The Power of Words: How The Power of Now Transformed My Life in Solitary Confinement
Introduction: A Book That Changed Everything
There was a time when I sat in solitary confinement, counting the minutes, the hours, the days. The walls around me were cold and unforgiving, and time felt like both my enemy and my greatest teacher. I had two choices: let my mind spiral into darkness or find a way to reclaim my peace.
Then, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle entered my life.
The book came to me through a prison guard—a man I once would have seen as an enemy. He had read it himself and, for reasons unknown to me at the time, decided to pass it along. That single act of kindness, of humanity, would set in motion a transformation that changed everything.
Dissecting the Words, Finding Peace in the Present
I didn’t just read The Power of Now; I dissected it, absorbed it, and lived it. Over and over, I returned to its pages, letting the words sink in like a lifeline in an ocean of isolation.
For the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to be truly present.
I stopped obsessing over my past—over the regrets, the mistakes, the pain that had defined me for so long. I let go of the anxiety about the future, the unknown that once felt suffocating. I simply existed in the moment, in that cell, at peace in a way I had never known before.
And in that stillness, I found something that had eluded me for years—freedom.
Not the kind of freedom that comes from unlocked doors but the kind that comes from within. The kind that no prison, no sentence, no circumstance can take away.
From One Book to a Brotherhood
When I was released from solitary confinement, back into the general population prison yard, I knew I had to share this book with others. I gathered the men around me—some I had known for years, others I was just getting to know—and we formed an unexpected brotherhood around these words.
We passed the book around, spinning laps in the yard while discussing the lessons it taught us. We held each other accountable to the principles within it—choosing presence over pain, choosing growth over regret.
For so many of us, this book became a guide to transformation.
It wasn’t just me. Gianne Lollar, Bryson McCalley, and Travon Harris—men who had fought their own battles and faced their own demons—were impacted just as deeply. We weren’t just men serving time; we were men committed to becoming better before we walked out of those gates.
Listen to our conversation about the book The Power of Now in the latest episode on the How To Battle Podcast.
Full Circle: From Solitary to Meeting Eckhart Tolle
It’s funny how the universe works.
A man I had never met—Eckhart Tolle—impacted my life from afar. His words found me in my most broken state and, in turn, helped me help others. And now, years later, through an unexpected alignment, I am connected with the Eckhart Tolle Foundation.
The man whose words changed my life is now someone I have the opportunity to meet, not just for my own personal reasons but because we are meant to continue making an impact in this world together.
This isn’t about a book. This is about humanity. About looking beyond people’s pasts, their circumstances, their beliefs—and simply seeing them, and seeing the potential for good in every person.
The Power of Books: Why I’m Paying It Forward
I know firsthand the power that one book can have.
It’s why I’m on a mission this year to get 6,200 copies of my own book, Warrior in the Garden: 7 Rules for Men, into the hands of young men throughout California.
6,200 books—one for every day I spent in prison.
I know there are young men out there who need guidance, who need a spark—just like I did. And if my book can be that for even one person, then I know it was all worth it.
Join the Movement: Help Me Get Warrior in the Garden Into the Right Hands
If you believe in the power of books, the power of words, and the power of second chances, I invite you to be part of this mission.
Click this link to leave your name and email, and we’ll reach out with ways you can contribute. Whether it’s sponsoring books, spreading the word, or simply believing in the mission, your support means everything.
Final Thoughts
I am grateful. Grateful to Eckhart Tolle for writing the book that transformed my life. Grateful to the guard who unknowingly changed my future. Grateful to the men I walked the yard with, who committed to becoming better alongside me.
And I am grateful for the opportunity to now do the same for others.
The past does not define us. We have the power to rewrite our future. And sometimes, all it takes is one book in the right hands.
Take Care, and Keep Battling!
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