Today I went to the gym to hear Damon West speak.

Damon was sentenced to 65 years in prison on a burglary-related RICO case in Dallas, Texas.

What surprised me most was his background. He didn’t grow up in poverty or in a broken home. He came from a stable, middle-class family. His father was a well-known sports journalist, and Damon himself had worked for Congress and later as a stockbroker.

His life changed after he was introduced to methamphetamine. What started as a way to stay awake eventually became a full-blown addiction. He lost his career and turned to home burglaries to support his habit, earning the nickname “The Uptown Burglar.”

On July 30, 2008, he was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

Then something happened that immediately caught my attention.

Texas allows many inmates to become eligible for parole after serving a portion of their sentence. Damon was granted parole on his first hearing and walked out of prison on November 15, 2015.

He served about seven years of a sixty-five-year sentence.

I have to admit—I was a little jealous.

In the federal system, things work differently. Most of us must serve at least 85% of our sentence. No matter how much I improve myself, there isn’t a way for me to earn my freedom sooner. That’s simply the reality of where I am.

Still, I didn’t leave discouraged.

I left with pages of notes.

What I Took Away:

Change your mindset. Don’t see prison only as punishment. See it as an opportunity to build your mind, body, and character. That’s exactly how I’m trying to use this time.

Great leaders serve. Find your gifts and use them to help others. Instead of expecting something in return, encourage people to pay it forward. It reminded me of Zig Ziglar’s saying: “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

Other people’s opinions of you are none of your business.

Practice until excellence becomes ordinary. Damon said he rehearsed his speeches over and over in the mirror. Nobody becomes great by accident.

Your past doesn’t define you. The present is a gift, and the future is still yours to build.

Knowledge is only valuable if you apply it.

Prison doesn’t have to be the end of your story.

Work hard and make your comeback impossible to ignore.

One thing Damon said really stuck with me.

After his release, he spent six months visiting nursing homes on weekends because he learned there were residents who hadn’t received a visitor in years.

That inspired me.

When I get home, I want to do the same.

There was one question I didn’t get a chance to ask.

If I ever speak with Damon again, I want to know what he believes is the single most important thing someone can do to build a successful relationship with their probation officer?