[su_dropcap style=”simple” size=”2″]N[/su_dropcap]ow I know what you are probably thinking right now, Keron Rose aka Mr Droid, jail? Ha! I could laugh and talk about it now. But when you are on you are on the journey of self-destruction, blinded by influences, the wrong crowd, and trying to survive in this rapidly changing climate, it can lead to some of your worst decision making.
With age, we all hope that people become wiser and start making better decisions, but I have fully understood what Aaliyah said when she said, “Age Is Nothing But A Number.” Maybe she had a different context for the saying, but I see grown men/women making some crazy decisions whilst some of the youth are the complete opposite.
My decisions lead to multiple stints in jail, and it gave me a time to sit still, not think about the outside world and there were some valuable lessons learnt and some of my best ideas are a result from having that time alone. It’s a great time to talk about my top 5 lessons learned.
[su_quote cite=”Natalie Clifford Barney“]Entrepreneurship is the last refuge of the trouble making individual. [/su_quote]
The one thing I have always promised myself is that, whenever I decide to open up and have my own platform, would be that I would only do it when I have fully got comfortable about opening up. I never had an issue opening up when I trusted people, but I have always taken an extreme issue with people passing judgement. This saying has been repeated by many greats and holds true, “You will suffer if you continue to have an emotional reaction to everything said to you.” So as part of me working on this issue, I am openly talking about my past experiences, hoping it may help others.
I have been to jail in Toronto 3x. Two of those times were for a week, and the 3rd time was for 3 months. When I moved to Trinidad, I bought a car and when my insurance was set to expire, I was put onto someone who could hookup me with insurance at a good price. Long story short, I got pulled over and the insurance was not legit and the magistrate literally threw the book at me and gave me 90 days in a Trinidad jail.
Now at the time, it was pretty harsh, nobody could have believed it. But you know what, my entire blueprint for Droid Island was conceived while I served those 90 days in Golden Grove. In every time I have been incarcerated, reading was always what mentally kept me good. As I reflect on all of my mistakes, I realize I have learned a lot from incarceration and I am executing on everything now.
My 5 Lessons
Entrepreneurship – Getting a record can really f*ck up your life! The entire system is set to keep you in the system. It really is not aimed at rehabilitation. If you want people who have made mistakes in their lives and be introduced back into society as a model citizen, there have to be ways for them to do that. At present, a record is almost like a life sentence, as it makes finding a job next to impossible. However, I have learned that entrepreneurship is the last place for the troubled soul. Now that we have the technology, we can start to build businesses without needing the approval from anybody and we can rebuild our lives.
Learning Technology – If you can devote some time to learning how to use all of the digital systems available us, we can now build brands and companies in so many fields. We can use social media to talk about our stories, sell physical or digital products and receive money from anywhere in the country or other countries. We do not need to look for a job, as we finally have ways to start companies for next to no money.
Patience – If being confined to a cell doesn’t teach you anything about patience, I do not know what else can help you. I have always been impatient and looked for shortcuts in so many areas of my life. I had problems and tried to find the fastest ways to solve those issues. Now I have learned to trust the process. I have taken my time to learn how to build my brand, learned how to monetize what I am passionate about, try to cut down on expenses, be patient with my brand as I continue to put work into it and most importantly to be patient with myself. I am allowed to be a masterpiece and a work of art, all at the same time.
Self Love – Society treats you like scum whenever you are inside. It’s as if you have are no longer human as soon as you walk through those doors. There are good people on the inside, just as much as there are bad people on the outside. The point is, you gotta conduct yourself with dignity, respect, and still love yourself. I have never had a fight inside, never had a problem with anybody, I gave respect & respect was given. Sh*t happens, we do dumb shit and after you serve your time, we gotta continue to hold our heads up and not let anybody make you feel less than.
Use Your Experience To Help Others – Our stories and experience aren’t just for us, but to help those who are walking similar paths. Society can sit back and talk about crime, and they don’t understand why these people cannot just go get a job. It’s easier said than done. Without going too far into the obstacles a lot these individuals face, one of the things I have noticed is that we have all been exposed to different situations and we all internalize them differently. For me to start even thinking about entrepreneurship and building a brand, I needed to start immersing myself in content that helped me shift my thinking. We need to start planting seeds in the incarcerated, and the at-risk youth, showing them an alternative life. You won’t save everyone, but you will save a lot of people.
Everything I have learned from my highs and lows, I just want to pass it on to others. I know what its like be in jail, and listening to the stories of everyone, its mind blowing. We really do not know what people are going through, and sometimes people just feel like they don’t have a choice. In 2019, I really am going to start trying to work with at-risk youth, teaching them what I know about technology and digital platforms, hopefully, it helps someone start building a life they can be happy & fulfilled about.