Tools

If we want to reach a higher potential, we need to develop the right tools. Success doesn’t happen by accident—it happens when we equip ourselves with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to create meaningful opportunities.

I first learned this lesson while serving time in prison. I didn’t have access to financial capital, professional networks, or the internet. But I did have access to one of the most powerful tools of all—books.

I learned about the power of books, and using them as tools, while I served time in solitary. During the first year of my prison term, I spent months in solitary confinement. I was alone with my thoughts, trying to comprehend how my life had led to this point.

The jury had convicted me of a serious drug offense—Continuing Criminal Enterprise, also known as the Kingpin Statute. The judge sentenced me to 45 years. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant. Since I was in solitary, I thought I would be locked in a small cell for the next four and a half decades.

I was 23 years old, and since I had limited life experiences, I couldn’t comprehend that length of time. Solitary confinement gave me time to think.

I understood that my bad decisions had led me there, but I also recognized a deeper truth—I hadn’t just gone to prison for selling cocaine. I had gone to prison because, years earlier, I had failed to equip myself with the right tools to build a legitimate life. That realization reminded me of my father.

My father had escaped from Cuba to build a better life in America. He worked as an electrician—a trade that required tools. Over the years, he accumulated ladders, screwdrivers, wrenches, and trucks. Each tool served a purpose in helping him build a business that supported our family.

Without those tools, he wouldn’t have been able to do his job.

While in solitary confinement, I realized I had to build my own set of tools—not physical ones, but intellectual and personal development tools. If my father needed wrenches and electrical meters to build a business, I needed:

• Books to build knowledge.
• Discipline to stay committed.
• Writing skills to communicate ideas.
• A network of mentors to guide me.

The books I read would become the tools I used to transform my life. Since I didn’t have anything else, books became the first tools I developed.

“Books are uniquely portable magic.”
– Stephen King

I read about people who faced struggles and emerged stronger. I studied leaders, philosophers, and entrepreneurs. I learned from the greatest minds in history—many of whom had experienced adversity but used the right tools to rebuild their lives. Even now, more than 12 years since I walked out of prison, I continue to use books as tools to reach a higher potential. For example, later today my wife and I will drive to San Diego. We’re going to walk through the zoo. While we’re driving, I’ll start listening to a book I downloaded from Audible:

• Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Later, I’ll reflect on the lessons from the book and write about what I learned. This process—reading, learning, applying, and sharing—is part of my daily commitment to self-improvement.

The truth is, anyone can develop more knowledge and empower themselves by developing tools. If you want to:

• Improve your finances – Learn about investing, money management, and business.
• Get healthier – Study nutrition, exercise, and psychology.
• Build relationships – Learn communication skills, negotiation, and emotional intelligence.
• Start a business – Study entrepreneurship, sales, and marketing.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
– Abraham Lincoln

The tools you build today determine the success you create tomorrow.

As I did while I was in solitary, you can embark upon your own personal-development journey. Meditate on the following question: What Tools Are You Building? Success requires a person to prepare by developing the right tools to seize opportunities when they arise.

What tools are you developing?

Self-Directed Learning Question:

• What skills, habits, or resources are you investing in today that will help you build a better future?

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