By: Edward Ball
No, I am not talking about bullets and bribes. I am talking about not placing more value on what you don’t have than on what you do.
In the late 1990’s my lead was a nearly 40 year prison sentence. The gold I didn’t have was freedom, the same freedom all of my acquaintances had. For nearly two of my prison sentence I longed to be free like those I once ran the street with. I wanted desperately to trade in my lead for their gold.
It took me at least two years to realize that my lead had more value to me than their gold did. As I sat in prison looking stupid, I went to school earning a couple of degrees, a few certificates, and a certification. On top of that I had a chance to change my perspective and see things from a different angle. All of these things positively impacted my life in a manner that would have been impossible on the trajectory I found myself prior to prison.
I am not living the dream or anything like that, however, I am in a state of constant forward motion (slow motion). Most of my acquaintances who were holding gold while I held on to lead are in stand still at best with many of them in a state of degradation.
Utilizing the lead you have can get you the gold you don’t, however, simply wishing you had the gold will turn your lead into a dead weight. I was released from prison early with a skill set and mindset capable of creating for myself gold. Many others are dragging their lead around like a ball and chain slowly and unsuccessfully chasing gold. I suggest turning your lead into gold not a road block and a dead weight.