May 31, 2026: Invest in Yourself First

Today I published a new blog titled “$1 Million in a Month.” The title may draw attention, but the message is not about money. The message is about preparation.

With this blog, I am trying to offer more insight into why we spend so much time urging people to invest in themselves. Anyone who goes through the criminal justice system will face challenges before, during, and after the journey. Those challenges may differ from the ones I faced, but they will come.

The question is not whether challenges will exist.

The question is whether a person will prepare to overcome them.

When I began serving my sentence, I knew that a criminal conviction would follow me for the rest of my life. I could not control how long the sentence would last. I could not control where authorities would send me. I could not control how others would judge me. But I could control how I used my time.

That realization shaped the decisions I made through 26 years in federal prison.

I invested in education. I invested in reading. I invested in writing. I invested in communication skills, critical thinking skills, and a support network. I wanted to build tools, tactics, and resources that would help me return to society with dignity and opportunities to contribute.

That is the same message we try to teach through Prison Professors.

Our courses can help people think differently. They can provide structure, lessons, questions, and examples. They can show why it is important to write a biography, keep a journal, complete book reports, develop a release plan, and build a record of preparation.

But each individual must do the work.

No course, nonprofit, or program can want success more than the person who must live with the consequences of his decisions. Each person must choose whether to prepare. Each person must choose whether to document progress. Each person must choose whether to build skills that may lead to better outcomes.

The blog I published today is a teaching tool. I hope it helps people understand that the strongest investment does not begin with markets, businesses, real estate, or any other asset class. The strongest investment begins with the person.

When people invest time and energy to learn skills, develop resources, and create a record of growth, they improve their prospects for overcoming the obstacles ahead.

That is why we continue building Prison Professors.

We want every person in our community to understand that today’s decisions influence tomorrow’s opportunities. Preparation does not guarantee success, but it strengthens a person’s ability to advocate, contribute, and build a better future.