Good upbringing. Bad decisions and choices. College. Bad decisions and choices. A second chance. Bad decisions and choices. Incarceration. A change in my life. The maturation of Nasir.
Growing up, I was a habitual fence rider, meaning I straddled the divide between right and wrong. There were times when I was adamant about being in integrity and doing positive things, but bad choices, associations, and activities led me down a path of destruction, masked in financial crimes and illegal activities. Sure, I had every toy imaginable, traveled extensively, and indulged in everything most people fantasize about, but everything came with a price tag even I couldn't afford: My Freedom.
Once I lost my freedom, everything changed. I learned who my true friends were and they weren't the cats I was partying with and living the so called good life with, they were the people who were telling me to slow down when I was moving a hundred miles an hour, without any direction or focus on living life in the right manner. Sadly, I found out that all of the people I expected to look out for me left me high and dry, teaching me the painful reality of the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind."
Nasir, what are you going to do? I asked myself that for the beginning of my time, pondering going back into the world with My incarceration put me in a position where I had to make an important choice: Fail and return, or Succeed and not be a statistic. I began cleaning my mental of all of the thought patterns and associations that caused me to land in prison in the first place. At a point in my life, everything was about "Stunt 101" and keeping up with the Jones' and that was a major part of the problem, especially when I found myself living a lifestyle that I couldn't afford without doing illegal things. While cleaning my mental, I began to get back into the spiritual part of my life and I don't mean becoming a "jailhouse Muslim"; I'm talking about applying the Islamic principles I knew for years to all of my actions, putting me in a place of better discipline, patience, and something I lacked, which was humility.
Secondly, I had to devise a realistic game plan of what I was going to do, since I had a release date. Having a college education affords me a few things, but as a felon, I knew I had to work 1000 times harder to attain the legal success that is out here for me, so I began intensely studying a multitude of things, from real estate to stocks, but I received a proposition from an aspiring author that changed my life. This gentleman asked me if I was interested in publishing his books, since my financial situation and his are different, meaning I had the means to get the book out, even inside the walls. After doing a ton of homework on the book game, Next Movement Publications was born and here I am.
Currently, I am striving for success, moving towards publishing my first book, "The Gift: Rise, Fall, & Rebirth of a Legend" on my imprint Next Movement Publications, all while working with at-risk youth, using my life story in an effort to deter them from travelling the same paths I have already been down.
My transformation isn't complete yet, but I am moving forward in a direction of success and security, leaving my checkered past behind me and opening a new chapter of my life, free of looking over my shoulder and fighting the demons of my past.
No comments:
Post a Comment