Monday, July 24, 2017

Today was a day for reaching significant achievements in our PEP revolution. It began with the men of Pristine ’17 giving the final speeches, signaling their completion of Toastmasters. Some of the topics included fishing stories, evaluating our present conditions, and actions that will positively impact the communities we are returning to. Several of the men practiced speeches for the upcoming Business Plan Competition. Here is an encouraging quote: “Gentleman, may the force be with you.”

The next milestone that deserves recognition is the Celebrate Recovery program, which has reached the halfway point. The premise of this program is transformed thinking through sobriety. Today, the men attending the meeting were privileged to watch the movie The Miracle of the Cards. The story was so touching that it brought a few of the men to tears – I confess that I was one of them. That is okay, because in spite of what some people say, real men do cry. This movie is family friendly, so if you have the chance, do take the time to enjoy it.

Today’s additional news comes from the PEP computer room. Prior to the unit’s recent lockdown inspection, a large amount of market research material arrived from our business plan advisors. Because of the lockdown we could not access the information. Taking the opportunity to get back to business was both beneficial and fun. We give thanks to our wonderful business plan advisors for the professional quality that flows through their efforts.
As I close today’s journal let me assure you that no day is wasted in PEP. This day the men of Pristine ’17 grew one step closer to becoming the servant-leaders that we are destined to be.

Timothy W.
aka Chocolate Yoda

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

First and foremost, our prayers go out to Angel H., a man who never stopped smiling, a dedicated individual with a world of talent. He was a man with dedication, drive and an incomparable work ethic. He has heart and enough soul to continue to motivate and lift up every brother he comes into contact with. We love you!

We started our day here at the Estes Unit with the Phase I Leadership Academy class where the Phase II facilitator group assembled to orchestrate yet another electric morning of education, fellowship and character building.
The real fun began when Pristine ’17 took the room for our afternoon Entrepreneurship class, where we were surprised by executive volunteers from “Jumpcellerator.” They presented “Entrepreneurship Boot Camp 101” which was awesome and motivating. Honestly, we thought we would not have time to take a test, but we had just enough time to take a pop quiz on Microsoft Hot Keys.
All in all, our day was filled with growth and knowledge that we will be able to use in the future. Each day here is a true blessing.

David W.
aka Lady Antebellum

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Today was a great day to be in this wonderful program which we love. We had some guys come to teach us about establishing a business that we love. They also taught us about staying committed to it. There was a chart showing three questions to ask if you want to make sure you are creating a successful business that you love and actually want to have: “Do you love what you do?” (make sure you love it so that you won’t be miserable at work); “Are you good at it?” (how will you start a business when you are not good at what you want to start?); and last but not least, “Will you or can you make money?” (it would not make sense to do something that won’t create revenue – duh!) … it goes without saying that we all loved class today, as we do every day. We also took a test on our “Hot Keys,” shortcuts on the computer keyboard. Using Hot Keys helps to cut down on time spent typing any kind of documents or papers you are working on.

PEP has been one of the greatest experiences that all of us could have been through. It teaches life skills and also sharpens all of our minds in business. What a wonderful class to attend. I feel that we are all ready to re-enter society and appreciate our homes and families. I personally want to say that I enjoy all of my PEP brothers. We are almost there, so keep on trucking, guys. Our families will be very proud of Pristine ’17!

Tyler W.
aka Miley Cyrus

Thursday, July 27, 2017

I woke up early today and rewrote my pitch to include more details for our next event: Pitch Day. Afterwards my study partner and I got down to some serious studying. Ty’derrious S. and I got together and started working on our Chapter 13 Entrepreneurship book handouts and flashcards. This back-and-forth method is really powerful because I get to hear useful insights into the subject matter that helps explain what is being taught, not just memorizing the packet.

Then I recited my pitch – I am right at nine-and-a-half minutes. We will be ready for Pitch Day in two weeks. Everyone is working hard to make a good showing. Our main daily focus is to complete every assignment, study and read all the assigned material. Keeping track for us can be a bit tedious, but we all tend to ask each other what needs to be done if we do not know. Sometimes our eyes are a bit bloodshot from straining and being not a little bit tired. To see everyone working so hard to reach that goal of graduation on September 15th is very encouraging to see. We all lift each other up and encourage one another with positive words and by spending time together talking about and doing positive things. Today was no exception. It is all about preparation and dedication to attain our goals.
Matthew Z.
aka Con-Air

Expressions

This quote brings peace to my mind. There are many kinds of people, but the quote speaks about people who are reflecting positive attributes. Focusing on these attributes helps me to keep in mind my goals of becoming someone who has a servant-leader mentality and who practices humility daily. We can be willing to die for someone or something. The greater choice would be to live for the purpose in order to bring wisdom out of what our passion may be. I am not sure who the author of this quote may be, but I can perceive from the mind of the individual. To enlighten others with spiritual insight coming from this quote is an act of love that keeps moving hand to hand, mind to mind. We can only imagine how many fellow brothers and sisters have been moved by this expression of genuine compassion to pass the message on. I just read the quote by coincidence and enjoyed the message and the warm expressions the quote conveyed. Many quotes are expressions of wisdom and useful in our lives today. No matter how old they are, quotes like this one remind us that living a life of integrity and high moral principles affects not just our own lives, but the lives of our children as well.
Jose A.
aka “Selena”