The following comments are from some of the men from ProjectUnlimited, a 12-week writing course Debby taught Spring 2025 at Tomoka Correctional Institution. These answers came after a previous post when a reader asked, “What would you tell your younger self?”

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—By DelUnlimited

You’re smarter than you think. Focus on learning everything you can. It may seem dumb but give it a shot. There’s no problem you can’t solve. 

Stop smoking weed. This may seem the hardest, but I’m telling you, you can do it. 

You can’t fight all your battles with your fists. Anger will only hinder you from being the man you’re supposed to be. It’s time to outthink your problems. Don’t be afraid to show your weakness. 

Love like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll have 33 years with your little brother. Tell him every day that you love him. And you’ll lose a great deal of your family. Love on them and prepare each day like it may be your last. 

Have fun, enjoy life, see more of the world. It’s bigger than you think. 

Stay focused on learning and loving, and the rest will work itself out.

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—by JamesUnlimited

Tell the truth. Many people have gotten accustomed to lying. I was one of them. My father was no longer in the picture, so I used my mother’s love to mislead her. I didn’t have the courage to tell her that her only son, whom she was so very proud of, was using drugs. 

I first smoked marijuana, but it led to using other drugs. I was slowly introduced to cocaine by friends who laced it on the marijuana, inducing a totally different high. I don’t know exactly why I used drugs. Maybe it was to forget the trauma from my childhood. Don’t live in a lie. Be truthful, to yourself and everyone else.

Think for yourself. Don’t let other people influence you to try things that are harmful to you. 

Talk to your mom. I’ve always trusted my mother with things, but as I grew older, it just seemed inappropriate to tell her what was happening with me. Looking back, I would advise my younger self to tell her everything. She can handle it, and she will be there for you. I looked at my problems like they were too big for my mother to deal with, but she always protected me as a child; and she would’ve done the same, as I grew older, during my most embarrassing moments and my most challenging decisions.

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—by BrianUnlimited

You’re unique. Don’t try to be like anyone else or let others tell you who you are or can be. You’ll never succeed being anyone other than who you were created to be. Always be the best you! 

Even the rarest invaluable gems have flaws. Yet, we don’t focus on the flaws, we choose to marvel at the beauty of their other traits, as they reflect light. Focus on letting your best traits shine, not your flaws. 

Everyone has disappointments and setbacks in their life, some that even seem insurmountable or hopeless. Yet, successful people find a way to turn those situations into the catalyst for their achievements.

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—by RomanoUnlimited

What I say to you now won’t change the future. I know because even though you’re barely fifteen, you already know everything. Here I am at the age of forty-six suffering from the choices of my youth and showing you the consequences; and it won’t matter.

The most important thing I want you to know is that we need mental health. I know that you don’t feel like you do, but we’re messed up. Our current inability to be empathetic towards others is a problem. Selfishness is another. And anger is the biggest problem. 

We don’t need to fight everyone to feel better. Get up in the morning and work out hard. Think about all the things that get you mad as you work out and exhaust yourself. Your parents love you, but don’t trust everything they say. You’re their first child, so they’re also trying to figure out stuff.

Dreams can come true if we work hard. Instead of giving up when things become difficult, rise to the challenge. And it sounds crazy when I say it now, but you will come to love math and drafting. Think of math as applied logic.

Finally, don’t despair, you will see Italy win a world cup and Napoli will be back on top again. Lastly, buy as much Apple-Macintosh stock as you can, sell it a year after the iPhone comes out.

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—by KennethUnlimited

Don’t rush the adventure of growing up. Enjoy the process and make the best of it. The most important part of growing up is the journey. But if you allow your environment, the things you see, and struggles you face to take control of, your future will be based off what is around you. 

Life is what you make it. Build your legacy. Make memories. Enjoy every minute. 

Love who you are. You have a gift, and you don’t even know it, yet. 

The fight with Humility is a different battle than that of Violence, but one worth overcoming the obstacles to achieve your goals. I know it’s hard. But stay focused.

You can be who you want to be, if you believe it. 

Be a kid. Go have fun. 

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—by JonathanUnlimited

Now is not forever.

In my youth, I was overwhelmed by the present. I felt, with every fiber of my being, that today’s frustrations, confusion, depression, insecurity, and everything else that is rolled up into the beast called teenage angst, would haunt me endlessly. So, maybe, if I was there to tell myself that tomorrow is not bound by the specters of today, I would have chosen to prepare for tomorrow rather than throwing away my life by taking a life.

I have a very unhealthy habit of playing this scenario in my head: I will wake up and the date will be October 12, 1988. I will be working at Pizza Hut and going to school at Hillsborough Community College to be a paramedic, waiting for my final scores to come in from EMT training. I will choose to finish my schooling and plan for my future. I will cherish the love that surrounds me and honor the lives of all people. 

But I will never have that opportunity, to go back in time.

That’s why I tell myself today, “Jonathan, you need to do the best with what you have now. And love those you have now.”

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—by RobertUnlimited

Persevere. In this life, you’re going to go through trials and tribulations with many different things revolting against you. Learn to persevere, despite your overall conditions or surroundings. 

Be Patient. Because you are tempted by instant gratification, leading to spontaneous decisions that leave long-lasting effects, do not get caught up in the moment by allowing the situation or mood to affect your mindset and rational thinking. You do not need to have or do what you want right now. Not thinking rationally will come back to hurt you. Learn how to develop patience and how to purposely think for a better quality of life.

Be Prepared. Position yourself to be attentive and ready for every situation and opportunity that comes available. Equip your mind and body. Be ready to stand, push forward, take charge, and take control of what is presented to you at that time. Everything that you will face will help prepare you for your future. 

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—by JacobUnlimited

You were right about Chipotle. They have a great business model. Just make sure you buy low in 2015 and hold on tight. Also, invest into crypto-currency and this company called Zoom. It’ll pay off.

And Bro, you gotta have a different perspective on things. You have little-to-no experience in the real world. If you did, you would realize that you have a great life and that you are an amazingly smart individual who can do anything he wants.

You always worry about the next day and feel inadequate about your life. Those feelings are normal—heck, most people are going to therapy, they just don’t proclaim it! But going to therapy and having depression do not mean you are broken. It means that you are struggling like everyone else; but you can overcome those struggles with medication and therapy.

And stop acting like every hiccup you experience is the end of the world. It’s not.

Most importantly, what you fear—the death of your mother—will occur, but you have the strength to overcome and prosper. Don’t let your fears paralyze you. And even though there will be ups and downs, you will have a great life if you start taking the steps, both physically and mentally, towards obtaining it.

You got this.

If you missed the first stories in this series, find the links below. A whole-hearted “thank you” to Jonathan for serving as copy editor and Jacob as master typist. 

• “I Didn’t Know How to Ask for Help” by JacobUnlimited
• “Edmund, a story about drinking” by MichaelUnlimited
• “I Should Have Just Been a Kid” by KennethUnlimited
• “It’s Not Hard to Wind Up in Prison” by RobertUnlimited
• “What is Prison?” by BrianUnlimited
• “Time to Get Smart About Ignorance” by RomanoUnlimited
• “Through the Window Pains of Change: Incentivized Prisons” by DebbyUnlimited
• “Incentivized Prisons: an Insider’s POV” by RomanoUnlimited