The book was divided into six sections, each of which contained scores of short chapters that offered strategies for reaching one’s highest potential. I have benefited from the writings of Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, and Dale Carnegie. I’m glad to add Jack Canfield to this list of teachers who inspire me to reach my highest potential.

The essential message, I think, is that we as individuals must take responsibility for our lives. Canfield opens his book with a story of personal responsibility, and throughout the nearly 500 pages, he describes the importance of setting goals, holding oneself accountable, and creating a life is consistent with the vision of success we have for ourselves. He suggests that we measure our progress in every area: financial, fitness, relationships, spirituality, contributions to society, intellectual growth, and any other area of importance to us.

Because I knew that I would be referring to this work frequently, I keep a list of notes with the page number on which I found the wisdom. I recommend this book to anyone interested in strategies for personal development.

I really enjoy reading self-help literature. These kinds of books have helped me keep my focus during the 21 years of prison that I’ve already served. I use the information that I gather to help me with courses I teach I in prison camp or speeches that I deliver. The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be by Jack Canfield was inspiring and it offered a lot of content that I will use in years to come.

The post The Success Principles by Jack Canfield appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Since I aspire to build a career in communications, preferably as a speaker, consultant, and writer, I must look for every opening to practice my craft. I spend several hours every day writing on my ongoing projects, and I devote time each week to helping other prisoners figure out strategies to use their time wisely. Speaking opportunities come less frequently, yet I’ve been successful in finding forums that allow me to write, practice, and deliver presentations in front of live–albeit captive–audiences.

This past week I wrote a speech that I called On Leadership. Some may find it presumptuous that a man who has been incarcerated since 1987 would have anything to offer on the subject of leadership. That was part of the challenge. This being a camp that holds many well-educated, white-collar offenders, with several former CEOs among us, I knew that some in my audience would question my qualifications to speak on such a topic. Many hours of preparation, however, imbued me with confidence. I felt a real sense of enthusiasm as I spread the lessons I have learned from my study of leadership.

I opened the speech with a disclaimer. Although I have not held formal positions of leadership, I explained, the study of leadership has helped me navigate my way through more than 20 years of confinement. By committing to the principles of leadership I have captained my own ship through the storms of adversity. Despite prolonged imprisonment, I have educated myself; I have earned an income and paid taxes; I have built a network of support; and most importantly, I have nurtured a thriving marriage. The study of leadership has propelled me to success in my environment. I felt a charge of energy as I related the ways that applying leadership principles could help those in my audience reach their fullest potential inside the boundaries of Taft Camp and beyond.

I structured the 40-minute speech in three sections. After discussing the importance of applying leadership principles to our own lives, I summarized what I had learned from three books I recently read on the subject. The first book was What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Then I discussed Launching a Leadership Revolution. Finally, I presented some salient points from Leadership Therapy: Inside The Mind of Microsoft. Following the book summaries, I brought the message home by showing how those in my audience could profit from those lessons today, in practical ways. Specifically, I suggested five areas in which they could grow, including:

1. intellectual development
2. physical well being
3. financial stability
4. emotional balance
5. spiritual awareness

Following the prepared portion of the presentation, I invited those in the audience to question me. In so doing, I opened an opportunity to practice quick thinking with extemporaneous responses. Those are the types of experiences that allow me to achieve multiple goals. By preparing, practicing, and delivering speeches, I am able to share information with those in this community; I am able to develop communication skills further; and I am able to prepare in meaningful ways for the career I want to lead upon release.

Living in prison is not so different from confronting other adversities. We can overcome limitations or complications by being very realistic about where we are. At the same time, we must live with optimism and enthusiasm with where we are going. We must believe, believe, believe. Then we must create our own opportunities to success.

The post Speech On Leadership appeared first on Prison News Blog.

The program in which I was participating goes by the acronym TOAD, which stands for Those Outspoken Against Drugs. TOAD is an outreach program through which inmate participants at the federal prison speak to at-risk adolescents about the perils of criminal lifestyles. Leaders of the Taft Correctional Institution make TOAD available to organizations in Kern County. TOAD participants hope to help others make more responsible decisions and avoid altercations with the criminal justice system.

Mr. Andrew Griffin, a substance abuse counselor at the Taft prison, coordinates and sponsors the group of ten inmate participants in TOAD. Five other TOAD members were with me as Griff drove us from Taft to the alternative school in Bakersfield where we were scheduled to make two presentations.

During the 20-plus years I had served in prison, I rarely had an opportunity to move or travel at a pace faster than my legs could carry me. I was unprepared for the stop-and-go motions of traveling through Bakersfield streets, or the visual of city traffic speeding in opposite lanes toward our vehicle. They felt like an onslaught, as if I were under attack in the midst of a graphic video game. I had not eaten before leaving the prison camp, though I still couldn’t control the upheaval from motion sickness in my stomach. Fortunately, I moved up to the front seat where I rolled down the window and stuck my head outside to combat the nausea and vertigo. When Griff parked the van, I stepped outside, still dizzy from the ride. Then another sensation came over me. I realized that I was many miles from prison boundaries, and no one had reason to consider me as anything other than a fellow human being. They did not know I was a prisoner, though I did not feel at ease. Too much time had passed since I had walked on city streets. I felt as if my wife should have been with me, yet there I stood, on the sidewalks of Bakersfield, without her. I missed the comfort her presence brings when she is with me.

The other TOAD members and I walked into the lobby of the school, and after a few minutes of polite introduction, a school counselor escorted our group into an auditorium. Once inside, I began to feel more at ease. The institutional setting was an environment I had grown used to over the past two decades, but this time our group had a different standing. In that school, rather than prisoners being watched, we stood before the audience as contributors who were deserving of attention and respect.

Griff introduced us, then each TOAD member spoke for between 15 and 20 minutes, describing the decisions we had made that led us to prison. Students and teachers alike listened intently, appreciating the insight we were providing into the consequences of criminal behavior. We not only told of our own experiences, but we performed a skit to show how the behavior of reckless adolescence could lead to criminal prosecution and lengthy prison terms. We spoke about prison life and expressed the importance of education. Our objective was to help the members of our audience see the value of their schooling, and the reasons why they should avoid criminal lifestyles.

Following our second presentation, we piled back into the van and buckled up for the long drive back to the prison camp in Taft. I felt more settled on the drive back and could take in the surroundings more easily. Griff described the growth of Bakersfield while I tried to process all the action outside the vehicle. Life was moving at a much faster pace than anything I had known since 1987. I didn’t realize how conditioned I had become to prison. The only peace I saw was a man who seemed to be enjoying himself while fishing alone on the bank of a lake.

I don’t know whether administrators will grant me the privilege of stepping into society again, as I am scheduled to serve about five more years before release, but as I settled back into the camp I realized the value of TOAD. It offers a great experience, one that benefits both society and participants. TOAD helped our audience by providing valuable information, and it gave long-term prisoners like me a glimpse of the world to which we were striving to return. Those interested in coordinating a visit from TOAD should contact Mr. Andrew Griffin, Substance Abuse Coordinator at Taft Correctional Institution.

The post Those Outspoken Against Drugs appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I have been in the Taft prison camp for more than three months now. By far, this prison camp offers the best living conditions that I’ve ever experienced since my confinement began in 1987. Some of the prisoners complain, of course, but complaining seems to be a part of confinement. Wherever I have been, prisoners complain. I can understand it, as the people with whom I share space have not experienced as much as I have. They miss their families and communities, and confinement under any kind of circumstances is difficult. Since I have known so much worse, I can say that I wake every morning with enthusiasm and gratitude for the blessings God has bestowed upon me.

During the three months that I have been at Taft Camp, I’ve been very busy. My primary work has been the completion of two new Web sites that I’ve been instrumental in designing. One of the Web sites is called PrisonSuccess.com, and the other Web site is called PrisonAdvice.com. These sites have different purposes from each other, and from my primary site at MichaeISantos.net. I’m optimistic about the opportunities that will open because of my work on these projects.

I designed PrisonSuccess.com in response to a project that I began with my friend Lee Nobmann, of Golden State Lumber. While we were confined together at Lompoc Camp, Lee and I frequently discussed the need for programs that would encourage more offenders to use their time wisely. Together we published two books, one for at-risk adolescents and another to encourage prisoners to step up and accept responsibility for their lives. PrisonSuccess.com has become a component of the Step Up program that Lee’s company sponsored.

Through PrisonSuccess.com, we offer an opportunity for any prisoner to open his own Web site. PrisonSuccess will become a social networking site prisoners may use to document their efforts to grow and prepare for success. This Web project is completely free of charge to all prisoners who sign up to participate. They may post articles, short stories, resumes, goals, book reports, journals and photographs on their personal sites. My hopes are to encourage hundreds, and then thousands of prisoners to participate in this project. I am convinced that those who begin to document their commitment to succeed will have a better chance of overcoming the obstacles that are certain to follow confinement.

The other site I designed, PrisonAdvice.com, will offer content to help people who anticipate a problem with the criminal justice system. Through that Web site, I will publish content regularly that helps others under some of the complexities that accompany prosecution and time in prison. I have written the initial content for PrisonAdvice.com, and I will continue writing profiles of other prisoners and articles during these remaining years that I expect to serve. PrisonAdvice.com differs from MichaelSantos.net because I will use the new site to focus on the prison system rather than on my own journey through confinement. For stories or articles that relate to my own adjustment, I will continue to use my personal Web site at MichaelSantos.net.

I am enthusiastic about these new Web site opportunities because they allow me to continue publishing useful information for people who are in need. Over these remaining years that I expect to serve, I will add significant amounts of content to all of my Web sites. Through this work, I hope to build both a brand and a platform that may help me launch a career as a speaker and consultant for those looking for information about overcoming adversity.

Besides the Web site projects, I’ve also completed my first series of courses with Taft Community College. At Taft Camp, and at the adjacent low-security Taft Correctional Institution, inmates are authorized to study independently with the local college. We have a computer lab with Microsoft programs. I recently completed a course that helped me understand Word and Excel. Previously I had studied courses in both electronic spreadsheets and word processing, but I have never used these popular Microsoft programs. The knowledge I have gained will be helpful upon my release. In fact, it is helpful right now as I am able to use what I have learned to better communicate my needs to Carole.

I’m also participating in the Toastmasters club. While I was confined at USP Atlanta, much earlier during my sentence, I was instrumental in bringing the Toastmasters club to that institution. I really enjoyed participating, as it brought me experience in the art of public speaking. We’re building a vibrant club with the population here at Taft, and I look forward to continuing my participation. This past week I delivered a 30 minute speech that I called Thriving Through Adversity. I spoke without notes, adhering to the following outline: Introduction, describing my own experiences (3 minutes); Values, and Goals, describing the importance of clearly defining both values and goals in order to succeed (8 minutes); Strategies, describing the seven habits that Stephen Covey described in his bestselling book (15 minutes); Benefits, describing the ways these patterns lead to success and happiness (3 minutes); and Conclusion, in which I challenge those in the audience to use this same pattern to succeed.

Another group with which I have signed up to participate at Taft is called T.O.A.D., which is an acronym for Those Outspoken Against Drugs. This group uses inmates at the camp to travel into nearby communities for the purpose of speaking to at-risk adolescents. The TOAD group has been active for several years, and I look forward to the next opportunity to speak with troubled youth. My hopes are that I can help some make better decisions than I made when I was a younger man. My exercise routine continues. I am able to workout regularly. We do not have free weights at this facility, but that is not a problem for me. I am running at least 40 miles each week, and strength training with push ups and dips. We also have several high-quality machines for aerobic training, and the weather is superb. Now that the hot months have passed, I must say that Taft has the best weather that I’ve ever experienced. It’s sunny every day, with low levels of humidity. I really am grateful to be serving my time here.

Over the coming three months, I do not expect to enroll in more classes at Taft College. Instead, I will focus on writing more content for the new Web sites that I am developing. I also will spend time exercising, and watching CNBC. As I write this quarterly report, the market indices are approaching very high levels, and this surprises me. I subscribe to both Business Week and News Week magazines, and I read the Wall Street Journal daily. The news on the sub-prime credit fiasco suggests that millions of people soon are going to face substantially higher mortgage payments, and the credit crunch makes it unlikely that they will be able to refinance. Although the Fed cut interest rates by an unexpected 50 basis points, and the market has gone straight up since then, the economy is going to have to soften. I enjoy watching the pundits on CNBC, even if they are expecting the market indices to continue surging to new highs. My wife, Carole, continues her commitment to nursing school. We both look forward to her graduation next May, when she and her daughter will relocate to the Bakersfield area. Nichole is now an official senior in high school; she completed college-level course work over the summer in order to graduate high school one full year ahead of her class. Both Carole and I are very proud of her. She expects to enroll in a pre-med curriculum when she begins her university studies, in 2008. Beginning in October, I will initiate more regular postings of my daily activities with a Blog that Carole is activating. I encourage readers to follow my progress as I move through these final years of my confinement.

Thank you for your continuing support, and may God bless you all.

The post Thriving Through Adversity: 3rd Quarter 2007 appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Each Monday morning, at 8:30, I join between 25 and 35 other men for our chapter meetings of the Taft Camp Toastmasters Club. I have participated in Toastmasters for many years. The group exists to help its members develop strong public speaking skills. Participation is voluntary, and I am glad for the opportunity.

Last week I delivered a 30-minute speech that described the strategies I employed to advance through my first 20 years of prison. No other prisoner at Taft Camp has endured so much time in confinement, so my audience was interested. Rather than speak about the ways that incarceration extinguishes hope, through my speech I explained how various mentors influenced me to work toward a brighter future.

The mentors whom I spoke about were not people that I had actually met. Instead, I spoke about Socrates, Aristotle, and Sun Tzu. I discovered those teachers through an anthology called A Treasury of Philosophy that I read in 1987, while I was awaiting trial at the Pierce County Jail. By reading the works of those ancient philosophers, I discovered the strength I would need to carry me through the many years that I expected to serve in confinement. Besides the ancient philosophers, I also spoke about others who convinced me that I could find meaning in my life and contribute to the world, even if I had to begin my work from inside prison boundaries.

Speaking in front of groups is a wonderful learning experience. I enjoy the challenge of writing a speech, and then spending many hours rehearsing. It is a thrill to speak without notes, and I feel a sense of energy come through me as I capture the audience’s attention. It’s important for me to deliver a message of lasting value, which is why I spend so much time preparing for every speech I deliver.

During today’s meeting, I was an observant rather than a participant. The featured speaker was a man who is serving a relatively short sentence for tax evasion. Prior to his confinement, this man led a career as the CEO of a publicly traded company. He spoke to our group about his experiences with international business. I appreciated the opportunity to listen to such a distinguished speaker.

As crazy as it may sound, living in a minimum-security prison camp offers many opportunities to grow. Our population is a microcosm of society at large. We have groups of highly educated, white collar offenders, and perhaps an equal segment of the population who struggled to adapt to the customs of legitimate society. As a long-term offender, I look for opportunities to learn from everyone I can, and contribute to the lives of those with an interest in what I have to say.

Following the morning’s Taft Toastmasters Club meeting, I attended an afternoon meeting with the Taft Camp TOAD group. TOAD is an acronym for Those Outspoken Against Drugs. The group meets in a classroom under the direction of a staff sponsor, and we discuss ideas on steps TOAD members can take to help at-risk adolescents make better decisions with their lives. Once each month, a few members of the TOAD group attend a field trip to a local school or juvenile detention facility to speak with troubled adolescents. I was recently inducted into the program so a few months may pass before I become eligible to leave the prison to speak with at-risk adolescents, but I am looking forward to that opportunity.

This evening I have more work to complete, but the work I have falls more in line with my independent projects. I am editing previous articles that I have written so that my wife, Carole, can post them on prisonsuccess.com/. In the weeks to come, I’ll write more new content. I hope to continue providing information to help readers develop a better understanding America’s prisons, the people they hold, and strategies for growing through confinement.

I welcome readers’ questions or comments through e-mail at prisonnewsblog@gmail.com, or by writing me directly here at Taft Camp.

The post Mondays at Taft Camp appeared first on Prison News Blog.