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THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ME
After my release in 2017, I could have returned to selling drugs for easy money. Instead, I chose the harder path despite rejection, bankruptcy and countless setbacks. From ex-offender to actor, artist and author, my journey proves that change is possible through grit, determination and self-belief.
LEE-Rocka
10/16/20263 min read
When I saw this article, I couldn’t help but think about how easily this could have been my story.
On 17 May 2017, I walked out of detention after serving my sentence for drug consumption and possession.
I had a choice.
I could have easily gone back to selling weed. I knew the game. I knew the people. I knew how to make quick money.
And believe me, when society gives you so few opportunities, the temptation of easy money becomes VERY REAL.
But I made a promise to myself.
I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THAT LIFE.
Was it easy? HELL NO!
The lack of support. The lack of empathy. The doors slammed in my face. The stigma of having a criminal record. The financial struggles. The failed relationships. The bankruptcy. The countless rejections.
At times, it felt like the entire world was betting against me.
But there was ONE person who never stopped betting on me.
ME.
I believed in myself to the point of what many of my loved ones considered DELUSION.
They thought my dreams were unrealistic. That I was chasing fantasies. That I needed to wake up and face reality.
Maybe they were right about the odds.
But I refused to let the odds determine my future.
I started acting as an extra on television.
Then came one or two lines.
Then a few episodes.
And today, I’m playing one of the main antagonists in a 65-episode television series, “Yes Captain!”
As a hip-hop artist, I went from struggling to secure even ONE performance a year to being booked for TWO shows in Bangkok in the SAME MONTH, including headlining my own album listening party!
And somewhere along that journey, I became a published author, writing “Positive LEEving”, a book built on the very mindset that kept me from returning to my old life.
THIS IS NOT LUCK.
This is GRIT.
This is DETERMINATION.
This is DISCIPLINE.
This is choosing the difficult road when the easy road is calling your name.
This is refusing to let your past become your future.
And here’s something I want society, employers, policymakers and organisations working with ex-offenders to understand:
REHABILITATION DOESN’T END WHEN SOMEONE WALKS OUT OF PRISON.
That’s when the REAL TEST begins.
You cannot expect people to rebuild their lives while denying them the opportunities to do so.
You cannot preach second chances while continuing to judge people by their first mistakes.
And you cannot expect everyone to have the same level of resilience, resources or determination.
I don’t condone returning to crime. But I understand how desperation, rejection and the lack of legitimate opportunities can push someone back towards the very life they’re trying to escape.
Not everyone who reoffends does so because they don’t want to change. And not everyone who stays out of prison does so because society helped them.
I’m not sharing this to glorify my achievements.
I’m sharing this because I know how close I could have been to becoming another headline.
Almost a decade later, I’m still fighting. Still hustling. Still proving to myself that the decision I made on 17 May 2017 was worth it.
And if believing that I could become more than my criminal record made me delusional…
THEN I’M PROUD TO BE DELUSIONAL!
Because I’d rather be called delusional for chasing a better future than be defeated by a past I cannot change.
From selling dope to selling hope.
That’s not just a catchy slogan.
THAT’S MY LIFE.
And it’s the reason I wrote Positive LEEving — to show that no matter how far you’ve fallen, you can still choose to rise.
📖 Positive LEEving – The Art of Living Positively Through Reason, Faith & Understanding
Available at Amazon.com
To every ex-offender struggling to rebuild their life: Your past may explain where you’ve been, but it doesn’t have to dictate where you’re going.
And to every employer or organisation that believes in second chances:
Don’t just talk about giving people hope. Give them a genuine opportunity to build a life worth staying out of prison for.