Making The Best Of It While It’s Available

By Nazir Nazz Salaam

With over 14 years of incarcerated man-years to count for since he was a 17-year-old juvenile, Nasir Nazz Salaam has been on a mission. A mission that was laced with more than the high from drugs, or lust from sex, or the by any means necessary mindset for money. It was a journey of becoming the best version of himself while navigating through the perils of adversity.
Understanding the concept of time and how limited it truly is, is an undervalued asset that we treat as an expense or liability. Salaam had to realize this precious asset that we took for granted when he was facing life for a botched robbery that resulted in the unfortunate death of someone.
Once Upon My Time is a story of how you can use your life lessons as revisionist history. How your downfall can lead to your uprising when working on yourself becomes self-worthy. Once Upon My Time relates to those who have family and friends who have gone through the prison system that failed them repeatedly. Salaam has implemented a page-turning portrait of how to become victorious while incarcerated as well as in life by elevating yourself to put you in a position to not only succeed but thrive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nazir Nazz Salaam
• Release date: Nov 18, 2021

Nazir Nazz Salaam

About The AuthorNasir Nazz Salaam is an incarcerated author who turned his passion for songwriting into nonfiction writing and publication. He has taken advantage of the circumstances he faced & published the following books, including Once Upon My Time to date:-Flaws Of Perfection (Available wherever books are sold online)Description: An autobiography in poetic form.-PandXiety (Available on Kindle; eBook)Description: An easy to read eBook detailing what anxiety is, how it is caused, & the best ways to defeat it during a pandemic.Nasir was arrested at the age of 17 in 2007 for a botched robbery that resulted in the death of someone. His new aim is to help everyone he knows or comes into contact with avoid making the same mistakes he committed. He accomplishes this by sharing his experiences as well as the knowledge he has gained throughout his 14-year incarceration, as well as this book. He is currently detained in the state of New Jersey, where he is awaiting an appeal for various injustices that occurred during his case, as well as new juvenile laws that are currently being enacted. You can learn more about Nasir's situation and participate in it by signing his Change.Org petition and referring him to various prison reform organizations/lawyers/activists. Nasir appreciates your time and support and asks that you continue to share the news about his #FreeNazz movement.The vision people hold of the world to come is but a reflection, with predictable wishful distortions of the world in which they live. ~James BaldwinContacts:Email: [e-mail]: Nasir SalaamInstagram: @freenazzTwitter: @free_nazzTikTok: freenazz1Prison Email: JPay App/Website (Nasir Salaam #000276917D)

Book preview

Once Upon My Time

Making The Best Of It While It’s Available

Painful Profit

Once Upon My Time

Making The Best Of It While It’s Available

Copyright © 2021 Nasir Salaam

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The reader should seek the services of a competent professional for expert assistance or professional advice. Reference to any organization, publication or website does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the author or the publisher. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from using or applying any information contained in this publication.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: PORT OF THE CITY

Chapter 2: ESTABLISH GOOD HABITS

Chapter 3: STUDENT OF THE GAME

Chapter 4: BREAK BREAD

Chapter 5: DON’T BE BITTER, BE BETTER

Chapter 6: KNOW YOUR LANE, THEN MASTER IT

Chapter 7: AVOID STAGNATION & PROCRASTINATION

Chapter 8: MENTAL WEALTH

Chapter 9: LOVE PEOPLE FROM A DISTANCE

Chapter 10: REALITY CHECK

Chapter 11: EVERLASTING FAITH

Chapter 12: FLAWS OF PERFECTION

Chapter 13: EVERYBODY AIN’T GONE MAKE IT

Chapter 14: ONCE UPON MY POEMS

About The Author

Introduction

GOOD HEALTH IS WEALTH

It’s October 2, 2021, around 3:33 PM, well into a year of this pandemic. As of late, I’ve been doing a lot of cardio (running, jumping jacks & jumping rope) & calisthenics. We describe calisthenics as push-ups, pull-ups, and dips since the pandemic got me for good by causing me to gain a lot of weight due to a lack of movement. I was always active in this prison in New Jersey called Rahway (East Jersey State Prison), especially playing basketball, where the calories were readily burned off. But circumstances have changed, forcing me to review my lifestyle more thoroughly than before, beginning with my health. I was exactly 198 lbs when I weighed myself three months ago, just 2 lbs short of 200. Once Upon My Time, I set a weight target of 200 pounds, but that was when I wanted to achieve it with more muscle than fat, and look at me now. You can see why I increased my cardio game, given my stomach was humongous!

I’m feeling a lot better now. I haven’t weighed myself since then, but I’m confident I shed at least 10 pounds. 185-190 pounds is a good weight for me; it’s where I’m light on my feet while yet hitting as hard as a Mack truck without brakes! (Iron Mike Shit) In addition, I changed my eating habits. I stopped drinking milk a long time ago, not just because I’m lactose intolerant but also because it’s terrible for my skin and makes me fat. We don’t have the same possibilities in jail as we do on the streets, where we may choose from brands like coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, and various other options. I switched my sugar intake to a substitute called the PINK PACKS or my favorite Sweet Mate. They’re generally for diabetics, but I’m on a mission to avoid diabetes myself, so I made them for me. I’m trying to dodge THE SUGARS! I’ve been a regular H2O (Water) drinker most of my life, so my water intake was never a problem. I can have a case of soda underneath my bed for 2-3 months unless I sell them. (The Barter System) I take four vitamins everyday; Vitamin E, D, a multivitamin & a fish oil pill I purchased from the food package. (Street food the prison allows us to purchase from select vendors) I had to increase my vegetable intake, so I found a shortcut & started buying V8 drinks. I throw that thing in my cooler (ice container) & drink half of it with my dinner. Speaking of dinner, I now eat early, between 4 PM- 6 PM, so my food can be properly digested. Sometimes, I eat a snack late when something good is on TV. My newfound snack is Graham Crackers while dipping them in peanut butter.

I always labeled myself a fat, skinny nigga, which meant I had an exquisite taste for the finer things, which usually are greasy, unhealthy shit, but delicious, might I add. Now it’s all about survival & coming home as healthy as possible with no surgeries to speak of or a cocktail of medication to ingest. With that, health is just the beginning; it takes a healthy mindset as well. I’m not a health expert or a workout warrior; I’m just explaining how it’s a must to take care of yourself, especially under duress with something as epic as a worldwide pandemic. I read something once that said: IF SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE NEEDS CHANGING, CHANGE IT BEFORE SOMEONE MAKES THAT DECISION FOR YOU!

Change doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve changed, it just shows the evolution of who you define yourself as...

Chapter 1

PORT OF THE CITY

(Atlantic City Ocean)

My habits when I was home was no better than the fiends I was once serving dope to. I had a habit of getting money, dressing fly, buying what I wanted when I wanted. Let me give you a backdrop before I continue. My mom (Daphne Reynolds) moved out of our projects in our hometown Uptown Atlantic City, New Jersey, called THE COURTS