NOTE FROM TED: This talk contains discussion of suicide and only represents the speaker's personal views and experiences with mental health. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/t...

Faced with guilt, remorse, and a sentence requiring him to spend more time incarcerated than he had been alive, Roland Murphy thought the answer to his problems was suicide. Listen to the story of how he found hope while living in prison. Roland Murphy is a proud father, loving husband, and resilient being. He's on a quest for success and is using what he learned from his past experience to get him there by remembering that the decisions he makes will ultimately decide his fate. Murphy was raised by two amazing parents who are now deceased but will forever live in his heart. They were excellent providers and always stressed the importance of working hard and getting an education in order to obtain sustainable success. By the time he was 12, he became very lazy at life and his decisionmaking, as he chose the streets over school, friends over family, and drugs over his dreams. By doing so, the only thing he achieved was a 25tolife sentence. Hopeful that he'll receive a second chance, he is determined not to make the same mistake twice and is now embracing his parents' words of wisdom. While incarcerated he obtained his GED, completed various drug and anger management programs, and mentors youth. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx