Recently, I was interviewed on a Lifetime show – The Balancing Act – and received a transcript of the interview along with a YouTube copy of the interview. As a business ethics speaker and author of the book – Second Chances, I thought I would share the transcript here!
Danielle: When growing up, my parents had this plaque over the fireplace that read “School of Hard Knocks”. But, they weren’t just referring to our last name, they were referring to a level of education gained by sometimes negative life experiences. My next guest says you don’t have to get that degree to transform adversity into opportunity.
[jwplayer config=”speaking” file=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHFqRrwKs-U” width=”420″ height=”340″]Chuck Gallagher has written this book, it’s called “Second Chances Transforming Adversity into Opportunity”. Chuck joins us this morning to share his insights out of growing from mistakes and his own second chance. Hi Chuck. Good morning to you.
Chuck: Morning Danielle. Pleasure to be here.
Danielle: It’s so good to have you here with us this morning. I want to start off with something you wrote in Chapter One of the book. You said “On the day I took 23 steps into prison, I did not recognize all the choices that resulted in this consequence. By the time I took 23 steps out of prison, my understanding had deepened.”
You went to Federal Prison. What happened?
Chuck: Well, I’d like to say something different, but the reality is in the youthful exuberance of the ‘80’s, I believed that success was defined by the home, the cars, the title; all the trappings that perhaps people think of success and unfortunately, I took a really bad path and created a Ponzi scheme. I became a liar and a thief.
Danielle: We know, you know, when we look at Bernard Madoff, at the Ponzi scheme, and the consequences that happened to him; when you were doing this, when you were young, you probably don’t think of the consequences so much do you; or is your mind just cluttered with all the stuff?
Chuck: No, it tends to be cluttered with the stuff, and looking back at it now, I can see that there were three components that took place: there was a need, there was an opportunity and I rationalized it. And now I’ve come to find that many people who make some really bad choices in life, whether it’s something as dramatic as a Ponzi scheme or a failed marriage or an affair, tend to find those three components still come to life for them.
Danielle: How much time did you do and what was your second chance?
Chuck: I was sentenced to 18 months active and three years probation. And the second chance actually came during prison. I recognized something. I recognized that every choice has a consequence. So it occurred to me that, if the choices that I made ended me up in Federal prison, than perhaps I could make a different, more empowering set of choices that would give me a dramatically different outcome.
Danielle: Are second chances, though, realistic for everybody and every situation, Chuck?
Chuck: That’s a challenge. I’m not sure everybody, but here’s something I’ve come to find out: sometimes we become so preoccupied with the past that we fail to see the potential in the present.
Danielle: Umm. What about the person who has a checkered past, right, and they feel they have no way to redeem themselves. I mean, are we ultimately defined by our past?
Chuck: When the house of cards collapsed for me, there was a gentleman that said something that was very profound. He said, “Son, you’ve made a terrible mistake, but YOU are not a mistake. And the choices that you make today will define the future that you will live and the legacy that you will leave for your two children.” So, are we defined by our past? No. It’s a part of who we are.
Danielle: Sure
Chuck: It creates a bit of a foundation, but it doesn’t define us. The choices that we make today create our future and allow our future to take place.
Danielle: What is the take-away here? What would you like to leave our viewers with this morning?
Chuck: Well, I think you’ve hit upon a few things that are very important. We aren’t defined by our past; it is a part of who we are. But, for the viewers today, if a person is willing to accept responsibility and follow a proven theory, that works, to create a second chance, they can find theirs. And, while most of your viewers will never have been in Federal Prison, they might find themselves imprisoned by their own choices. And, there are keys to being able to unlock the chains that bind them.
Danielle: Well, I have to tell you that we are so glad you got a second chance and are making good use of it. Thank you so much for coming by and joining us on the show and sharing your story with us.
Chuck: Thank you so much. It has been a great privilege.
Danielle: Absolutely! And once again, the book is called “Second Chances”. For more information on Chuck or the book please visit the website www.ChuckGallagher.com.
