Every Monday morning I write down 3 random thoughts and reflect on them. This is something I've been doing since my prison days. This little ritual helps me step back and reflect on things before I start my week. Let's see if it does the same for you. So with that said... Let's jump into the first thought in my mind this morning... 1. The grass isn't always greener. Back when I was doing time... I'd see all the new inmates complaining about the prison. It's called Shelton... Named after the town it's located in. Anyway... New inmates would always complain about Shelton. They'd piss and moan about the conditions. They'd cry about the food. And they'd always talk about putting in a transfer to a new prison. This angered old inmates. So, most of these older inmates came from another prison. For whatever reason, they lucked out and made it to Shelton. And a lot of them had been trying to get there for years. Shelton was pretty nice. Well... As nice as prison can get. And these new inmates had no idea how lucky they were to make it to Shelton. You see, most prisons in Washington State house 2000 or more inmates. Shelton housed 800. It was small. And hard to get placed in. That's why the older inmates would get pissed off when they'd see the younger guys whining about the conditions. They had no idea how good they had it. And while we're on this subject... Let's move on to my second thought this morning. 2. With all the disadvantages Black folks struggle with, this country is still full of opportunities. I know. Black folks get the short end of the stick. That's a fact. With that said... We still have more opportunities in this country than a lot of other countries. So look... You can grow up in extreme poverty. With absolutely no money. But you can still make a decent life for yourself. If you don't get involved in the streets... You can get grants to go to a trade school to learn a trade. You can join the military. You can get student loans to go to college. These options aren't available in places like Cambodia. No matter how hard you work... Opportunities to make a better life for yourself simply don't exist. The good thing about our country is... If you work hard... You can improve your situation. This is a perfect time to talk about the 3rd thought this morning... Which is... 3. Successful people are always half-glass-full-type-of-people. You have to understand... Your thoughts are energy. And when you feed negative thoughts... You attract negativity. The same goes for good thoughts. Good thoughts attract good things in your life. You see, thoughts are like seeds. And you have a choice. You can give these thoughts mental energy, and they'll grow. Or you can kill these thoughts... By refusing them your mental energy. I've given you enough to ponder on this week. And that's why... I'm signing off. Have a blessed day... -John Carlisle | 
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