Self-Surrender Checklist: Attitude Issues

Inordinate amounts of anxiety plague people before they self-surrender to federal prison. The individual may experience sleepless nights, worries, and fears. That’s understandable. A good attitude, however, will help the adjustment.

Although more than 23 full years have passed since I began my journey through federal prison, I regularly speak with others who are just beginning their terms in federal prison camp. Soon after settling in they find that the worst part of the experience isn’t prison. It’s the time that precedes prison, when they struggled with worries about how life would change.

In talking with new prisoners, I frequently emphasize the importance of keeping a positive attitude. It’s easy to lose perspective, thinking that prison is the worst thing that can happen to an individual. Truly, the individual who moves into his sentence with a positive attitude may find it an opportunity for inner growth that may enhance the rest of his life.

I define attitude as the way an individual considers his circumstance. He has many choices. He can look at his situation as a cause for self-pity and complaining. He can grow bitter and angry. Or he can accept where he is and work to make the most of it.

Complaining only aggravates the individual’s feeling of being treated unfairly. Holding onto anger or bitterness only drives others away.

The individual who accepts his imprisonment as an opportunity to grow, on the other hand, will create new relationships that enrich his life. He may become a source of inspiration for others. A positive attitude certainly helps in passing through a lengthy prison term.

In Prison! My 8,344th Day, I describe the strategies I rely upon throughout a typical day at this stage of my journey. The book shows readers how I clearly define goals, then work toward them with deliberate choices. Every minute presents an opportunity to advance and I structure my time in ways that will allow me to make the most productive use of time. All of my activities relate to the goals that I strive to achieve.

I urge those about to self-surrender to read Prison! My 8,344th Day and my other writings. The information I provide in them show that prison can bring opportunities for personal growth. The key to emerging from prison stronger than when one began lies in one’s attitude.