Use your time wisely

USE YOUR TIME WISLEY I understand that you are probably in prison for something that you did not do. Or, maybe you did something, but not what “they” said you did. Maybe you did do a crime, but the prosecutor railroaded you and you were given way too much time for what it is you actually did. Or, maybe you did everything “they” said you did plus some, and you just got caught. Whatever your situation is, I get it. But what I also get is that you are here (in prison), and this is where you’re going to stay unless your appeal gets granted or your release date arrives (if you’re lucky enough to have one). That is the reality of your situation today, so it’s time to accept your reality and deal with it as it is today, and as it is today you’ve got time to do. With that said, your best play is to figure out how to benefit from said time; turn your into a positive. Here’s how... Don’t waste time: I see so many prisoners just sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. All they do is let time (life) pass by without doing anything to benefit themselves, improve their lifestyle, prepare for the future, etc. They have no drive or ambition. They just walk around looking defeated; straight schmuckery. Many guys come to prison and do 5, 6, 7 years, and leave no better of a man than they came. I recently met a 30 year old who came to prison and could not read or write. He’s been in prison for the last 6 years and he goes home in 3 months. Guess what? He still cannot read or write. He talks about how he’s going to learn when he “goes home.” He asked me what type of advice I have for him; I told him he needed my advice during his first 3 months, not his last 3 months. He asked me why that was; I asked him if he can learn to read and write in 3 months. He stated “no.” My response? “Exactly” (followed by my turning around and walking away). The guy I’m talking about is an absolute schmuck. His waste of 6 years, disgusting. As much as I want people to win, and as much as I try to assist people in doing so, I realized that there was/is nothing I can do for him. Sad, but true. Not only did the guy waste 6 years of his life, but, as much as I hate to say it, he will be wasting more time soon. He will be back; probably before I get out of the SHU for my last hit.... I have life in prison. Unless something happens with my appeal, I will die in a cell. What I wouldn’t give for another shot at life now that I’m older and wiser, now that I get it and my perspective is clear. However, despite what my situation is, my reality; I’m pushing daily. I’m trying to get it; understand? Every day I am on beast mode. Like 50 cent said: get rich or die tryin’. With that out the way, nothing is more disgusting to me than someone who comes to prison and will be out someday, as he has a date, but does nothing with his time except Jack off and God know what else, gets out no better of a man than he entered, and ends up coming right back. Do not waste time (life). Turn your “negative” into a positive and benefit from your situation. Figure out (early on!) what you want to do during your stay in prison, what it’s going to take to do it, and get down to business. So, what do you want to do? Now that we understand that it is our wisest move to turn our negative into a positive and we must figure out how we can get the most out of our time, it’s time to figure out exactly what you want to do. The first question is what are you into that at least some aspect of can be mastered while you are in prison, and that is realistic considering the amount of prison time that you have? For example, maybe you want to be an artist of some kind. If so, then during your stay in prison you should study, learn, and practice drawing as much as you can each day. If your goal is to be a professional artist and you have 5-6 years in prison, imagine how good you can be by the time you get out if you dedicate every second of your time learning and practicing it. And let’s say you want to get out and paint murals on cars or do graphic design. Maybe in prison you will not be able to practice those specific crafts, but you can master at least one aspect of them: Drawing. Yes; if you want to paint murals on cars or do graphic design, then become the best, that you can at drawing while you’re in prison because both of those jobs demand the trained eye of an artist who can draw the better you are at drawing, the better you will be as a muralist or graphic designer. Drawing is a good passion to have for a man in prison. It’s something that can realistically be mastered right from your prison cell. You will almost always have access to a pen and/or pencil and a piece of paper to practice your craft. And, even if you’re not going to get out of prison, drawing is one of the best skills you can have while in prison; there’s always a demand for it. From your fellow prisoners to Correctional Officers, from pen pals to people online, great drawings will always be in demand, and there is even a market specifically for prison art/drawings. Writing is another good passion to have. It’s very realistic to become a master writer from a prison cell. You will almost always have a pen and some paper to write what it is that you want to write/create. For example, maybe you want to write and publish your own books. Well, you can always get books on how to write properly and self-publish. Get the books relevant to those subjects and learn the entire business inside and out. Then, write as many books as you can so that when you get out you can publish them. Or, if you’re not getting out, publishing books from prison is a realistic goal. It can be done; especially with today’s technology. Today’s technology, especially the internet, has levelled the playing field a bit. I have life in prison, and you are reading a book that I wrote in my prison cell, sent out, and self-published. Regardless of what your passion is, whether it’s to write articles for a magazine, or launch your own magazine when you get out, whether it’s to write books or movie scripts, all of these things require you to be a great writer. So, become a great writer if what you want to do has something to do with writing. Again, both writing and drawing are great crafts to master even if you aren’t getting out of prison because they can always be done from a prison cell. However, if you are getting out, your options greatly increase. Now, let’s say you have a passion for cars and you want to start your own mechanic shop when you get out. Maybe you will not have a lot of hands-on opportunities in most prisons, but you can still get books and learn everything there is to know about the mechanics of a car. Don’t wait until you get out to go to school, use your prison time to learn what it is that you need to know so that you’re ready as soon as you get out. Real estate is another good.-business (usually). If you have a passion for it, get books relevant to real estate and learn every aspect possible about it. That way, when you get out of prison, you're ready to go. There are many things you can study, learn, and master from/in a prison cell. Whether you are able to study the exact craft that you are interested in, or something related to it, there is always something you can do to turn your negative into a positive and benefit from your prison time. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a business, either. Making money just happens to be my passion, so I used those things as examples. If you don’t know how to spell or add that well and you wish to improve upon it, do it. If you want to get your GED, do it. Just don’t sit there and wait until you get out to start. Start now and use your prison time. Be realistic: When deciding what it is that you want to do/get-into, make sure that you pick something realistic. For example, if your passion is basketball, you’re good at it and you want to be in the NBA when you get out, but when you get out you’ll be 32 years old, that’s not too realistic. So, instead you should study something that has to do with basketball, like coaching or managing players, and study those aspects of the business. Another example is if you rap well and you want to be a rapper when you get out but when you get out you'll be 43; in that case, maybe you should study other aspects of the music/hip-hop business. Breaking out as a rap star at age 43 might be a bit difficult, but starting your own label and producing is very realistic. Whatever it is that you decide you want to study, learn, and do with your time, whatever your passions is and whatever goals you have set, fantastic; make it happen. Just make sure that it’s realistic (even if you have to make a few tweaks and adjustments), and that you use all of your prison time mastering it. Do not wait until you “get out” to learn, study, etc. Ways to study and learn your craft: Once you have decided exactly what it is that you want to do, you will need to figure out the best way to learn and master it. Don’t forget, when creating your game plan, keep in mind the resources you have available to you. For example, money for books, courses, supplies, etc. What’s available at your prison? The first thing you should do is see if your prison offers a trade or something that is relevant to whatever it is that you want to do. For example, some prisons have welding classes. If what you want to do involves welding, you should obviously do what you can to get into that class. Or, for example, there are prisons that offer such things as a mechanics class, a shop print class, or bakery jobs. If your plan even consists of working on cars, printing, or cooking, you should do what you can to get assigned to the relevant class or job. Use your prison for whatever you can get from it. If it offers something that relates to/furthers your goal, take advantage of it. College courses: Many prisoners take college courses through the mail. If what you want to do is available via correspondence course, or if you are getting out and having a certificate will be beneficial to your end goal (for example, if your goal is to work for a company and having certificates showing your credentials will help you land the job), then taking college courses may be a good idea for you. Keep in mind that correspondence courses can be rather costly, so in order to take them you will need to have the financial resource. However, if you can afford it and it will benefit you, do it while you are in prison. Don’t wait until you “get out.” Buy and read books: If what you want to do is not available via correspondence course, if you cannot afford to pay for a correspondence course, or if you plan to start your own business and do not need/care-about a certificate, then I suggest you purchase books relevant to what you want to do, and use them to study, learn, and teach yourself everything you want and need to know. For example, I choose not to take correspondence courses instead. I prefer to purchase books relevant to what I want to do, and learn ail that I can about the specific subject(s). Not only does this route allow me to pinpoint exactly what it is I want to learn about, it is also much more affordable. But then again, I have life in prison and I own my own business, so I have no need for a credential-proving certificate. If I only had 10 years to do, I’m sure I’d still create my own business upon release; however, I might want the credential-proving certificate(s) because they can really come in handy on the outside. Sometimes, even when you own your own business, you still occasionally work for others. If you find your interests similar to mine and you think the book route is the best one for you, and you want to learn about, say... the Music Business, you can buy the book “Everything there is to know about the music business” by Donald S. Passman. From there, depending on exactly what it is you want to do, you can get books relevant to that specific part of the music business — producing, managing, starting a record label, etc., and master the subject by studying everything you can about it or, say, for example, if you want to learn about drawing, you can get “Drawing for Dummies” by Brenda Hoddinott and Jamie Combs study and learn all the information it teaches, and once you’ve got that down buy some books that are a bit more advanced in the subject until you are a fucking master. In conclusion: I can go on and on giving you examples of how to use your time wisely, and ideas of specific ways you can accomplish you goals; however, my main points are: Turn you negative into a positive. Don’t just sit around and waste time (life!) while you are in prison. Instead, dedicate every second of your time to doing something that is going to benefit you. And, no matter what your goal is, there is always something you can do to move towards it. Even if you can’t afford correspondence classes, etc., don’t let that discourage you; instead, purchase books relevant to what you’re into and learn everything you can about it. Buying and studying books specifically aimed at your interest(s) will give you a great education at an affordable price. True Story! My original passion/craft is making hip-hop. I’ve been rapping since 1993 and really learning about the business since 1997. Everything I do rap-wise is on point. My concepts are dope; I’m creative as fuck; I’m a lyrical beast; and my flow is liquid. I got locked up in February of 1999, and at the end of 2004 I decided I was going to record my vocals in my prison cell, smuggle them out, have my songs produced in the form of mixtapes, and still release my music. Guess what? I recorded my lyrics in my prison cell, smuggled them out, had several songs produced, and then ran into a wall; not a wall in here where J have the ability to get creative and find a way to do things, but a wall out there. It was too difficult for people to get things done to my standards without me being there and I wouldn’t release my music without it being done right. Therefore, getting songs produced correctly — to my standards — became a very long and difficult process. Then, lil Wayne raised the bar extremely high by releasing so much material in such a short amount of time. It changed the pace of the game — even for underground artists — to a speed I could never keep up with from a prison cell; it became popular for artists to release weekly freestyles and remixes, etc. And my trouble didn’t stop there. People stopped buying CDs. Everybody just downloads everything for free now, so there’s really no money in CD sales. In order to make money, you have to be able to do live shows; something I obviously cannot do from a prison cell. At first it was hard for me to accept but I had to recognize reality, and the reality of the situation is, if I was to get out of prison at a young enough age, I am sure I could do very well in the hip-hop business. However, as my reality is today, I have life in prison and I will not be able to compete in today’s market, and I will not be able to make the kind of money I want to make by doing music. And when it all boils down, my passion for getting money is stronger than my passion to use all my time and resources making hip-hop. So, I had to adjust my sights. And I did. I had always planned to eventually write books — something much more realistic to do from a prison cell. I just had to jump into the game sooner than I had originally planned. I’ve always been creative and crafty, but my technical writing skills weren’t up to par. So, I bought “English Grammar for Dummies” and stepped my grammar-game up. I also bought a MacMillan Dictionary to make sure my word game is on point. My plan’s to write urban books — basically the same stories that are in my rhymes, just without the need for a beat or an engineer (my wall) — so I bought about 15 of the damn things and read every single one of them from the beginning to the end. I dissected the entire format of my urban book collection — what the prices are, how many pages they usually have, roughly how many words are in these kinds of books, how well these guys are writing, etc. I broke it all down into math; something I understand. Then I looked at all the information I’d gathered and compared it to what I know (the underground game of the hip-hop music business, specifically the mixtape hustle), and I realized that it’s basically the same game — entertainment in the form of urban stories, but sold in the format of a book instead of a CD. From there, I created my game plan; I would write and publish urban books using the same strategy and formula I’d use for my music had my circumstance been different. Writing and publishing books is much more realistic for me. I write and create everything myself; I don’t need a beat, an engineer, a dope mix, nothing. Once I re-directed my focus, it was over. I created the thecellblock.net and the cell block catalog. I created the “lifestyle” experience — my greeting card company and the first mixcard collection ever — and I came up with the idea to produce and publish mixmags (something else that’s never been done before). And from all that, my good man, even from my prison cell I’m gettin’ money. However, it all stems from my original passion: the-business-of/making hip-hop. So, you see? The reason I can tell you about turning a negative into a positive is because it’s what J do. The reason I can tell you to benefit from your time and use it wisely is because it’s what I do. I pimp the shit out of prison time. As a matter of fact, I just recently completed a 15- month SHU term for a slashing. However, right when I was supposed to get out of the SHU, they hit me with another 6 months because of past “disciplinary history.” Therefore, I am still in the SHU, even right now as I write this. I am obviously not too happy about the additional 6 months; I have a lot of things to do and need to get out of the SHU to conduct certain business. However, since I have no choice but to do this 6 months, I made a commitment to myself to write two books during this time — this one and another. Well, each book sells for $15.00+ a copy, so just selling 1,000 copies of each book is 30 stacks. Again, I pimp my time. I a/ways turn a negative into a positive and so should you...