FROM INMATE TO INSPIRATION - One of the Most Motivational Videos You'll Ever See

Summary

This powerful narrative recounts the speaker's early release from prison, propelled by a letter from the governor's office. With a renewed sense of purpose, the speaker shares his journey of overcoming adversity, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and the refusal to succumb to fear. He discusses the transformative impact of hard work, good choices, and valuing people, drawing from his own experiences, including a tragic accident that led to personal growth and a commitment to making a positive difference. The speaker's message is one of hope, progress, and the power of intentional change, encouraging listeners to take control of their lives and leave a lasting impact on the world.

Takeaways

• 📜 The speaker had his prison sentence reduced by 11 years and was released early with a letter of commendation from the governor's office.
• 🏡 Upon release, he was determined to change his life and refused to fail despite being broke and facing challenges.
• 🚫 He emphasizes that failure is not final unless one gives up, and it's important to keep trying even after making mistakes.
• 🌊 He uses the metaphor of swimming to illustrate that one must take the plunge to know if they can achieve their dreams.
• 💪 He shares his journey of sobriety, being ten years sober, and encourages others to make a difference in the world.
• 🚗 He recounts a tragic incident from 2009 where his poor decision-making led to a car accident and the death of Priscilla Owens.
• 💔 Priscilla's family forgave him and urged him to make a positive impact in the world, which became a driving force for his change.
• 🛠️ He lives by three principles: hard work, making good choices, and valuing people, which he believes can change one's life.
• 🔄 Change requires intentional choices and a commitment to progress, not perfection.
• 🤝 He stresses the importance of surrounding oneself with positive influences, mentors, and accountability.

Q & A

How much time was reduced from the speaker's prison sentence?

The speaker had 11 years knocked off their prison sentence.

What did the speaker receive from the governor's office upon leaving prison?

The speaker received a letter stating that they were serious about their change and inspiring.

What was the speaker's mindset when they left prison and returned home?

The speaker was on a mission, determined not to fail, and refused to give up despite potential mistakes.

What advice does the speaker give to those who are afraid to pursue their dreams?

The speaker advises that one must take the first step, like jumping into the water to find out if they can swim, to know if they can achieve their dreams.

How does the speaker define failure?

Failure is only a failure until one gives up, according to the speaker. It's not about perfection but about progress.

What significant event happened on July 17th, 2009, in the speaker's life?

The speaker, while under the influence, caused a car accident that resulted in the death of Priscilla Owens.

What was the response of Priscilla Owens' family towards the speaker after the accident?

Priscilla Owens' family forgave the speaker and urged them to make a difference in the world in memory of Priscilla.

What are the three principles the speaker lives by?

The speaker lives by the principles of hard work, making good choices, and valuing people.

What did the speaker write on their prison cell window and why?

The speaker wrote 'change the world' on their prison cell window as a reminder to make good choices and to honor the promise made to Priscilla Owens' family.

How does the speaker encourage others to take ownership of their lives?

The speaker encourages others to take ownership by making intentional choices, being accountable, and surrounding themselves with positive influences.

What is the speaker's message about the importance of the people we surround ourselves with?

The speaker emphasizes that who we surround ourselves with matters and can influence our choices and progress in life.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Overcoming Adversity and Inspiring Change

The speaker shares his journey of redemption after serving 11 years of a prison sentence. He emphasizes the importance of perseverance and not giving up on one's dreams despite past mistakes. He talks about the fear that can paralyze people from pursuing their goals and encourages taking risks to discover one's true potential. The speaker also discusses his personal struggles with addiction and how he has managed to stay sober for ten years, highlighting the significance of progress over perfection. He shares a tragic story from 2009 where his choices led to a fatal accident, and how the forgiveness from the victim's family motivated him to make a positive impact on the world.

05:02

🌟 Living by Principles and Leaving a Legacy

The speaker outlines three core principles that guide his life: hard work, making good choices, and valuing people. He reflects on the importance of taking ownership of one's life and making intentional choices for change. The speaker talks about the need for accountability, transparency, and the support of mentors and counselors in personal growth. He encourages the audience to strive for progress daily and to not let external factors control their lives. The speaker concludes by urging everyone to take responsibility for their actions, to be the best version of themselves, and to leave a positive mark on history.

Keywords

💡Change

Change in the context of this video represents a deep personal transformation. The speaker discusses how change is a conscious decision, driven by choices to improve one’s life despite past mistakes or failures. The speaker left prison early after showing commitment to change, symbolizing the possibility of personal growth and redemption.

💡Failure

Failure is presented as a temporary state, only solidified if one gives up. The speaker encourages viewers not to fear failure, as it is part of the learning process. The message emphasizes that mistakes are inevitable but should be viewed as opportunities for growth rather than endpoints.

💡Accountability

Accountability refers to taking responsibility for one’s actions and decisions. The speaker highlights how owning up to mistakes and maintaining transparency can lead to personal progress. This concept is central to overcoming challenges, particularly in battling addiction or recovering from personal setbacks.

💡Choices

The speaker emphasizes the importance of making good choices, describing how every decision shapes one’s future. After a tragic accident caused by a poor choice, the speaker made a promise to live better, focusing on making intentional choices to improve his life and positively impact others.

💡Perseverance

Perseverance, or the refusal to give up, is a key theme in the video. The speaker repeatedly stresses the importance of continuing to strive towards goals, even after making mistakes or facing hardships. This principle is tied to his journey of recovery and rebuilding his life.

💡Addiction

Addiction is a significant challenge discussed in the video. The speaker reflects on his struggle with alcohol, which led to poor decisions and ultimately the tragic accident. His sobriety and the commitment to overcoming addiction are portrayed as ongoing efforts, where perseverance and good choices play vital roles.

💡Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a powerful element in the speaker’s story, specifically how the family of Priscilla Owens, the victim of the accident, forgave him. This act of forgiveness helped the speaker find motivation to make a positive impact and not let the tragedy be in vain.

💡Support System

A support system refers to the friends, mentors, and counselors who help an individual through difficult times. The speaker notes the importance of having both horizontal (friends and peers) and vertical (mentors, counselors) support to guide personal growth and help see blind spots in one’s life.

💡Sobriety

Sobriety is a crucial aspect of the speaker’s journey. He mentions being ten years sober, an accomplishment tied to his commitment to staying on a better path. Sobriety here symbolizes not just the absence of alcohol, but the broader transformation towards self-discipline and positive life changes.

💡Impact

Impact refers to the lasting effect of one’s actions on the world and others. The speaker’s story of transformation is built around the idea of leaving a positive impact, making sure that the tragedy of Priscilla’s death leads to meaningful change in his life and inspires others to make good choices.

Highlights

Received a letter from the governor's office acknowledging the individual's serious change and inspiring efforts.

Left prison 11 years early, returning to society with determination and a mission.

Emphasized the importance of not giving up, despite potential failures and mistakes.

Encouraged overcoming fear to pursue dreams and goals.

Highlighted the necessity of trying and learning from the experience, like jumping into water to learn to swim.

Stressed that failure is only failure if one stops trying.

Shared a personal story of struggle with addiction and the journey to sobriety.

Revealed a tragic incident from 2009 where poor choices led to the loss of a life.

Expressed the victim's family's forgiveness and their request to make a positive impact.

Introduced three principles for living: hard work, making good choices, and valuing people.

Described the commitment to change and the importance of making intentional choices.

Discussed the importance of accountability and transparency in personal growth.

Highlighted the need for mentors and counselors to help identify and overcome blind spots.

Encouraged taking ownership of one's life and making good choices for progress.

Shared the belief that everyone has the potential to leave a positive mark on history.

Concluded with a call to action for self-improvement, encouragement, and living a life of purpose.

Transcripts

I got 11 years of my prison sentence

knocked off 11 years

I left prison and when I left there I

got a letter from the governor's office

that said that this young man is his

he's serious about his change and he's

trying to overcome these impact and

inspiring I got this this letter this

paper that I left the prison I was

leaving the prison in street clothes I

left 11 years early I came home five

years ago

five years ago I came home

and I was on a mission man and I was

just a brokedown dude that's just hungry

and I refuse to fail I refuse to give up

I may make mistakes I may do it the

wrong the first time the second time but

failures only failure until you stop

trying listen some of you you're afraid

and you're letting fear or whatever your

dream whatever your goal whatever it is

that you want to achieve

you're letting fear paralyze you listen

to me you're never going to know if you

can swim unless you jump in the water

you're never going to know that you can

achieve your dreams or you're going to

fail unless you get into the water

that's when you're gonna find out if

you're sinking or you're swimming and

here's the truth failures only failure

until you give up man it is that you

don't have to get it right the first

time

it's not about perfection and so some of

you maybe you struggled and you've

messed up and you're relapse or you

you've made some hiccups and even some

of us that are struggle with addiction

you've made some for business choices

some poor relationship choices you've

struggled I'm telling you what it's not

about perfection it's about progress

keep putting one foot in front of the

other giving up it's not an option

giving up on your loved ones is not an

option feeling that when you're sobriety

is not an option it's not I want you

guys to understand you're in the game

and the gay man we're in this together I

refuse to believe that addiction and

living a life full of drugs and bound to

this these thoughts and these failures

this all that we have it's not I'm ten

years sober and I promise I don't like

knuckle it I'm not counting the days I'm

just tasting down my dream and I'm no

different than any one of you in here

you was God is always the majority

period and so here's what happened with

me was a Friday night 2009 July 17th so

I had drank and consumed a half a fifth

of whiskey and 13 shots of tequila I was

drunk a girl named Priscilla Owens she

comes to get me my friend mike says

Nathan you're not driving right I said

oh no I'm not driving she is she's been

designated driver we got this we're

going out to TJ's we're starting the

fire I'll see you in a little bit cool

we shook up and we're out the door but

in the process of leaving that bar to

getting to the car there's one question

that I'm never gonna have probably ever

have answered and I can't quite put my

finger on it but somehow when I left

that bar Priscilla gave me her keys and

I remember these next few moments I

remember the atmosphere I remember what

was being said I remember what

everything every part of it I remember

the shorts that I had on I remember more

clearly than anything the next words I

heard out of Priscilla's mouth I

remember him so clearly every vow every

constant articulated so precisely and it

was so clear as crystal clear as day

well the next words I heard from

Priscilla were simply this tree and when

I hit that tree that case of beer

bottles that was behind her catapulted

forward at impact

and then what we're neighbor silicum

didn't have her seat not on quatre point

for it impact and that thing called the

windshield in your car and that case of

beer bottles Matt with Priscilla in

between and she slid down to a full of

wood and her neck rested on the middle

console that 23

choices and decisions that I made

Priscilla

Owens lost her life

she was a mother too she was a daughter

and she was a sister

what happened though is the family

wanted me to contact them right after

that they said listen there's no reason

for two families to be destroyed we want

you to know that we we love you even

though we don't know you we forgive you

mean that we don't know you but do us a

favor it's trying to make the world a

better place try it - don't let

Priscilla die for nothing just make a

difference

[Music]

I live with these three principles and I

promise you man they will change

everything about who you are

hard work works make good choices and

value people I decided ten years ago

literally when this all happened and

went to prison I wanted to be I was like

you know what I want to make this

promise I want to keep it to this family

I come from a lot of brokenness I don't

know where to start but what I do know

is the importance of the choices that I

make and so literally I wrote the word

change the world and I slapped it on a

little prison cell window and every

single day I woke up and I realized make

good choices great things happen aim

small miss small I promise you if some

of you will just begin to take ownership

of your life and so you feel you're

already striving and doing phenomenal

and making good choices I would say keep

going don't give up keep pursuing it

because I promise you every single one

of you were meant to leave your

fingerprints on history but I'm here to

tell any of you in here if you're

battling if you're struggling you've got

to know when to cut anchor and go on

about your life because you can't be

letting people live ready free up here

you can't be letting people hold you

back and who you surround yourself with

matters changes I'm having by accident

change takes intentional choices to be

different and that's just truthful today

I'm gonna get my attitude all that I got

I'm gonna give up working on my

character all that I got I want to try

to be responsible with all that I got

I want to be the best me with everything

that I got was all that I got if we can

every day look in the mirror and say I

don't need to be perfect but I want to

progress today every day I'm gonna get a

little bit better I promise you

accountability and transparency will

change your life as much as you want to

sometimes isolate and be by yourself and

think that you can do this on your own

you can't you're not an island and you

can't do this on your own and it yes we

got to have our good friends we need to

have those people that can encourage us

but it's not just on a horizontal level

there has to be a vertical level those

coaches those mentors those people that

have been through some things in life

you lead them in your life you need

counselors and people in your life that

can see you and see your blind spots

because we normally in life we will not

see our blind spots make good choices

great things happen you see every choice

that I can make listen I can't control

what you think about me I can't control

your opinion of me I can't control what

you say about me but I control how I

react respond and what I do with my life

I'm in control of my life I don't let

external factors control me I'm in

control of my life

because sometimes life can be tough life

can be challenging

and sometimes the opticals in front of

you seem like they're too big it's

easier just to lay down you know what I

remember I remember when my dad used to

look at me on the kids that listed

Nathan life is never going to keep you

but if you make it and if you build that

nobody can t be funny because hardwork

and tenacity refusing to quit and

chasing your dream you'll get there I

promise you maybe you don't hit the star

to show that on the moon you don't still

give up when you go after and you stop

care about the opinions of people around

you stop hating everybody hurts

take ownership of your life take off

your mask don't let them

make good choices be a best friend

encourage somebody be Lavoie

outward installation this is your moment

[Music]

[Music]

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