Journal 6 Gavin Sullivan

 

Gavin Sullivan

English 1109 at 10:30, T-Th

10/21/2020

 

Journal Six: Three Takeaways

 

This book left a lot of impressions on me it was a very good book in my opinion and I really enjoyed reading it. Now I will dive into my biggest takeaways from the book One and Done. My first takeaway from this book was that even if you make your dreams a reality do not become complacent. In this book Clarett essentially achieves his dream of becoming a football star then he parties like it. Soon we see him taken down the road where constant partying gets you. A sad and lonely one where everyone drinks their sorrows away. He says it himself before act three “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, and I acted like a child. But now that I was out of prison, it was time to put aside my childish things and speak like a man, think like a man, and act like a man.” (Clarett, 248). This realization of his explains to us that in his opinion that before his prison sentence he was a child. One could infer he thinks that because he was childish thinking that once he gained fame and money and that MTV lifestyle that he would have it made. But after he got to this point all he felt was numb. So, he filled that pain with booze and drugs and began to realize that this was not the life for him. So, after a bad choice in his life, he decides that for once he is going to try to expand his knowledge. This sets him on his current path of success. You can really notice the change throughout the first portions of the book while he is reminiscing about his younger years. We see him regret and reflect on how his experiences when he was young really affected him. This affected me too. Seeing a man after what some would say we're the best years of his life, I am sure he believes though that his prison time was in fact his defining moment and I would have to agree. This leads me to take away this fact that if you achieve your dreams do not give up dream something new and gain as much knowledge as you can.  

 

My next big takeaway from this book was the idea that even if you are in a very low place in life do not give up, keep your hopes up. This I feel is heavily felt through the telling of us readers about his experience in prison. When he goes to prison one would think well this is it, he is done for the hit rock bottom. However, Maurice turns this experience however bad it was into a very big learning experience in his life. We even see him when reflecting on the car chase seeing it as if the cops were saving him from himself. Knowing that his life turns around for the better because of his experience in prison. We see him turn his situation around when saying quote “Four years total. But I could wrap my brain around doing 4 years for one simple reason: I compared it in my mind to going to college.” With this explanation, we see that Clarett saw prison as an opportunity. Not a place where his life would stall trying to get out, but as a place of learning and a way of healing him. We see him create a schedule for himself and we see his thirst for knowledge for the first time. We see him wanting to read books to further his new dream. We see him re-evaluate his thoughts and really turn his whole conception around. He tells us that prison brings a sort of peace and stability that he had not had before. This is what I saw in the Clarett we saw on Zoom. A man who saw hope and grabbed it and ran to the endzone with it. He really reclaimed his life in one fell swoop, and it pushes me to go on knowing that I need to take my talents and hone them so that I too can make more of myself.

 

Moving unto my final big takeaway which was during our Zoom call. There have been now two chances in my life to speak to way more successful people in my life my first was when speaking to the famed Steve Hartman host of the On the Road segment on CBS. It was my first experience of this kind and I just remember asking so many questions. However, I cannot remember any specific one. In this case, I do not think that I can say the same I believe that what Clarett said will stick with me. I feel as though reading his story has allowed me to reflect on my own life a bit and see the good, I have done and the bad I hope to never repeat. It really struck me that he has read so many books. It really makes me want to dive back into a book myself. Maybe this time an autobiography or fiction instead of my usual fantasy or Sci-fi. I always come away wanting some of their success to somehow brush off on me. Even though I know that success is not magically transferred. I know all too well that it takes time, dedication, a strong will, peace of mind, discipline, courage, teamwork, and a little fun. After all in the end that is what makes success all worth it. So, in the end, I feel as though I should keep going, to keep learning and honing my crafts because one day ill thank myself. My hope is to tell others about my experiences and to get better at sharing my thoughts. So yes I took away but I also hope to give back.

This is how I relate to Clarett we both went through a sort of institution where we learned how to become men. There is only one way to earn this coin. I am glad that I persevered through the process. It was well worth it in the end. I made friends and experienced life away from my family for once. I hope that I continue on my path to better myself because I still have a long way to go. (lookup airmen's coin ceremony if you want to know how I received it)