of control and a sense of freedom when it came to choosing the way in which my days’ would be spent, how my weeks would be passed, and how the year would be used to my benefit, while I would be sitting inside these cell blocks day-in, day-out, year-in and year-out. While I might’ve wasted and squandered away the first-half of my life. I’ve dedicated this remaining second half, of my life, completely and wholeheartedly towards the full-preservation of life, liberty and legacy. Protecting each one. Once I’m released again, I will be prepared for the obstacles which will be waiting for me. Instead of ‘scrambling around looking for ways’ to confront them, or over-reacting trying to deal with them. This time, I will have the insights, patience and knowledge, how to remain composed and disciplined as I ‘confidently’ approach every obstacle in my path. It’s not the size or the difficulty of the obstacle or the challenge that matter’s. It’s the way that we choose to respond to it, or deal with them that matters most. I’ve finally come to figure this-out, understanding that challenges, obstacles and difficult situations’ will be a constant part of life, for each and everyone of us, rich, poor, famous, obscure, educated or illiterate. We all have to experience challenges and difficulties in our lives. But, we all react or respond different to the same challenges and same difficulties. Nobody is the same. We all, don’t have ‘equal’ education level’s, we don’t have ‘equal’ confidence, ‘equal’ – compassion, or ‘equal’ empathy either, inside prison’s or outside. Not everyone handles difficulties in life, with the same ‘equal’ levels of understanding, composure and confidence. Some people inside prison have unstable minds, just like some outside, in civil-society do as well. Inside-here or outside-there once I’m released. It’s my own responsibility to develop my own understanding and insight’s into everyday problems, think of possible ‘difficulties’ and ‘challenges’ that could appear in life once I’m out there, in civil-society again. Think of responsible solution’s for me to, take action, plan ahead. Develop responsible ways that will help overcome difficulty. Think of ways to turn difficulty around, how to use negative circumstances for positive outcomes, once, I’m released from prison. I’ll be in need of tools, to help me achieve this. And this is where, my studying ‘ritual’ will begin at. Researching everything that applies to this plan, writing it all down. Just like I’ve done inside these places. How I’ve spent my days’, started my mornings off. Out there, will be no different. Except, once I’m out there free. I’ll have more and more demands, more responsibilities and more pressures, to take into account. Managing alot of different things competing for my limited amount of time, finances, energy, and personal attention span. Forcing me to organize everything into a priority list. I will then develop and build my personal development program, around this priority list. I will the dedicate myself, 100% to the personal development program. To keep investing, in myself, to keep making investments in family, and social investments as well, contributing to the community, volunteering, and motivational speaking seminars with a combination of other ways. I plan to be of service to other’s in need of inspiration and assistance. After developing some structure in my life first. While in-prison, I’ve learned how to ‘structure’ my day’s and to ‘structure’ my time into schedules. As a way for me to use the year’s inside here, to work towards steady, consistent, progress. Better management of my time, eventually better management of my resources. Using ‘structure’ oppose to making it all up, on impulse or reacting to circumstances, unprepared. Instead of scurrying around, trying to squeeze time for everything to fit together. Losing track of where everything is suppose to be, taking time for granted. Or either, not being able to account for my time. None of this is acceptable for me while in prison, nor is it going to be acceptable out-there, once I’m released. I plan to be just as active and involved with accounting for my time, outside of prison also. Structuring my days, weeks, and months, around a well planned-out, well-organized personal development program that I’ve designed for myself to follow, while in here. I feel as if, this same structured personal development program would work well for me outside of prison. Helping me to make time work for me not against me. Constructing schedules for everything in my life. Creating rituals for everything to show myself exactly – and specifically where my time is being spent. How time is being invested and used in general. This will help to track my progress and monitor results. I can also be sure that I’m producing something of value daily. Rituals and structure became my most beneficial assets, here in these cell blocks. I saw that, dust in my reading, writing and exercise – schedules. All of these have become my chosen forms of disciplines while inside these cell blocks, to prioritize. Once released, I’ll have to evaluate everything in my life outside of prison, then structure a priority list from there.
