Your Life is a University

Larry had a hard life. He grew up in challenging circumstances: an absentee dad, a drug-addicted mom, and a deep dislike for school. He drifted toward trouble, made poor decisions, and was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison.

At first, he responded like most would. Angry. Bitter. Combative. But one day, through the influence of another inmate, he made a life-altering decision.

He stopped thinking of himself as a prisoner and began to see himself as a student.

The barbed wire became roses.
The cafeteria became a student union.
The guards and inmates became professors.

He read every day, took notes, and filled journals with reflections. It wasn’t easy, but every day, he repeated to himself: “I am no longer in prison. I’m in a university.”

For 20 years, he brainwashed his mind, one day at a time. And by the time he walked out, Larry was one of the wisest, most thoughtful, and well-read men you could ever meet.

If Larry could reframe his world from prison to university, surely you can do it in your chaotic home, your unrelenting office, or in bad traffic.

T.D. Jakes said it best:
“The world is a university, and everyone in it is a teacher. Make sure when you wake up in the morning, you go to school.”

Your job is not a prison. It is a school.
Your manager is not just a boss. They are a professor.
Your children are not just kids. They are your students.

So today, take notes. Ask questions. Study your environment. Because life is a university, if you choose to see it that way.

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