True Conversations! Is very excited about this story, "I'm An Example of the Impossible!" because it shows
how a person's life transformed based on making the decision to CHANGE!
We believe this story will impact many who may have decided to start
their path the wrong way. This story shows people can change if they
desire to and willing to take the steps to do so. Please enjoy this
amazing story!
"A few days ago a friend of mine died in his rest, as a result of having a
heart-attache. He was 43 years old. The reason for the heart-attache
was due to
stress. A few years back, he was on top of the world.
The beholder of money, power, and respect. But after a raid on his luxury
home by the FEDS he was left with almost nothing. All his money went to
fighting the case. The cars, and Hummer were seized. As if to make
matters worse his wife filed for divorce. She knew she had the upper
hand. So she filed for sole custody of the children. And would let him see the children
sparingly when she felt it was convenient for her.
Him and I surprisingly became friends while he was striving to figure out how he was going to peace his life back together. He was familiar with my story. And knew I could relate with his struggles. My experience and insights had become his therapy. This is until I decided to relocate to TX for a little while to rethink some business moves six months ago.
When I learned of his news two days ago I immediately reflected upon our talks. And from there my whole life from childhood to now came to me.
My name is Therone Shellman. How I got the name Therone will forever remain a mystery. I'm the first born out of four children who were taken away from our mother by the NYC foster care system. There was no dad around, and I never came to know him as an adult.
My siblings consist of, two sisters and one brother. This is the family I came to know as a child and even now as an adult. My sister who is one year behind me became my partner, as we moved from one home to the next. The two younger siblings were kept together. And they winded up being adopted by the first family they went to.
After the third home, sis and I were adopted. We didn't witness physical abuse. But nevertheless, we were abused mentally and neglected emotionally. And they didn't hide the fact they treated their children better than us.
By the time I was 15 I found myself being drawn more and more to the streets. I knew I had no one to depend on. And I also knew that I was coming upon the age of becoming an adult and being responsible for myself. The thought of working my whole life and collecting social security didn't appeal to me. I was tired of being powerless. So I sought security. And the streets seemed like where SUCCESS lied. Everyone I knew who was successful got their money the fast way.
Overnight, this naive teen had become a hard core criminal. From selling marijuana, I quickly elevated to selling crack-cocaine, and doing stick ups.
At 17 I was incarcerated and sentenced to a 4to12 year prison term; to be served in the New York State Corrections. Because, I was hard and intelligent I found myself in the position of leadership. And also in trouble because of it. This served to land me in some of the roughest prisons in the states system.
I winded up serving 4 1/2 years of this prison term. The rest was to be parole. But without a solid network I found myself back into the street life. This time the stakes were much higher because, I was older, and a lot more educated about street life. I knew it was inevitable that I would get violated on parole sooner or later. Therefore my main goal was not catch a new case.
From the age of 22-28 the years would go fast. They were spent hustling, and making more money than many professionals would ever see. Every time I went into parole, a nervous feeling came over me, realizing that it was very possible I would be getting locked up. Throughout these years I would get violated on parole 3 times. It was bad enough that I was hustling. But because of my prison record I was placed upon strict parole supervision.
How I made it through them years without getting stabbed in prison. Or not getting shot in the streets is beyond me. The amazing thing about my life is that at 28 while in prison serving a parole violation, I make the decision to leave the street life alone.
I get out of prison in 2000 and decide not to look back. The first thing I do is move away from the people who were my immediate circle. I didn't care what I had to do to do it. I just knew it needed to be done. Being that I just came home from prison I knew I could get placed by social services in a half-way house. So this is what I did. This was the quickest way to find a place right away. And luckily for me I found a job about four weeks later. $8.50 an hour which equaled about $340 a week. I did think many times about how just a few years back some days I was selling 100 grams a day. And on slow days I was making no less than $500. My associates constantly would remind me that I was crazy for leaving the street money. And there were some days where I wondered if I was losing my mind as well.
Money, Power and Respect. These three words, plus the childhood mental scars of neglect and abuse were now haunting me more than ever. I knew by all means I needed to make a serious change in my life. With parole on my back, and thoughts of getting quick money taunting me. I realized I made the best decision I could have by moving somewhere outside of my norm.
Luckily I make it through the next year without a parole violation and was released from parole. The year is 2001. And I'm now 29 years old.
Once I was released from parole my life started to change for me drastically. The world was lifted off my back. And I began making decisions with a more clear mind. The next four years were spent studying my job profession, planning, and executing. The misdirected teen found himself a decade later as a young man with solid goals, purpose and a new direction. Now I was employed as a production supervisor being payed not hourly, but a yearly salary.
It would be at this moment that I decide to really pursue what I sought out of myself and life. When there wasn't anyone I could turn to as a teen I turned to reading books. It was then that the dream came alive in me. I desired to be an Author. Two decades later I would complete this dream. And in the process make the decision to never look back.
The road to self-publishing wasn't easy. In fact my first attempt was in 2003. But after realizing I didnt have the necessary knowledge I took a two year hiatus. I was working a full-time job. As a production supervisor I contracted to put in 45 hours a week. So I set a course to study, and read as much about self-publishing as possible. I trekked this path for 18 months before making the decision to republish Love Don't Live Here (revised edition).
You can read more about my story and autobiography Survivor I Changed the Rules Part 1, via amazon.com Download it for $6.00.
Look for it to be republished in paperback through Therone Shellman Book Consulting
www.theroneshellman.com
"Every man/woman is the maker of their own destiny".
Therone Shellman
www.theroneshellman.com
Him and I surprisingly became friends while he was striving to figure out how he was going to peace his life back together. He was familiar with my story. And knew I could relate with his struggles. My experience and insights had become his therapy. This is until I decided to relocate to TX for a little while to rethink some business moves six months ago.
When I learned of his news two days ago I immediately reflected upon our talks. And from there my whole life from childhood to now came to me.
My name is Therone Shellman. How I got the name Therone will forever remain a mystery. I'm the first born out of four children who were taken away from our mother by the NYC foster care system. There was no dad around, and I never came to know him as an adult.
My siblings consist of, two sisters and one brother. This is the family I came to know as a child and even now as an adult. My sister who is one year behind me became my partner, as we moved from one home to the next. The two younger siblings were kept together. And they winded up being adopted by the first family they went to.
After the third home, sis and I were adopted. We didn't witness physical abuse. But nevertheless, we were abused mentally and neglected emotionally. And they didn't hide the fact they treated their children better than us.
By the time I was 15 I found myself being drawn more and more to the streets. I knew I had no one to depend on. And I also knew that I was coming upon the age of becoming an adult and being responsible for myself. The thought of working my whole life and collecting social security didn't appeal to me. I was tired of being powerless. So I sought security. And the streets seemed like where SUCCESS lied. Everyone I knew who was successful got their money the fast way.
Overnight, this naive teen had become a hard core criminal. From selling marijuana, I quickly elevated to selling crack-cocaine, and doing stick ups.
At 17 I was incarcerated and sentenced to a 4to12 year prison term; to be served in the New York State Corrections. Because, I was hard and intelligent I found myself in the position of leadership. And also in trouble because of it. This served to land me in some of the roughest prisons in the states system.
I winded up serving 4 1/2 years of this prison term. The rest was to be parole. But without a solid network I found myself back into the street life. This time the stakes were much higher because, I was older, and a lot more educated about street life. I knew it was inevitable that I would get violated on parole sooner or later. Therefore my main goal was not catch a new case.
From the age of 22-28 the years would go fast. They were spent hustling, and making more money than many professionals would ever see. Every time I went into parole, a nervous feeling came over me, realizing that it was very possible I would be getting locked up. Throughout these years I would get violated on parole 3 times. It was bad enough that I was hustling. But because of my prison record I was placed upon strict parole supervision.
How I made it through them years without getting stabbed in prison. Or not getting shot in the streets is beyond me. The amazing thing about my life is that at 28 while in prison serving a parole violation, I make the decision to leave the street life alone.
I get out of prison in 2000 and decide not to look back. The first thing I do is move away from the people who were my immediate circle. I didn't care what I had to do to do it. I just knew it needed to be done. Being that I just came home from prison I knew I could get placed by social services in a half-way house. So this is what I did. This was the quickest way to find a place right away. And luckily for me I found a job about four weeks later. $8.50 an hour which equaled about $340 a week. I did think many times about how just a few years back some days I was selling 100 grams a day. And on slow days I was making no less than $500. My associates constantly would remind me that I was crazy for leaving the street money. And there were some days where I wondered if I was losing my mind as well.
Money, Power and Respect. These three words, plus the childhood mental scars of neglect and abuse were now haunting me more than ever. I knew by all means I needed to make a serious change in my life. With parole on my back, and thoughts of getting quick money taunting me. I realized I made the best decision I could have by moving somewhere outside of my norm.
Luckily I make it through the next year without a parole violation and was released from parole. The year is 2001. And I'm now 29 years old.
Once I was released from parole my life started to change for me drastically. The world was lifted off my back. And I began making decisions with a more clear mind. The next four years were spent studying my job profession, planning, and executing. The misdirected teen found himself a decade later as a young man with solid goals, purpose and a new direction. Now I was employed as a production supervisor being payed not hourly, but a yearly salary.
It would be at this moment that I decide to really pursue what I sought out of myself and life. When there wasn't anyone I could turn to as a teen I turned to reading books. It was then that the dream came alive in me. I desired to be an Author. Two decades later I would complete this dream. And in the process make the decision to never look back.
The road to self-publishing wasn't easy. In fact my first attempt was in 2003. But after realizing I didnt have the necessary knowledge I took a two year hiatus. I was working a full-time job. As a production supervisor I contracted to put in 45 hours a week. So I set a course to study, and read as much about self-publishing as possible. I trekked this path for 18 months before making the decision to republish Love Don't Live Here (revised edition).
You can read more about my story and autobiography Survivor I Changed the Rules Part 1, via amazon.com Download it for $6.00.
Look for it to be republished in paperback through Therone Shellman Book Consulting
www.theroneshellman.com
"Every man/woman is the maker of their own destiny".
Therone Shellman
www.theroneshellman.com
Hi, my mom woke me up and made me read this story. I feel you about the idea of only making money on the streets. It's easier that way, because nobodies going to hire me after looking at my long list Sh*%! I can't give up based on what I got from your story, it's hard to step out when you're in... I know I need to make a change...Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhen the team members read your story at True Conversations we all thought this was a great story. We have no doubt this story is going to change lives, hopefully people will buy your books. We hope the best for you as you continue to remain on the right path. God Bless! True Conversations!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the lost of your friend. I had something similar happened to me, except for the divorce. I'm happy to say my wife is willing to stay with me after all I've taken her through with my "creative" jobs! I enjoyed reading your story. I think I need to write a book about my life after reading this - I will also check out your books. Peace-
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity to write this article. I received an email from True Conversations a month ago. But I'm always busy, so I continued with my normal schedule. When I received news of my friend. I thought about my life, and how blessed I am to not only be alive and have survived all I've been through. But I've managed to continually turn negative situations into positive. Right now I'm facing some huge business hurdles. Yet with all I've been through I'm not fazed. I'm taking it all one day at time.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story & also letting others know taking the easy road isn't always the best. I know what you do now is hard work & its a lot more mental & physical drain, but I guarantee you sleep better at night without looking over your shoulder or wondering if you will live out your life in jail or prison.
ReplyDeleteThis will be a great story for my studies to read, because it teaches them there are other options in life than the streets. The media and music is teaching them differently. I will share this story with the parents of students and hopefully they will encourage their children to read this story. A true eye opener!
ReplyDeleteGreat Story! Thank you for sharing it. I can't wait to past this one on!
ReplyDelete@Yolie, You know how hard I work. You're one of my devoted customers.
ReplyDelete@Mr. Johnson, Thanks for stopping by. I think this story will do the students and their parents some good. But they really need to read my autobiography, "Survivor I Changed the Rules Part 1". The book is filled with documents which validate the story. I did this because, so many people are fictious stories and claiming that it's real life.
@Mary, Thanks for stopping in.
I saw this on Nancia's page and decided to read it. I'm happy I read it, because I needed a push on today. Today was not a good day and I was thinking about going back to some of my old ways because I'm really running low in funds. After reading your story I was reminded, it's not worth it. I finial got off patrol two months ago. Thank you for sharing your story.
ReplyDelete@Mark, I used to get them days myself. Days where I would ask myself "why was I choosing to struggle, when I could go do something real quick?". But then I would look back at past experieneces of being locked up. And I also would think about the many people I know who are doing double digit prison numbers for years. It's definitely not worth it when you have the mind to do better.
ReplyDeleteYou have to be patient and also persistent with yourself to look and search for options which will not jeopardize your freedom or integrity.
Stay strong!