Challenge Yourself (A Random Rambling with a video)

I enjoy a good TED Talk every now and then and I guess Youtube understands that to some extent because this gem showed up in my suggestions today:

Everything seemed to point downhill for this guy and somehow, the extraordinary turning point in his life came about while he was in prison. He explains it all very well so I recommend you hear it in his words but if you're not going to play the video for whatever reason here are some highlights:

• The family members he grew up around were addicts
• They introduced him to crime when he was pretty young
• He taught himself to read in jail as an adult
• He learned to LOVE reading in jail
• He taught himself about financial literacy and now he's teaching other inmates

While he admits that getting into crime was still a choice he made, I think it's worth noting that becoming literate and seeking knowledge was a choice too. Interesting stuff.