Boron - Chapter 23

So don't mess around with your life. I have messed up enough
for both of us.

End of sermon.

Now, I'm going to talk to you about a big difference between
people who make it in any field (including crime) and those
who do not.

That difference is awareness.

Most people (at least many) walk around with their heads in
the sand.

They are lost in a fog. They go whichever way the current of
the streams of their world happens to push them. They are
sheep and they are regularly shorn.

This is a bad way to be in prison. Prison is a microcosm of
society and weak fish are gobbled up fast. So are those who
walk around with their heads in the clouds oblivious to what
is going on about them. You can't sulk in prison. You can't
waste time feeling sorry for yourself. You can't stay lost
in fantasies about your woman or what you are going to do
when you hit the streets. No. What you must be here (and
it's a good idea wherever you are!) is alert, on top
of things and ready at any time to "catch a break".

Guys in prison take care of themselves. They exercise their
bodies, pay attention to their grooming, read, study and
much more. You see, you never know when opportunity will
knock (and it does, even here) and, if you are smart, you
must be ready.

Does all this have anything to do with direct mail and mail
order? You bet it does. Mail order (and all other) fortunes
are made by men and women who know what's going on in their
fields. These are the people who stay up to date. They read
the trade journals, they make sure they are on everybody
else's mailing list so they know what the competition is
doing, they read all the "HOT" mail order publications, they
keep their "SWIPE FILE" up to date, they read and reread the
classic books written by the best people in the field, they
have idea files that contain newspaper articles, notes of
unusual info, hot new ideas, good layouts, unusual
propositions, and so forth. They also know who the leaders
are in their respective fields and they communicate with
these people on a regular basis.