"Beyond Scared Straight"

The other day I was watching a few episodes of A&E's Beyond Scared Straight and I realized so many people need something like that for many different reasons.

For those of you who don't know, the show features a number of "at risk teens" who spend some time at a local prison in order to open their eyes to the possible end result of the path they are currently leading. In the end they tend to change and start a path towards a better future.

The reason this made an impression on me was because I've wanted to do so many of the things I am only NOW trying but I got caught up in the typical lifestyle everyone else is living around me. This is exactly how the "at risk teens" started getting into trouble. While what they were doing was a lot more dangerous and serious, I was more or less settling for the typical lifestyle everyone else was leading.

There were so many times I could have used that extra push; in fact I still need it from time to time. But like the kids in the show, I made the choice to change my lifestyle for the better. It is hard but it's something I have to try to focus on and work towards everyday

In the past month I've been working on a number of things but frequently get lazy or distracted. I'm the first to say I'm disappointed in myself and what I managed to accomplish over this winter break. With less than a week left I hope I can try to turn it around and as I start a new semester I don't let that be an excuse for not fully pursuing my goals.

I only hope that anyone who wants to take that next step doesn't shy away from it because of the hard work it will entail.