The Most Important Decision I Ever Made

I had lost the career I spent thirty years building. My reputation was in tatters. I had lost control of my life and hit rock bottom. As I sat contemplating my next steps, a sense of comfort washed over me. Raised in a religious family, I had good values instilled in me from an early age. Although I wasn’t a fan of organized religion, I knew God existed and believed Jesus Christ was my Savior, and at that moment I needed Him in my life. Could I build a relationship with Him without attending church?

I knelt down and prayed – something I had not done in years. With tears streaming down my face, I asked for help in learning to become a better person, and most importantly, seeking forgiveness. I promised to learn all I could and do my best to live a life aligned with the values I believed in. I vowed to be honest in all my words and actions from that moment forward.

It took months before I felt forgiven, but I knew I would be okay. I was no longer anxious about my future. I knew God had a plan for me. My mission on earth might be the people I meet in prison, it might be those following my story on the outside, or it might be collaborating with people I haven’t even met yet. One thing was certain: I was going to make the best use of my time. I would read, write, and learn as much as I could.

Over the next two years, I read more than 200 books, including the Bible and the Book of Mormon twice. I lost forty pounds, wrote thousands of pages of manuscript, brushed up on my French, and even memorized all the metric conversions. But most importantly, I became a better person. I discovered what truly mattered to me – my values. I learned to listen, put others first, be humble, serve others, control my emotions, and seek forgiveness. I even learned to be the first to apologize – without caring who was to blame. My mantra became, “It is not who you are, it is who you become.” We will never be perfect in this mortal life, but we can learn from our mistakes and become better human beings.