Merry Christmas!
Dear Reader,
Without YOU, my work would be meaningless.
At this holiday season, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your interest and support. I hope you are finding these posts uplifting and applicable in your personal and professional lives.
Instead of trying to finish 'Book the First' before the New Year, I think everyone, including myself, can use a break over the holidays. We'll get to the final two chapters in 2015, and then proceed to 'Book the Second' on through 'Book the Last' (fifth) in due time.
Beginning next year, I will be publishing on Tuesdays & Fridays instead of Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My next blog post will arrive in your inbox on: Tues., January 6, 2015.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless,
-Dr. Jordan Jensen
Founder & CEO, Freedom Focused LLC
The ONLY REAL Solution to America's Current Race Problems
First there was Michael Brown.
Then there was Eric Garner.
Now there are two dead police officers in New York City.
My heart grieves at the horrible incidents that have taken place in our Nation in recent months. I sincerely feel for the affected innocent in these avoidable tragedies.
While each of these situations possessed individually unique variables, all three are signals of recently declining race relations in the United States. Race relations in the U.S, which seemed to be gradually improving for 150 years, have seemingly come to an unnecessary, yet screeching, halt at this, the close of the year 2014.
Did it really have to come to this? Will the madness ever stop? Is it our destiny as Americans to keep reliving the horrors of the past indefinitely into the future? Wasn't the election of an African American President supposed to improve race relations in America? Why do statistics consistently suggest they have, in fact, gotten significantly worse since Barack Obama took office in 2009.
If the TRUTH be known, there is a way to end the chaos and terminate the terror, but the answer does not lie in finger-pointing, partisan politics, or the ceaseless bluster of a pettifogging punditry. Nor do solutions lie in easily spoken words or rush-to-judgment rhetoric. The answers lie in old-fashioned, common-sense action aimed at the very roots of the problem.
Where are the ROOTS of the problem? They lie deeply veiled within the minds, hearts, and souls of individuals.
The solution to reaching, and then rooting out, these fetid tubers are THREE-fold.
I am where I am today in large part because I grew up surrounded by good role models. Without responsible parents, teachers, and mentors, individuals are like ships without a rudder--they will, in most cases, run predictably afoul of responsible behavior, ethical social mores, and sometimes even the law. Good role models are needed everywhere: in business, education, politics, law enforcement, and throughout all communities, including the White community, the Asian and Hispanic community, and the Black community. This article focuses on the need for role models in the latter.
I was a part-time substitute teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, and a full-time teacher in Houston, TX for a combined five years. I have worked with a lot of young African Americans from mid-lower class demographics over the years. After these experiences in education, what message would I share with America about this particular student population?
I would say that a vast storehouse of talent, intelligence, and creativity exists among these bright and capable young people. I would add to this that some of this creativity, intelligence, and talent is untapped due to serious issues at home, at school, or both. In the last analysis, I have concluded that when given the opportunity to be properly taught and mentored at home and school, most young African Americans will choose to exercise the self-leadership required to rise to the full measures of their extraordinary potential.
Examples of extraordinary ROLE MODELS already exist in the African American community--as many people well know. For anyone unfamiliar with such persons, I am deeply honored to introduce to you two good friends of mine: Felicia Cockrell & Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams.
Felicia was raised in Chicago on the infamous South Side of that famous city. She faced many of the same challenges that others confront growing up in difficult and dangerous neighborhoods throughout urban America. Through self-leadership, Felicia is now a college graduate and successful mother and business professional.
Nat is from the Bronx. He was orphaned at age five. Like Felicia, he faced enormous challenges amidst a peer group that often embraced alcohol and drugs, sexual permissiveness, violence, and other socially detrimental behaviors over habits of self-discipline and respect. Through the dedicated exercise of self-leadership, Nat now has FOUR advanced degrees, is a husband and father of eight children, and serves as the executive director of a multi-million dollar not-for-profit organization.
Through the exercise of extraordinary self-leadership, Nat and Felicia were able to transcend difficult circumstances and overcome great odds to become highly educated, professionally successful, sterling examples of the greatness that countless other African Americans are capable.
Click HERE to read Felicia Cockrell's Story (From South Side to Six Figures)
Click HERE to read Dr. Nat William's Story (From Orphan to Executive Suite)
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The idea that the United States is inherently a bad country that seeks to keep some of her citizens down has been allowed to unfortunately proliferate into many corners of our society. The result has been to infect the minds of many individuals with the mistaken notion that our nation is somehow fundamentally flawed--or even worse--evil.
Let's start by facing the facts of our Nation's imperfections. No honest or educated person denies the horrors of slavery, the disenfranchisement and mistreatment of African Americans throughout the U.S.A's spotted history of race relations, and the occasional aberration from decent and just behavior exhibited by evil individuals--including persons in positions of formal power and authority (i.e. law enforcement personnel). Moreover, the cold, hard, truth is that speaking collectively and not individually, African Americans do have it harder than any other racial group in America.
However, no honest and educated person can rightfully deny that the United States of America has made remarkable progress in its collective, cultural treatment of African Americans. Today, there is perhaps no other nation on Earth that offers more opportunity to Blacks than the United States. Aside from the countless African American success stories in American business, government, education, entertainment, and athletics, how many other nations in the Western World can claim to have freely elected a Black President, and not once, but twice?
Aside from being the epicenter of opportunity for African Americans around the Globe, America is also the most magnanimous nation in the world--by far. When it comes to generous giving and service, no other major nation comes even close to the U.S.--individually or collectively.
Isolated incidents of evil will always occur among a free populace of over 300 million people. But isolated incidents do not define an entire nation. The implicit or explicit bashing of America is therefore a huge part of the problem. Until we can unite in acceding our nation's innate goodness--while never ceasing from striving to perfect her lingering shortcomings--things will only get worse. It is time for all of us as U.S. Citizens to stop being fault focused, and start being Freedom Focused.
I have always been inspired by Barack Obama's vision of there not being a "Black America" or "White America," but a "United States of America." I agree with and support his vision as stated in his famous 2004 Democratic National Convention Speech. In some ways, I think this address ranks among the greatest American political speeches of the past generation. It is my hope that President Obama's vision may yet be realized through the power of education and role models.
READ: Admitting America's Shortcomings While Ever Building on the Unprecedented Strength of her Great Foundation.
Real problems never begin in institutions. They always begin inside individual persons, who in turn, can then infect institutions. Likewise, real solutions to serious, collective problems are always rooted inside the minds, hearts, and spirits of individual men and women, boys and girls.
The single greatest solution to issues of race facing the United States of America in the twenty-first century is EDUCATION. But education in what? Your truth? My truth? His truth? Her truth? The Democrat's truth? The Republican's truth? The Libertarian's truth?
The answer is: Education in the TRUTH.
As naive, arrogant, or simplistic as this might sound, it is, in fact, reasonably rooted in nothing other than basic common sense--a science and art that have become increasingly uncommon throughout the United States in recent years.
Moreover, discovering, isolating, and proliferating the truth does not require us to embrace a single political party, religious dogma, or philosophical ideology. It merely requires the consultation of conscience and the search for facts in an effort to expose the countless fictions presently permeating our troubled culture.
The truth is that all black men in low income neighborhoods are not criminals. The truth is that all white cops are not hunting down black men. The truth is that credible statistics dramatically debunk both myths.
The TRUTH we illuminate at Freedom Focused comes originally packaged and freshly delivered as a timeless message of personal integrity and common sense.
The message is called: SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP.
Self-Action Leadership seeks to unite all Americans in an individual and collective embrace of True Principles that every honest and educated person can agree with. This includes the great truth that, "warts and all," America is the greatest country the world has ever known.
With proper education, commitment, and character, the United States can continue to serve as a role model of conscience, character, and the commitment to collective liberty and personal freedom to the rest of the world. For the sake of the rest of the world, we must do so!
We are all in this together. It's not only about you and your family. What are you doing to serve as a force for good throughout your communities, states, and our Nation? Whatever your plan, remember that it all begins with Personal Change. It all begins with the one. It all starts with you and me. You can make a difference, simply by striving to be a better person than you were yesterday or last month or last year.
If you would like to follow this movement; if you would like to make a positive difference in your homes, schools, communities, state, and Nation; if you would like to stop asking what your Country can do for you, and start asking what you can do for you Country, please share this message with your personal network, and sign up to receive future blog posts from Freedom Focused.
Join me, Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, and my colleagues at Freedom Focused LLC, today by adding your voice to the choir that will once again make the United States of America the Last Best Hope of Earth.
Follow me on Twitter @JordanRJensen
Visit us online at: www.freedomfocused.com
Next Blog Post: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 ~ SAL Chapter 16: The Power of Personal Experience
Notes:
1. Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press.
Then there was Eric Garner.
Now there are two dead police officers in New York City.
My heart grieves at the horrible incidents that have taken place in our Nation in recent months. I sincerely feel for the affected innocent in these avoidable tragedies.
While each of these situations possessed individually unique variables, all three are signals of recently declining race relations in the United States. Race relations in the U.S, which seemed to be gradually improving for 150 years, have seemingly come to an unnecessary, yet screeching, halt at this, the close of the year 2014.
Did it really have to come to this? Will the madness ever stop? Is it our destiny as Americans to keep reliving the horrors of the past indefinitely into the future? Wasn't the election of an African American President supposed to improve race relations in America? Why do statistics consistently suggest they have, in fact, gotten significantly worse since Barack Obama took office in 2009.
Where are the ROOTS of the problem? They lie deeply veiled within the minds, hearts, and souls of individuals.
The solution to reaching, and then rooting out, these fetid tubers are THREE-fold.
SOLUTION 1: Develop and promote REAL role models in the African American Community and all other Communities.
I was a part-time substitute teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, and a full-time teacher in Houston, TX for a combined five years. I have worked with a lot of young African Americans from mid-lower class demographics over the years. After these experiences in education, what message would I share with America about this particular student population?
I would say that a vast storehouse of talent, intelligence, and creativity exists among these bright and capable young people. I would add to this that some of this creativity, intelligence, and talent is untapped due to serious issues at home, at school, or both. In the last analysis, I have concluded that when given the opportunity to be properly taught and mentored at home and school, most young African Americans will choose to exercise the self-leadership required to rise to the full measures of their extraordinary potential.
Examples of extraordinary ROLE MODELS already exist in the African American community--as many people well know. For anyone unfamiliar with such persons, I am deeply honored to introduce to you two good friends of mine: Felicia Cockrell & Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams.
Felicia was raised in Chicago on the infamous South Side of that famous city. She faced many of the same challenges that others confront growing up in difficult and dangerous neighborhoods throughout urban America. Through self-leadership, Felicia is now a college graduate and successful mother and business professional.
Nat is from the Bronx. He was orphaned at age five. Like Felicia, he faced enormous challenges amidst a peer group that often embraced alcohol and drugs, sexual permissiveness, violence, and other socially detrimental behaviors over habits of self-discipline and respect. Through the dedicated exercise of self-leadership, Nat now has FOUR advanced degrees, is a husband and father of eight children, and serves as the executive director of a multi-million dollar not-for-profit organization.
Through the exercise of extraordinary self-leadership, Nat and Felicia were able to transcend difficult circumstances and overcome great odds to become highly educated, professionally successful, sterling examples of the greatness that countless other African Americans are capable.
Click HERE to read Felicia Cockrell's Story (From South Side to Six Figures)
Click HERE to read Dr. Nat William's Story (From Orphan to Executive Suite)
SOLUTION 2: Acknowledge and build upon the inherent goodness of the USA.
Let's start by facing the facts of our Nation's imperfections. No honest or educated person denies the horrors of slavery, the disenfranchisement and mistreatment of African Americans throughout the U.S.A's spotted history of race relations, and the occasional aberration from decent and just behavior exhibited by evil individuals--including persons in positions of formal power and authority (i.e. law enforcement personnel). Moreover, the cold, hard, truth is that speaking collectively and not individually, African Americans do have it harder than any other racial group in America.
However, no honest and educated person can rightfully deny that the United States of America has made remarkable progress in its collective, cultural treatment of African Americans. Today, there is perhaps no other nation on Earth that offers more opportunity to Blacks than the United States. Aside from the countless African American success stories in American business, government, education, entertainment, and athletics, how many other nations in the Western World can claim to have freely elected a Black President, and not once, but twice?
Aside from being the epicenter of opportunity for African Americans around the Globe, America is also the most magnanimous nation in the world--by far. When it comes to generous giving and service, no other major nation comes even close to the U.S.--individually or collectively.
Isolated incidents of evil will always occur among a free populace of over 300 million people. But isolated incidents do not define an entire nation. The implicit or explicit bashing of America is therefore a huge part of the problem. Until we can unite in acceding our nation's innate goodness--while never ceasing from striving to perfect her lingering shortcomings--things will only get worse. It is time for all of us as U.S. Citizens to stop being fault focused, and start being Freedom Focused.
I have always been inspired by Barack Obama's vision of there not being a "Black America" or "White America," but a "United States of America." I agree with and support his vision as stated in his famous 2004 Democratic National Convention Speech. In some ways, I think this address ranks among the greatest American political speeches of the past generation. It is my hope that President Obama's vision may yet be realized through the power of education and role models.
READ: Admitting America's Shortcomings While Ever Building on the Unprecedented Strength of her Great Foundation.
SOLUTION 3: Widely Proliferate Education in Self-Action Leadership
Real problems never begin in institutions. They always begin inside individual persons, who in turn, can then infect institutions. Likewise, real solutions to serious, collective problems are always rooted inside the minds, hearts, and spirits of individual men and women, boys and girls.
The single greatest solution to issues of race facing the United States of America in the twenty-first century is EDUCATION. But education in what? Your truth? My truth? His truth? Her truth? The Democrat's truth? The Republican's truth? The Libertarian's truth?
The answer is: Education in the TRUTH.
Moreover, discovering, isolating, and proliferating the truth does not require us to embrace a single political party, religious dogma, or philosophical ideology. It merely requires the consultation of conscience and the search for facts in an effort to expose the countless fictions presently permeating our troubled culture.
The truth is that all black men in low income neighborhoods are not criminals. The truth is that all white cops are not hunting down black men. The truth is that credible statistics dramatically debunk both myths.
The TRUTH we illuminate at Freedom Focused comes originally packaged and freshly delivered as a timeless message of personal integrity and common sense.
The message is called: SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP.
- Self-Action Leadership is a morally informed version of self-leadership. It takes the key elements of self-leadership and adds a moral imperative to weed out any evil posers who are hard working and self-disciplined, but have no conscience. [1]
- Self-Action Leadership seeks to bring about an end to postmodernism and replace it with a new era: The AGE OF AUTHENTICISM.
- Self-Action Leadership seeks to inspire parents, schoolchildren, teachers, business professionals, and human beings everywhere to dedicate their lives to self-reliance, self-awareness, self-discipline, and self-restraint in the never-ending pursuit of personal freedom.
- Self-Action Leadership is seeking to redefine EDUCATION in the twenty-first century by replacing a foundation of character education that is woefully lacking in today's public schools and beyond.
- Self-Action Leadership is a first step in refining, and ultimately to redefining, race relations and interpersonal relations of all kinds in the United States and throughout the world.
With proper education, commitment, and character, the United States can continue to serve as a role model of conscience, character, and the commitment to collective liberty and personal freedom to the rest of the world. For the sake of the rest of the world, we must do so!
We are all in this together. It's not only about you and your family. What are you doing to serve as a force for good throughout your communities, states, and our Nation? Whatever your plan, remember that it all begins with Personal Change. It all begins with the one. It all starts with you and me. You can make a difference, simply by striving to be a better person than you were yesterday or last month or last year.
Join me, Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, and my colleagues at Freedom Focused LLC, today by adding your voice to the choir that will once again make the United States of America the Last Best Hope of Earth.
Follow me on Twitter @JordanRJensen
Visit us online at: www.freedomfocused.com
Next Blog Post: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 ~ SAL Chapter 16: The Power of Personal Experience
Notes:
1. Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press.
SAL Book: A Moral Imperative
SAL raises the bar on S-L by taking into account the existence of True Principles in life, the world, and the universe. True Principles come in the form of causes and consequences that set the price for acquiring lasting success. For example, if you want oranges, you’d better not plant apple seeds. If you wish to be fit, you’d better get off the couch and exercise regularly. There is no other way. You cannot cheat natural systems.
“Natural Laws have consistent, predictable consequences. They exist whether or not we recognize them. And they exert their effects on us without our consent or awareness. … If we internalize [them] … we can significantly increase our personal productivity and happiness. … If you apply them, you will find inner peace, perhaps the most desirable gift you can obtain in this life.”[1]– Hyrum W. Smith(1943-Present)
Because Hitler ignored True Principles (a moral compass) in the pursuit of his grand objectives, his self-leadership results had a relatively short shelf life; the thousand-year reign he promised lasted only 12 years. Along the way, five to seven million Germans died—not to mention the tens of millions of soldiers and civilians slaughtered by the Nazi war machine. By the time he took his own life in 1945, much of Europe was in shambles. The scope of atrocity and destruction mirrored his talent and influence as a self-leader and leader of others.
SAL provides the moral compass that S-L theory lacks. SAL empowers you to not just permanently succeed, but to benefit others while doing so. When your time in this world is done, you can leave behind a lasting legacy that will make all who know you proud, and continue to positively impact those you leave behind. S-L can help you to do great (or terrible) things. SAL, on the other hand, can empower you to actually become great through doing good things.
To better illustrate the difference between evil self-leadership and moral Self-Action Leadership, compare and contrast the lives of Adolf Hitler and Nelson Mandela. Ironically, these two men’s journeys actually resembled each other in some ways in their earlier years. For example, both men had axes to grind for real and perceived injustices inflicted on them by family, institutions, or nations. Both were intelligent, capable men who were passionate about their country. Both worked assiduously and fought vigorously to bring about national changes in their respective nations. Moreover, in their efforts to bring about change, both men were eventually imprisoned for contributing to civil unrest (albeit Mandela was imprisoned much longer than Hitler).
The profound moral separation between these two historical figures was realized in the way in which they chose to respond to their respective imprisonments. Hitler used his time to let his bitterness fester and ferment. This led him to write Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”), Hitler’s famous philosophical treatise that argues for anti-semitism, Aryan supremacy, and German nationalism and power. Mandela’s heart, on the other hand, was softened in prison. Guided by the principles of self-reliance and personal power championed in William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus, Mandela charted a whole new course for his life that he pursued with integrity upon his release.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.[3]
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A TEXTBOOK FOR LIFE
I’m not the first to invoke the phrase “moral imperative” to describe SAL related principles. Daniel Goleman elevated emotional intelligence – a topic related to both S-L and SAL – to the same status, calling it a “pressing moral imperative”[4] in our postmodern society.
There are times when the fabric of society seems to unravel at ever-greater speed, when selfishness, violence, and a meanness of spirit seem to be rotting the goodness of our communal lives. … Those who are at the mercy of impulse—who lack self-control—suffer a moral deficiency: The ability to control impulse is the base of will and character. … And if there are two moral stances that our times call for, they are … self-restraint and compassion.[5]
Goleman continues by pointing out that temperaments can be changed, and that the time for rewiring bad emotional circuits should begin early:
To confront these challenges and embrace these opportunities, Goleman, “Forsee[s] a day when education will routinely include inculcating essential human competencies such as self-awareness, self-control, and empathy, and the arts of listening, resolving conflicts, and cooperation.”[7] M. Scott Peck, M.D. added his “two cents to the fire”[8] by expressing his desire to see a “program of mental health education in our public schools,” along with teaching the “old proverbs.”[9] An explicit goal of this book, and the express role of Freedom Focused, is to further the visions of Goleman, Peck, and all other exponents of this exceedingly worthy educational goal.
SAL is interested in the weightier matters of life and education. It is an umbrella topic that includes, but is not limited to a host of vital topics that every human being must study and practice if they seek lasting happiness, success, and growth. These topics include, but are not limited to:
Integrity Morality Courage
Patience Discipline Self-restraint
Self-Control Self-Regulation Emotional intelligence
Determination Persistence Consistence
Balance Kindness Compassion
Humility Compassion Empathy
Forgiveness Interpersonal skills Frugality
Insight Foresight Hindsight
Generosity Wisdom Temperance
Tolerance Hard work Goal setting
Loyalty Love Self-Awareness
Values identification Values clarification Values prioritization
Vision Mission Endurance
Enthusiasm Realism Optimism
Faith Respect Reverence
Duty Honor Truth.
Despite the self-evident importance of these topics, isn’t it strange how you won’t find a single comprehensive academic text on these subjects? Amidst the mountain of textbooks out there, where is the textbook on life itself? Where is the syllabus for being an effective human being? Where on the Internet can you locate a holistic guide for effectively navigating Planet Earth? You will not find it in schools, colleges, universities, or even online… until now.
There are many ideologies, religions, philosophies, dogmas, and creeds, and each has books that promote their doctrine. Many of these books, which typically deal with topical, or peripheral SAL issues, are good books worth reading. I am unaware, however, of a non-ideological and non-religious, yet comprehensive and academic Guide to Being Human. I have therefore determined to write one myself. I have designed it to serve as a storybook, poetry book, textbook, and workbook all at the same time. This will allow you to read, ponder, mark, study, write, plan, and set goals all in one place.
If you are ready to go to work, read on…
[1] Smith, H.W. (1994) The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Books. Pages 14-15.
[2] Neck, C.P. & Houghton, J.D. (2006). Two Decades of Self-Leadership Theory and Research: Past Developments, Present Trends, and Future Possibilities. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Volume 21, Issue 4, p. 270-295. DOI 10.1108/02683940610663097. Page 270.
[3] Invictus by William Ernest Henley. In Cook, R.J. (1958/1997). One Hundred and One Famous Poems: With a Prose Supplement (Revised Edition). Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books.
[4] Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ. New York, NY: Bantam. Page xii.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid. Page xiii.
[7] Ibid. Page xiv. For a further discussion on these Pedagogies of Personal Leadership for students of all ages, see BOOK THE FOURTH.
[8] Phrase coined by France Nielson, a college buddy of mine.
[9] Peck, M.S. (1993). Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth, The Edited Lectures. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Page 143.
Goleman continues by pointing out that temperaments can be changed, and that the time for rewiring bad emotional circuits should begin early:
Our genetic heritage endows each of us with a series of emotional set-points that determines our temperament. But brain circuitry involved is extraordinarily malleable; temperament is not destiny. … This means that childhood and adolescence are critical windows of opportunity for setting down the essential emotional habits that will govern our lives.[6]
To confront these challenges and embrace these opportunities, Goleman, “Forsee[s] a day when education will routinely include inculcating essential human competencies such as self-awareness, self-control, and empathy, and the arts of listening, resolving conflicts, and cooperation.”[7] M. Scott Peck, M.D. added his “two cents to the fire”[8] by expressing his desire to see a “program of mental health education in our public schools,” along with teaching the “old proverbs.”[9] An explicit goal of this book, and the express role of Freedom Focused, is to further the visions of Goleman, Peck, and all other exponents of this exceedingly worthy educational goal.
SAL is interested in the weightier matters of life and education. It is an umbrella topic that includes, but is not limited to a host of vital topics that every human being must study and practice if they seek lasting happiness, success, and growth. These topics include, but are not limited to:
Integrity Morality Courage
Patience Discipline Self-restraint
Self-Control Self-Regulation Emotional intelligence
Determination Persistence Consistence
Balance Kindness Compassion
Humility Compassion Empathy
Forgiveness Interpersonal skills Frugality
Insight Foresight Hindsight
Generosity Wisdom Temperance
Tolerance Hard work Goal setting
Loyalty Love Self-Awareness
Values identification Values clarification Values prioritization
Vision Mission Endurance
Enthusiasm Realism Optimism
Faith Respect Reverence
Duty Honor Truth.
There are many ideologies, religions, philosophies, dogmas, and creeds, and each has books that promote their doctrine. Many of these books, which typically deal with topical, or peripheral SAL issues, are good books worth reading. I am unaware, however, of a non-ideological and non-religious, yet comprehensive and academic Guide to Being Human. I have therefore determined to write one myself. I have designed it to serve as a storybook, poetry book, textbook, and workbook all at the same time. This will allow you to read, ponder, mark, study, write, plan, and set goals all in one place.
If you are ready to go to work, read on…
[1] Smith, H.W. (1994) The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Books. Pages 14-15.
[2] Neck, C.P. & Houghton, J.D. (2006). Two Decades of Self-Leadership Theory and Research: Past Developments, Present Trends, and Future Possibilities. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Volume 21, Issue 4, p. 270-295. DOI 10.1108/02683940610663097. Page 270.
[3] Invictus by William Ernest Henley. In Cook, R.J. (1958/1997). One Hundred and One Famous Poems: With a Prose Supplement (Revised Edition). Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books.
[4] Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ. New York, NY: Bantam. Page xii.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid. Page xiii.
[7] Ibid. Page xiv. For a further discussion on these Pedagogies of Personal Leadership for students of all ages, see BOOK THE FOURTH.
[8] Phrase coined by France Nielson, a college buddy of mine.
[9] Peck, M.S. (1993). Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth, The Edited Lectures. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Page 143.
SAL Book: The Challenge & Quest to Become
This is no ordinary self-help book.Ordinary self-help books focus on giving advice about what you must do to get something. Such books are typically transactional in nature, providing quid pro quo solutions (i.e. do this and you’ll get that).
This book is different; it is transformational. Its goal is to shift your focus from getting something to becoming something. SAL is less concerned with helping you get what you want; it is more concerned with helping you become what you can. And there is great news! There will be plenty of getting as you become.
Acting in order to get something is not always dishonorable. To a certain extent, we are all necessarily invested in this lower form of human behavior (e.g. You show up to work late and do just enough to get my paycheck every two weeks). Acting in order to become, however, is a fundamentally different way of thinking, acting, and existing. It is a higher form of human behavior (e.g. You show up to work early and give it my all in an effort to exemplify personal integrity, help other people, and eventually get promoted). When you think, speak, or act to get something, you may obtain the object of your desire. But when you think, speak, and act to become, the Existential Growth earned through the process transforms your very being into something grander than it was before. In turn, this process increases your personal power, influence and freedom.
Existential Growth is not something you get automatically with the passage of time. It is not a ‘rite of passage.’ It must always be earned. I have met teenagers who were existentially ahead of aged retirees in nursing homes. This is sad, but it is true. Knowledge, skills, wisdom, maturity, and Existential Growth come with a price that no one is exempt from paying.
Effectively practicing SAL principles over time has transformed my life. Along the way, ignorance has been replaced with knowledge; fear has been swallowed up in courage and faith; diffidence has been transmuted into confidence; disillusionment has become visionary empowerment; and many hurtful habits were replaced with helpful habits. It did not come fast. It did not come easy. These things were not achieved without sweat, toil, tears, and many, many years. But it has come, and is still coming—a bit at a time, each and every day—and the difference is telling; just ask anyone who knew me 15 years ago.
As human beings, we are creatures of habit. The Four Levels of Competency [1] model provides an effective tool for understanding the steps that lead to habit creation.
An easy way to conceptualize the four levels of competency is as follows:
Ever been driving down the freeway and think to yourself: “I have no memory of the last 30 miles. I must be a hazard on the road!” Assuming you have good driving habits, you are, in reality, quite safe in the midst of these extended “zoned-out” sessions. It’s not that you aren’t paying attention; you are simply performing the activity on level four (4)—something you could not do at age 16 soon after getting your first driver’s license.
If you are reading this book right now, chances are you spend a significant portion of your day operating on level four (4). Depending on what kind of habits you have developed, this can be a good, or a not so good, thing.
This book is different; it is transformational. Its goal is to shift your focus from getting something to becoming something. SAL is less concerned with helping you get what you want; it is more concerned with helping you become what you can. And there is great news! There will be plenty of getting as you become.
Acting in order to get something is not always dishonorable. To a certain extent, we are all necessarily invested in this lower form of human behavior (e.g. You show up to work late and do just enough to get my paycheck every two weeks). Acting in order to become, however, is a fundamentally different way of thinking, acting, and existing. It is a higher form of human behavior (e.g. You show up to work early and give it my all in an effort to exemplify personal integrity, help other people, and eventually get promoted). When you think, speak, or act to get something, you may obtain the object of your desire. But when you think, speak, and act to become, the Existential Growth earned through the process transforms your very being into something grander than it was before. In turn, this process increases your personal power, influence and freedom.
Existential Growth is not something you get automatically with the passage of time. It is not a ‘rite of passage.’ It must always be earned. I have met teenagers who were existentially ahead of aged retirees in nursing homes. This is sad, but it is true. Knowledge, skills, wisdom, maturity, and Existential Growth come with a price that no one is exempt from paying.
“The major value in life is not what you get…. [It] is what you become.”– Jim Rohn(1932-2009)
Effectively practicing SAL principles over time has transformed my life. Along the way, ignorance has been replaced with knowledge; fear has been swallowed up in courage and faith; diffidence has been transmuted into confidence; disillusionment has become visionary empowerment; and many hurtful habits were replaced with helpful habits. It did not come fast. It did not come easy. These things were not achieved without sweat, toil, tears, and many, many years. But it has come, and is still coming—a bit at a time, each and every day—and the difference is telling; just ask anyone who knew me 15 years ago.
“If there be any peace it will come through being, not having.”(1891-1980)
HABITS & THE FOUR LEVELS OF COMPETENCY
As human beings, we are creatures of habit. The Four Levels of Competency [1] model provides an effective tool for understanding the steps that lead to habit creation.
Level 1: Unconscious Incompetence ~ You are unaware of your own ignorance or inability
Level 2: Conscious Incompetence ~ You are aware of your own ignorance or inability
Level 3: Conscious Competence ~ You know and can do, but only through conscious focus
Level 4: Unconscious Competence ~ You know and do automatically (a new habit has been formed)
An easy way to conceptualize the four levels of competency is as follows:
Level 1: A kindergartner who has never heard of algebra
Level 2: A 6th grader who learns he/she will take algebra in high school
Level 3: A 9th grader who has started learning and doing algebra
Level 4: A calculus teacher who works algebra problems without even thinking
Ever been driving down the freeway and think to yourself: “I have no memory of the last 30 miles. I must be a hazard on the road!” Assuming you have good driving habits, you are, in reality, quite safe in the midst of these extended “zoned-out” sessions. It’s not that you aren’t paying attention; you are simply performing the activity on level four (4)—something you could not do at age 16 soon after getting your first driver’s license.
If you are reading this book right now, chances are you spend a significant portion of your day operating on level four (4). Depending on what kind of habits you have developed, this can be a good, or a not so good, thing.
PROCESSES OF LEARNING
The first process—learning—refers to understanding something for the first time. The second process—relearning—refers to reviewing something you learned in the past, but have presently forgotten about, or are not doing. The third process—unlearning—refers to breaking a bad habit and replacing it with a new, good habit. Of the three learning processes, unlearning is typically the most difficult. This is due to the inherent difficulty involved in breaking an old habit, which requires you to go back to levels two (2) and three (3) after you are already performing a behavior on level four (4). Backtracking competency levels forces you out of a comfort zone.
The following illustration and exercise provides a simple example why unlearning can be so challenging.
- Fold your arms.
- Notice which arm is on top (e.g. In the picture above, the man’s right arm is on top).
- Now refold your arms by putting the opposite arm on top (e.g. In the picture below, the woman’s left arm is on top).
With this exercise in mind, imagine how many times you would have to fold your arms the new way (level 3) before the new way felt as normal as the old way originally did (level 4). The exact number would differ from person to person, but if you are like most people, it would take folding your arms the new way dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times over a period of several days, weeks, or even months before the new way reached the magical ‘tipping point’ signaling the creation of a new habit. Ever known someone who broke or lost an arm and had to learn to write with the other hand? In many cases, it takes months before the person can write as proficiently with a different hand.
The key to success in breaking old habits and replacing them with new ones is repetition. Training yourself to do something can be difficult in and of itself; but training yourself to do something different than you are accustomed to is even more challenging. Thankfully, ‘difficult’ and ‘impossible’ are two very different things.
Consider another example… buttoning your shirt. Reflect for a moment on how you don a dress shirt. Do you button your shirt ‘up,’ or button your shirt ‘down’? Or perhaps you start in the middle and work up and down.
I remember the day I learned there were people in the world that buttoned their shirt from the bottom-up. I was flabbergasted to know such people existed! “Who would button their shirt from the bottom up?” I queried. “That’s crazy!” I thought. My next response—a very natural one—was to conclude that buttoning one’s shirt from the bottom-up was the ‘wrong’ way. It is natural to assume that ‘our way’ is the ‘right’ way. The morning after learning about ‘bottom-uppers,’ I attempted to try it “their” way. You probably won’t be surprised to hear it took me three times longer to button my shirt that day.
These simple examples illustrate the inherent difficulty in breaking old habits and replacing them with new ones. And if it is hard to unlearn how to button your shirt, imagine how hard it must be to unlearn how to smoke, drink, cuss, gossip, yell at your loved ones, or any other bad habit. Anyone who has undertaken the challenge to unlearn something knows how difficult and time consuming it is. For example, ever been in a foreign country where you had to drive on the other side of the road? My wife and I once spent 16 days on a business trip in Great Britain. Neither of us had ever driven on the left side of the road. My wife—bless her heart—did the driving, but after dozens of hours driving all over the British Isles for over two weeks, it still had not become automatic for her, nor had her anxiety levels completely leveled out. Changing habits requires enormous commitment and focus. Just as importantly, it takes time, and typically lots more of it than we are willing to invest.
The bad news is that unlearning can be extremely difficult. The good news is we are capable of doing it. The possibility of changing your own nature and inclinations lies at the root of emotional intelligence and Self-Action Leadership.
Changing habits—even your nature—is made possible by the malleable nature of human brains. As a human being, you have something animals do not. You have a capacity to examine your behavior and determine whether it is the kind of behavior you actually want to exhibit. Thanks to your prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain that regulates behavior, engages in social and moral reasoning, and is responsible for planning and decision-making—you have the power to intentionally alter deeply ingrained habits and natural inclinations through unlearning and retraining.
If you persist in making desired changes, those changes can eventually become new, good habits that are as deeply ingrained as your bad habits once were. This is the miracle of humanity. It is a phenomenon that places human beings on an existentially higher plane than other members of the animal kingdom.
How long does it take to get rid of a bad habit and successfully replace it with a good one? Good question. Some will tell you it takes 21 days, or something along those lines. The truth is that it totally depends on the person and the situation. Many variables are at play in the formation of habits (e.g. how long ago you formed the habit, how deeply ingrained the habit is in your psyche, how often you engage in the habit). Likewise, many variables are at play in breaking a habit (e.g., environmental factors, the strength of your will to try and persist when the going gets tough, whether you have help from others or not). As such, the only answer I can realistically give to this question is: “It depends.” Some habits are broken more easily than others. For example, if your home loses power in a storm, you will probably retrain yourself to not turn the light switch after five or so failed attempts. However, if you have smoked cigarettes for 20 years, you aren’t likely to break the nicotine habit after resisting your first five cravings. When I endeavored to stop sucking my finger at age ten, it was at least a year before I stopped craving my old habit.
As a self-action leader, you always have choices to make regarding habits. You can choose to become more fully human by pursuing a disciplined life of delayed gratification, which will lead you to higher levels of Existential Growth. Or, you can choose to live an undisciplined life driven by instant gratification, which will lead you into the bondage of bad habits and other Existential Gravity. Whatever you choose, concomitant consequences will follow. What are you presently choosing? What will you choose in the future?
At best, life is not easy. Yet its greatest opportunities and beauties lie on the other side of its greatest trials. Don’t let bad habits and other Existential Gravity mercilessly beat you down—because if you just sit there, or worse, lie down, they will thrash you every time. At Freedom Focused, we encourage you to commit to emerge victorious from whatever adversity crosses your path. In the ongoing battle against bad habits, determine today that whatever the cost, you will pay the price to emerge as the victor.
“Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you and you alone to decide."
– Cavett Robert
(1907-1997)
WHO AM I?
Who am I? What am I doing with my life? What is my life’s purpose? These questions rank among the most important you can ever ask yourself. Arriving at answers to such questions is among the most vital accomplishments you can possibly achieve as a self-action leader.
In conjunction with figuring out who you really are, it equally important to figure out who you really aren’t. Many people live their entire lives deluding themselves about who and what they really are. We have all made this mistake at one time or another. I know I have.
As a young adult, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in for the first half of my college education. Even after I graduated, I struggled for many years gaining clarity about my long-term professional objectives.
Discovering who I really am has been a long, laborious, and often confusing journey, and is by no means finished. Along the way I had to fight valiantly against external voices that sought to discourage me or pull me down. I also had to face my own self-doubts. In the end, I was able to discover my own, authentic, identity with a clarity that has undergirded every meaningful achievement in my life to date.
Knowing who I am empowered me to write this book. Who are you? Being able to confidently answer this question honestly and authentically is the single most empowering nugget of knowledge you can ever attain. You will never realize the full scope of your potential until you know who you really are—and also who you really aren’t. One of my deepest hopes is that this book will serve you in some way along the pathways of this absolutely vital journey to the beautiful valley of existential self-awareness.
Next Blog Post: Friday, December 19, 2014 ~ Chapter 15: A Moral Imperative
Visit us at www.freedomfocused.com
Discovering who I really am has been a long, laborious, and often confusing journey, and is by no means finished. Along the way I had to fight valiantly against external voices that sought to discourage me or pull me down. I also had to face my own self-doubts. In the end, I was able to discover my own, authentic, identity with a clarity that has undergirded every meaningful achievement in my life to date.
Knowing who I am empowered me to write this book. Who are you? Being able to confidently answer this question honestly and authentically is the single most empowering nugget of knowledge you can ever attain. You will never realize the full scope of your potential until you know who you really are—and also who you really aren’t. One of my deepest hopes is that this book will serve you in some way along the pathways of this absolutely vital journey to the beautiful valley of existential self-awareness.
Next Blog Post: Friday, December 19, 2014 ~ Chapter 15: A Moral Imperative
Visit us at www.freedomfocused.com
Notes:
[1] The Four Levels of Competency were developed by Noel Burch at Gordon Training International in the 1970s. See URL: http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/learning-a-new-skill-is-easier-said-than-done/