This is what six months of doing the work actually looks like....
I wrote a post about Mick a few months ago. At the time, he'd pretty much only just walked out of prison - carrying a bag of belongings, a heap of uncertainty, and a determination to do things differently.
I caught up with him today, he's now 6 months out (after cycling in and out of the system for over 10 years) and while life hasn't suddenly become easy, his growth as a person is impossible to miss.
It would be a lot easier for Mick to fall back into old habits. Familiar habits. Survival habits. Instead, he's choosing to stay on a path that asks more of him, even when it's uncomfortable.
When he first got out, just like most people walking out of jail, there was no smooth transition. He got out to homelessness and had no clear plan.
He managed to secure a job, which took him two hours each way on public transport just to get to work.
Most people wouldn't have bothered. Mick saw it differently.
"You can't sit around and complain about your life if you're not willing to do anything about it" he told me. "I saw it as a priveledge".
He stays closer now, though I wouldn't exactly call his living arrangements 'settled'. Rather than letting uncertainty overwhelm him, he keeps all of his focus narrow and intentional.
"I just focus on the now", he says. "I ask myself - are my actions going to benefit me, or cost me".
Six months on, freedom still comes with it's own challenges.
"Driving feels strange. And interacting with people who've never been to jail - some people don't understand me and don't understand why I am the way I am".
However what's surprised him most is how much he has changed in moments that once defined him.
"Before, if someone disrespected me, my reaction was to punish. It's just how we dealt with things inside" he said. "Now, I stop and deal with it differently".
He's slowly unlearning years of institutionalised thinking - especially the instinct to attack when challenged.
Recently, someone he knew lashed out at him verbally.
"I knew he was frustrated and going through hard times" Mick said. "I took a deep breath. I talked it out. I prayed for him".
That pause didn't come naturally. It's something he's been working on so hard.
"When those old habits come up, I talk it out", he said. "I ask for advice. Not many men are comfortable speaking up, but it's so important".
That same mindset is why he's been spending his own hard earned money to invest in himself. Mick reached out through parole asking for support and counselling. He was told he wasn't 'eligible'.
He literally reached out for help, but was denied.
He was lucky enough that through his new connections, he was able to link up with someone happy to see him at a very affordable rate.
Stability hasn't come easily. His current living situation isn't exactly straightforward, but he's found ways to ground himself. Each morning, he walks to a small river nearby. He took me there. Beautiful spot.
"I pray and meditate here every morning. It keeps me grounded".
We spoke about the contrast between then and now.
About how, inside, a tiny tub of ice cream could feel like everything. How we used to try buy other peoples chicken dinners so we could get that extra protein. How invested we'd get into all the dramas going on in Summer Bay. How cutting laps in the yard could fill entire days.
NOw those things are always available. Yet they still carry meaning.
"I appreciate all the small things now" Mick said. "If you don't appreciate it, it's not there".
Mick reconnected with Christ while inside. I've had the privilege of walking alongside him since, including being present at his baptism. I've met his beautiful family, and his mum shared something that's really stuck with us.
She said she's never seen him take steps to turn his life around like this before. Not like this and definitely not with this level of commitment.
His faith continues to carry him through the difficult days. "My prayers keep me positive", he said. "The Holy Spirit helps me see the silver lining - also, before you put time into anything else, you've got to put time into yourself".
Just before Christmas, he thought he might lose his job. "I didn't know what to do", he admitted. I tried to help him out by putting a post up on the local community page, offering his services over the holidays.
"This community really helped me see my own worth. They've been so supportive. They believed in me. And that makes me want to be the best version of myself".
That belief - from the Samford community, from people who barely knew him but backed him anyway, mattered more than they'll ever know.
Over the last 6 months, some of his biggest wins might look small to others.
"Job security means everything to me" he said. "Earning my own money gives me confidence. It gives me a spring in my step. I love buying plants and surrounding myself with beautiful things".
He loves the grind. He loves being appreciated and putting his heart into his work.
"I put all my love into what I do", he said. "I feel like I'm spreading the love".
If you spend any time around Mick, you feel it. His energy is contagious. Always smiling, even when he's shovelling dirt or pulling weeds.
"I catch myself smiling without even realising", he laughs.
I think what he doesn't fully see yet is how much his presence impacts the younger men around him. By the way he carries himself. By choosing patience over reaction. By choosing growth without preaching.
For anyone who's struggling - inside, newly released, or just stuck - his message is simple.
"Believe in yourself".
"Leave the past in the past. Focus on what you need to do to become who you want to be".
I asked him what keeps him choosing optimism, even when his current path is so uneven and unknown.
"My faith", he said. "He led me through the dark. If I didn't know what it felt like in the dark, I wouldnt feel all the light I do now".
Six months out. Still standing. Still learning. Still growing. And still quietly showing others what's possible.