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separation from family and friends? In conversations with him, he admitted to me that he felt that he did not have the right to live because of the crimes he had committed, that his remorse over his victims was at times overwhelming, and because he had left his family with no husband or father, no income. He told me that he had come to peace with that through his new spiritual life, religious faith, a realization that the past was done, that he could not change it, and that he had therefore resolved to live differently. John became a moral man, at peace and happy with his life as it is. With a ready smile each day, working diligently at his assigned duties, going the extra mile when needed, protecting and defusing potentially dangerous situations for the safety of staff members and other inmates, John had changed with his situation and, in my view, in the best of ways. Lou Holtz, Head Football Coach, says, " Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

Major life setbacks are looming for everyone, after all life is difficult. The key ingredients to overcome them: attitude, faith, recovery, goal setting, resiliency, professional help, and work. As Victor Frankel wrote, "Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary." We must realize that we cannot always change the world but that we can always change ourselves.

Learn more about this author, Jeff Vidrine.
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