I was a gang member who couldn’t live without abusing cannabis. I say abuse because I couldn’t get out of bed if I didn’t have it and couldn’t start or complete a task without it. If I done something good I needed it and if I done something bad I needed it.

I was a criminal. I didn’t think about the consequences to my actions. I caused pain which in turn made people want to hurt or even kill me. Thinking about what led up to this decade, (2010) for me to be alive is impressive.

My unexpected pivot was forced upon me 9 years ago. My options were be killed or go to jail for killing, literally. Reporting or summarising such things is commonly confused for glamourising so the reasons that brought me to that stage don’t matter for now.

How is this related to business or the theme of career change as the prompt indicated? I went from a full time criminal to a full time family man/business man.

My outlook has changed and turned upside down. Before it was about survival, violence and hunger. Now my outlook is glass half full, realising that anything I’ve put my mind to I’ve achieved and reaped rewards. Yes many times I’ve failed but I’ve succeeded many times more. Diving into the deep end not with fear but with excitement, this is my outlook today in 2020.