Change is an Inside Job / Gordon Graham

RATINGS

Overall: 4/ 5 stars

Text Level: Medium

Entertainment: Medium

Self-Help: High

Page Count: 247

Is this book right for me and my inmate?

If you are an inmate stuck in a rut of blaming others for how you feel your life has turned out this is a helpful book.

Buy on: Amazon

Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)

Breaking negative habits learned in jail.

I was given this book by an instructor I have in jail for a class called Breaking Barriers. This is a very popular course at many facilities so there is a good possibility that most inmates might have heard of it. This book was written by the founder of Breaking Barriers, Gordy Graham. The book talks about his life that led him in and out of prison for decades to the founding of a program that has helped so many inmates. The books main purpose is to share what he has learned in developing the Breaking Barriers classes and the wisdom gains to help change an inmates life for the better, by breaking the cycle of incarceration.

I have been taking Breaking Barriers classes for over three years and they have helped change my life for the better even while being locked up. I think the largest thing the classes have helped me with is they have taught me to see the world as something I have much more control over to influence positively. In the book Gordy talks about how it is often our own mental negative thinking that holds us in place and we must work to break the paradigm in which we view the world. We see things with our preconditioned notions that we have learned from years of being incarcerated. These views might work well for us when we are locked up, but they become a hindrance once we are out in the world. We find ourselves becoming victims to the mental ruts we place ourselves in. Gordy talks a lot about breaking out of our comfort zones of negative environments, thoughts and behaviors to push our boundaries for positive belief.

After reading this book I see how my habits built over years can be obstacles for peace and growth in the long run. I think this would an awesome book for anyone wanting to build a better level of attitude towards the world and what they area capable of. So much of the book talks about the individual's mindframe in viewing goals in practical ways for success. The support that this book has given me in feeling I can turn my life around for the better is something I feel all inmate can benefit from.

Book Quotes

"You don't get what you want in life, you get what you expect."

"We may not be able to change other people's attitudes, but we can make a choice to not let them impact how we live our lives."