Today is October 26 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you let your past define you?"
People who navigate the chaos seldom let their past define their ability to translate dreams into reality. Most stories often involve some level of personal redemption.
One person who did not let his past define his future is Shon Hopwood. 60 Minutes profiled Hopwood in 2017 and told the story of how Hopwood discovered he had a brilliant mind for the law when he was serving time for armed bank robbery.
He worked in the law library in prison and in an act of self-presentation to see if he could help his own case, Hopewood started studying the law.
While he never helped his own case, he did assist other prisoners. Hopwood would go on to be one of the most successful jailhouse lawyers ever—having had one of his cases argued before the U.S. Supreme Court while serving a 12-year sentence for armed bank robbery.
Upon being released from prison, he worked full-time while finishing his undergraduate degree. He then got accepted into law school and built a resume as a legal scholar that includes being published in top law journals.
He would eventually marry, start a family and in a tale of redemption as improbable as they come, landed a job teaching at Georgetown University’s School of Law.
C. G. Jung noted “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Hopwood looked inside and did not let his past define his future. Do you?