Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Benjamin Franklin. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Benjamin Franklin. Afficher tous les articles

Our Vision & Mission at Freedom Focused


Sir Winston Churchill
Two-time Prime Minister of Great Britain

Winston Churchill Inspires a Young Man, Who, in-turn, Motivates a Mere Boy


At the tail end of his long life, Winston Churchill gave a speech in England.  In his address, he told his listeners how he had always been motivated by a compelling desire to make a difference in the world.

Sitting in Churchill's audience that day was a young American missionary in his early twenties named Hyrum W. Smith.

Deeply touched by the aging Churchill's words, Smith realized he felt the same burning desire to "make a difference."

Nearly 20 years later, Smith served as one of the key originators of the world famous Franklin Day Planning system.  Ten years after that, Smith's company, FranklinQuest, went public on the New York Stock Exchange.  In 1997, FranklinQuest acquired the Covey Leadership Center to form the world famous training company, FranklinCovey.    


Hyrum W. Smith
Co-Founder of FranklinCovey
While in England, Hyrum Smith met my Dad, who was also in Britain doing missionary work.  Later, after both had returned to the U.S. to attend college, Hyrum introduced my Dad to his little sister.  Romance blossomed, and in 1966, Rex Jensen married Pauline Smith.  Thirteen years later, I was born.

Just a few short years later, in 1983, Uncle Hyrum started the Franklin Institute.  Age age eight, I attended my first Franklin Day Planning seminar -- taught by Hyrum himself.

At ages 12 and 14, I worked as a manual laborer on Hyrum's Southwestern desert ranch.  From this obscure vantage point, I observed my uncle summit a significant pinnacle of success as one of the greatest time management and personal development gurus in the world.

Concurrently, I began to recognize with increased clarity that I possessed the same deep desire that had driven both Sir Winston and Hyrum.  This desire was further enflamed by a relatively unremarkable incident that occurred one day at Hyrum's ranch home in 1992 -- the same year FranklinQuest went public on the NYSE.    

One Sunday afternoon at the ranch, we ranch hands were eating Sunday dinner with the Smith family.  Hyrum was home for the weekend.  At the conclusion of a delicious taco dinner (the Smith's Sunday tradition), Hyrum elevated his powerful orator's voice several decibels to make an announcement everyone could hear, whereby he proclaimed: "All right everybody, I'm offering five dollars to anyone who will do the dishes."

Without blinking or thinking twice about the work involved or whether the amount was worth the time investment, I quickly volunteered before anyone else, to which Hyrum approvingly replied, "Jordan, you are an entrepreneur; you will be a wealthy man someday."  I was only 12 years old, but this experience left a lasting impression on me.  

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen
Founder & CEO of Freedom Focused
I doubt Hyrum remembers this exchange, or that he even thought much about it five seconds after he said it.  Nevertheless, that simple statement has deeply resonated within my being throughout intervening years.  I suppose that in a sense, it became something akin to Hyrum's own "Churchill" moment, where one great man unknowingly passes a torch to a young boy who has plenty of potential and ample "fire in the belly."

Becoming wealthy for wealth's sake is not a primary motivator for me.  Making a difference, however, and leaving a positive legacy emblazoned in what I believe is the noblest career ambition of all (education), has been an incessant -- even an obsessive -- driving force in my life the past two-and-a-half decades.  As such, it was my potential to make a difference, not merely to become wealthy, that really burned in my bosom that day at the Ranch when Hyrum spoke out loud about my possibilities.

Despite this and other powerful life influences along the way, it took me several more years to gain clarity about specifically how I intended to "make a difference" in the world.  But by the year 2003, I had a pretty clear vision of my how.  Ever since that time, I have been on a MISSION to actualize that VISION.

Today's blog post shares the vision and mission of Freedom Focused, both of which are anchored firmly in the principles set forth in the Self-Action Leadership Theory & Model.

I invite anyone who believes in the importance of Leadership, Character, and Life-Skill Education to seriously read this article, and then share it with your personal and professional networks.   




Our Vision at Freedom Focused


What is a vision?  Simply stated, it is a clear picture of what the future looks like.  What does the future look like to us at Freedom Focused?

Let's begin with a story...

The widely read M. Scott Peck, M.D., (of The Road Less Traveled fame) once wrote about his relationship with his Grandfather.  His memories of this relationship consisted mostly of a monthly visit to his grandparent's home in New York that included three double-feature shows at the movie-house.  While going to-and-from these cinematic excursions, Peck's Granddad would often garnish their conversations by sprinkling in some of the wise old proverbs.  For example: "'Don't cross your bridges until you've come to them,'" or, "'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.'" 

In Peck's own words, his Grandfather "was not a particularly smart man, and his speech was seldom more than a series of cliches."  Despite this, it was evident to Peck that his Grandpa loved him by virtue of all the time he was willing to spend with him, and in time, the old fellow's words ended up making a real difference in his life.  As Peck explains:
"It was on the walks with my grandfather, back and forth to the double features, that I was able not only to hear but to digest and absorb his proverbs, and their wisdom has stood me in very good stead over these years."  
As he reflected over the simple wisdom he gleaned from these very basic lessons learned from his grandfather, Peck lamented the loss of the old proverbs in today's educational processes (especially public education).  He further opines:
"I've often thought that it would be saving if we could develop some program of mental health education in our public schools ... [and] I hope someone will start instituting such a program [and] I hope it will be done soon.  For as my grandfather would have said, "'A stitch in time saves nine.'" (italics added) [1]
Years ago, I was in Eastern Canada on a small little plane flying to teach a seminar somewhere in New Brunswick.  It was during my flight that I first read these words.  As I did so, my heart was filled with a deep impression that I was that someone that Peck was talking about, or at very least, I was one of them.  Since then, I have been even more invigorated in my efforts to realize this hope held by Peck--and countless others throughout the last three generations.

The troubled period of time in America that began in the 1960s, and has been labeled historically as the "Postmodern Period," has been marked by dramatic departures from traditional educational approaches that focused as much effort on teaching and modeling principles of leadership, character, and life-skills as they do on 'reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic (and technological science).

Click HERE to learn more about postmodernists and the postmodern period.

Click HERE to learn more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM that has begun to eclipse postmodernism in the 21st century.    

1858-1919

The Quality of the Individual Citizen is Supreme


In 1910, shortly after leaving office, President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a famous address at a University in Paris, France (The Sorbonne).  In this speech, Roosevelt proclaimed that, "The quality of the individual citizen is supreme" when it comes to building strong, self-reliant, and collectively prosperous republics.  In this address, Roosevelt taught that:
"Under other forms of government, under the rule of one man or very few men, the quality of the leaders is all-important. ... But with ... us [as Americans] the case is different.  With ... us .. in the long run, success or failure will be conditioned upon the way in which the average man, the average woman, does his or her duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of life, and next in those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues.  The average citizen must be a good citizen if our republics are to succeed.  The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation.  Therefore it behooves us to do our best to see that the standard of the average citizen is kept high; and the average cannot be kept high unless the standard of the leaders is very much higher."

Roosevelt went on to identify how to develop the kind of "quality citizens" of which he spoke.  His answer?  Education!  Again, in his own words:
"Let those who have, keep, [and] let those who have not, strive to attain, a high standard of cultivation and scholarship (education).  Yet let us remember that these stand second to certain other things.  There is need of a sound body, and even more of a sound mind.  But above mind and above body stands character -- the sum of those qualities which we mean when we speak of a man's force and courage, of his good faith and sense of honor.  ... Education must contain much besides book-learning in order to be really good.  We must ever remember that no keenness and subtleness of intellect, no polish, no cleverness, in any way make up for the lack of the great solid qualities.  Self-restraint, self mastery, common sense, the power of accepting individual responsibility and yet of acting in conjunction with others, courage and resolution -- these are the qualities which mark a masterful people.  Without them no people can control itself, or save itself from being controlled from the outside. ... I pay all homage to intellect and to elaborate and specialized training of the intellect; and yet I know ... that more important still are the commonplace, every-day qualities and virtues."
At Freedom Focused, we share President Roosevelt's vision of a robust educational culture that embraces a concrete commitment to skillfully teaching and effectively modeling the weightier matters of leadership, character, and life-skill education in conjunction with typical core curricula.

As such, our vision of the future is that of a nation where many, if not most schools, explicitly offer -- and even require -- students to take courses in subjects such as: 

* Self-leadership, self-reliance, & self-control
* Emotional intelligence
* Interpersonal relationship management
* Personal financial management
* Mental health
* Character development 
* Leadership
* Life skills
* Positive Mental Attitude
* Persistence and Determination
* Endurance

You know exactly what I am talking about -- all of the things students really need to learn and develop if they are going to be authentically successful over the long run -- in conjunction with core academic competencies that are already taught.  

When I published my first book in 2005 (a personal leadership guide for high school and college students), an esteemed leadership guru named John H. "Jack" Zenger was kind enough to provide the following endorsement quote for my work:
"The old paradigm of separating core academic curriculum from leadership, character, and life-skill education in America's schools is gradually beginning to shift.  The time is coming when classes in leadership will be equally as important as those in mathematics, biology, or English; and from a career standpoint, possibly more important."
At Freedom Focused, our vision of the future is a society where the "shift" spoken of by Dr. Zenger has become a reality, with cultural mores and educational paradigms widely embracing explicit instruction in leadership, character, and life-skill education.

Click HERE to view Dr. Jordan Jensen's groundbreaking speech entitled, A Twenty-First Century Vision of Education in America.  



The Mission Behind the Vision


At Freedom Focused, we comprehend the reality that this vision will be as difficult to realize as it is easy to conceptualize.  As such, where does one begin to tackle a task so monumental and daunting?

I have been asking myself this very question in great earnest since 2003.  In the intervening 12 years, I have spent literally tens of thousands of hours immersed in reading, pondering, studying, researching, collaborating, and writing (including doctoral level work), to develop "A CONCRETE PLAN" that can serve as a fundamental starting point for anyone and everyone interested and willing to engage processes that get us closer to realizing the grand vision of a character and leadership-based educational curriculum and culture.

This plan is outlined in the Self-Action Leadership Theory & Model, both of which serve as universal constructs aimed at providing a firm foundation for any and all character-centric or leadership-based educational initiatives of any kind in any organization.   

What does the SAL Theory & Model offer to YOU?  In short, it means that whether you are a Civil Leader, Business Owner or Manager, Educational Administrator, Teacher, or Coach, Parent, or Individual seeking a curriculum or textbook offering a holistic range of fundamentals, it is now available.

In the words of Dr. Christopher P. Neck, an esteemed Associate Professor of Management at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University:
"Jensen has accomplished a task that is very difficult for any author to achieve, and that is to produce a single text that is highly relevant to multiple audiences at the same time. Because of the universal applicability of basic self-leadership principles, his message is germane ... to civic leaders, business professionals and workers of all kinds, educators, students, athletes, parents, and children—in short, to everyone. Indeed, I do believe that virtually anyone who reads this book will be able to take something away from it that will improve his or her life in a significant way. As an author myself, I am amazed at Jordan’s achievement in writing one book that carries the potential to reach such a wide variety of people—and that is the beauty of it."
Click HERE to read Dr. Neck's entire Foreword to Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom  

The Self-Action Leadership (SAL) Theory


The Self-Action Leadership Theory, or just "SAL Theory," for short, is rooted in an atmospheric and astronomical metaphor that compares an individual to a rocket ship seeking to travel throughout the dangerous and challenging levels of Earth's atmosphere into Outer Space and beyond.  The SAL Theory draws distinct and concrete analogues from the different layers of the atmosphere to the various "Stages" of personal growth we all must face and endure throughout our life's journey if we are to successfully realize our fullest potential both personally and professionally.  

The SAL Theory explains why other people often say and do things to make your journey more difficult, and what you can do to rise above the negative pressure exerted from these "Existential Crabs."  Furthermore, it prepares you mentally for difficulties that inevitably lie ahead of you as you traverse future adversity.  Perhaps most importantly, it awakens your awareness of the full extent of your personal and professional potential, opening up vistas of possibility you never dreamed existed.  

The 9 Levels (Layers) of Earth's Atmosphere.


The 9 Levels (Stages) of the SAL Theory


The Self-Action Leadership (SAL) Model


With the philosophical strength that comes with an understanding of the SAL Theory in tow, you are prepared to begin the incredibly exciting and engaging journey of designing and then constructing your own life and career as a self-action leader.

Rooted explicitly in a construction metaphor, the SAL Model shows you how to be the architect, builder, inspector, trouble-shooter, and fine-tuner of the metaphorical structure that is your own life and career.  

The Four Stages and 21 Sub-Steps in the Construction Process


The 4 Stages and 21 Sub-Steps in Building a Successful Life & Career

The excitement of the possibilities held in the SAL Model are perhaps best captured by the poet, George Washington Doane, who once eloquently penned:

Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy
With his marble block before him,
And his eyes lit up with a smile of joy,
As an angel-dream passed o’er him.

He carved the dream on that shapeless stone,
With many a sharp incision;
With heaven’s own light the sculpture shone,—
He’d caught that angel-vision.

Children of life are we, as we stand
With our lives uncarved before us,
Waiting the hour when, at God’s command,
Our life-dream shall pass o’er us.

If we carve it then on the yielding stone,
With many a sharp incision,
Its heavenly beauty shall be our own,—
Our lives, that angel-vision. [2]

What are YOU going to do with the "Marble Block" of your own Existence?


My enthusiasm for creating something magnificent out of the "Marble Block" of my own life began in part while attending my Uncle Hyrum's time management seminar at age eight.  It grew steadily from that point on.  It was further bolstered when, as a freshman in college, I drafted a "Personal Leadership Statement" in a leadership course I was taking at Brigham Young University.

Utilizing the Genius of the Founding Fathers to
Realize Personal & Professional Success in YOUR Own Life
Unlike most assignments or projects you do in school and then quickly throw away and forget about, I kept working on my Personal Leadership Statement.

Over time, this statement of personal vision, mission, values, goals, etc., evolved into my "Self-Constitution," and "Self-Declaration of Independence," two vital documents that a self-action leader drafts during one's study of the SAL Model, and which have become key cornerstones of my present confidence and success.

Click HERE to watch Dr. Jensen teach the principle of writing a Self-Declaration of Independence and Self-Constitution.  


The idea that I could become an "architect of [my own] fate" (Longfellow) has always intrigued me deeply.  It has motivated me to write down careful "blueprints" for my life in the form of a Self-Declaration of Independence and Self-Constitution.  More importantly, these documents have served as a concrete impetus for successfully carrying out my plans.  Even though my life's journey remains imperfect, having carefully laid out plans (mission) complete with a clear and compelling goal (vision), has dramatically empowered my capacity to realize both.

The Builders [1]

By: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

ALL are architects of Fate,
   Working in these walls of Time;
Some with massive deeds and great,
   Some with ornaments of rhyme.

Nothing useless is, or low;
   Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
   Strengthens and supports the rest.

For the structure that we raise,
   Time is with materials filled;
Our to-days and yesterdays
   Are the blocks with which we build.

Truly shape and fashion these;
   Leave no yawning gaps between;
Think not, because no man sees,
   Such things will remain unseen.

In the elder days of Art,
   Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part;
   For the Gods see everywhere.

Let us do our work as well,
   Both the unseen and the seen;
Make the house, where Gods may dwell,
   Beautiful, entire, and clean.

Else our lives are incomplete,
   Standing in these walls of Time,
Broken stairways, where the feet
   Stumble as they seek to climb.

Build to-day, then, strong and sure,
   With a firm and ample base;
And ascending and secure
   Shall to-morrow find its place.

Thus alone can we attain
   To those turrets, where the eye
Sees the world as one vast plain,
   And one boundless reach of sky.


“Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, [and] doubters do not achieve.”

~ Bryan Hinckley


Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom


The SAL Theory and Model are both outlined in great detail in my new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.  

Lee Ellis, Founder & President of Leadership Freedom is a former Colonel in the United States Air Force.  Colonel Ellis spent five years as a prisoner of war in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" during the Vietnam War.  Ellis provides the following endorsement of this comprehensive work on self-leadership:
"In Self Action Leadership, Jordan Jensen has assembled a leadership masterpiece anchored steadfastly in true principles of philosophy and human behavior. In wonderfully written prose, Jordan reminds us of who we are and what it takes to live and lead with honor. Moreover, he challenges us to live up to the high calling of being human beings with a special mission on this Earth. To accomplish our mission, we must do two major things: grow in our sense of personal responsibility, and in turn, care for others and help them to do the same. I grappled with these two areas in a primal way during more than five years as a POW in Vietnam. Now I’m thrilled to see how Jordan has laid out SAL by using the vehicle of story to illuminate his own, unique journey of transcending adversity. In so doing, he has inspired us all to become who we are capable of becoming. Bravo!”
Colonel Lee Ellis (retired)
U.S. Air Force, Vietnam POW Survivor (Hanoi Hilton), author of Leading With Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, and President & Founder of Leadership Freedom LLC and FreedomStar Media


The express PURPOSE of this book is to serve as either a primary or supplementary textbook in any educational setting where leaders and teachers intend to teach any subjects related to leadership, character, and life-skill education.


In other words, all of you who share our vision, but feel frustrated because there don't seem to be any textbooks to serve your desired purposes, can now rest easy.  The textbook has been written!  All that is needed now are leaders and teachers to read it, become trained on it, and then use it to teach their own students/employees/constituents.

What will this book do for you and those you teach?  in the words of Dr. Christopher P. Neck:
"This book will do much more than just teach you about Self-Action Leadership. It will cause you to think deeply about how you are currently living your own life, and how you could better lead yourself to achieve the results you most desire in the long-run. More importantly, Jensen’s compelling story and courageous personal example, combined with his percipient ability to effectively teach the corresponding self-leadership principles, will inspire and motivate you to actually do something about what you will learn. In the process, it might even touch emotions in your heart that will move you to joy and tears. It takes a talented writer to do all of these things, so I know you’ll enjoy reading this book. More importantly, I know you’ll come away a wiser person with an increased motivation to begin taking action to realize your own Self-Action Leadership potential, an opportunity we can all take full advantage of, if only we will."

Click HERE to read what other experts are saying about Jordan Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership.

If you are a leader or teacher reading this article right now, you may be asking yourself, "How exactly do I use it?"  That is a good question, and  I will answer it in the next section.

How to Use the Self-Action Leadership Textbook


There are three basic steps to using the Self-Action Leadership Textbook for a given audience.  Depending on who you are and what your situation entails, you may choose to take one or more of the following steps, depending on your group or organization's individual needs.


STEP ONE: Read the Book YOURSELF


There is great danger in lazily judging a book by its cover, or by a blogpost--even if that blogpost seems really comprehensive (as I hope this one does).

There are over 700 pages in the SAL book.  If you don't actually take the time to read it for yourself, you will know very little about what is actually contained therein.  You will remain "in the dark" with regards to the mountains of golden educational nuggets you could be sharing with your audience and teaching to your employees/students.

We also encourage you to complete the SAL Master Challenge contained inside the book.  The SAL Master Challenge consists of 25 specific assignments that accompany your study of the material.

Experienced teachers and administrators may have already completed personal development homework analogous to the SAL Master Challenge.  If so, you may choose to focus your efforts on immediately challenging your employees or students to undertake the challenge and then supporting them as they work through this work-intensive and time-consuming, but wildly rewarding process.

Click HERE to download the SAL Master Challenge Requirements

Click HERE to download the 25 SAL Master Challenge Assignments/Exercises

STEP TWO: Get professionally trained on the SAL Theory & Model


While you will surely mine many wonderful nuggets of insight from reading and studying the book yourself, you will derive much additional benefit from being professionally trained on the SAL Theory and Model from Dr. Jordan Jensen himself.  Doing so allows you to both learn from and tap into the mind and heart of the educator who painstakingly developed the material himself--over the course of more than a decade of reading, researching, pondering, collaborating, and writing.

Click HERE to view the Self-Action Leadership Training Overview and Consider Seminar Options

STEP THREE: Imbed SAL concepts into your organizational culture through rote learning and continual training over time.    


Once you have read the book and been professionally trained, we strongly encourage you to continue to teach and reiterate the principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model to ALL of your employees and students (IN-HOUSE) in an effort to create an organizational culture over time that both understands and embraces the concepts contained in the SAL Theory & Model -- including the all-important concept of EXISTENTIAL GROWTH (holistic personal growth spanning the spiritual, mental, moral, physical, emotional, and social realms of each of our natures).

One of the most vital "Old Proverbs" to use Dr. Peck's terminology, is: "You get out of something what you put into it."  I have invested 12 years of my life to ensure the veracity and efficacy of the SAL Theory & Model, as well as to guarantee the quality of the corresponding training material.  Likewise, the return that YOU and your students/employees get out of the material will be commensurate to the time and effort you invest therein.

To maximize the value of the material, you must be willing to commit to interweaving the concepts into everything your organization does.  For those so willing, the results will be astronomically astounding.  I know because I have tested it out in the laboratory of my own life, career, and relationships, and the results have exceeded even my very high expectations.  As a result, my personal, professional, and relational lives are all in a highly desirable position -- with the best yet to come.  And the cool thing is that there is nothing inherently special about me or anyone else at Freedom Focused; but everything is special about SAL Principles.  As such, you and your colleagues, employees, and/or students will likewise reap growth and a myriad of other benefits commensurate to your desire and willingness to work hard to learn and apply the same principles.


To buy Jordan's Book, Self-Action Leadership, Click HERE.


To bring a SAL Seminar Training to your organization or school today, call 832-618-5451.   




To learn more about Freedom Focused and our Vision and Mission, visit:


www.freedomfocused.com



Click HERE to view Dr. Jordan Jensen's Complete 1-hour Self-Action Leadership Seminar for FREE

Click HERE to view Dr. Jordan Jensen's groundbreaking speech entitled, A Twenty-First Century Vision of Education in America.


NoteFreedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation.  As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures.  We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

To receive weekly articles from Freedom Focused & Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, sign up with your e-mail address in the white box on the right side of this page where it says "Follow by E-mail."

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen.




Notes:

[1] Peck, M.S. (1993). Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Pages 141-144.
[2] Doane, G.W. (1920). Life Sculpture. In R.J. Cook, Ed., One-Hundred and one Famous Poems: With a Prose Supplement. (Google Books version). Chicago, IL: The Cable Company. Page 136.
[3] Longfellow, H.W. The Day is Done, reprinted from The Poetical Works of Longfellow (1912). Henry Frowde, Oxford University    Press. Page 186.
    
  

SAL Book: The Essential Role of Education

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
– Proverbs 4:7


In concert with love, education is the greatest gift you can give to another human being. Education is the foundation of all Existential Growth and achievement. It is also the gateway to personal freedom. I am who I am, and you are who you are, in large part because of our education. While human beings are free to choose their thoughts, speech, and actions, people make most of their choices based on a combination of what they know and don’t know. Knowledge creates opportunity and power while ignorance begets frailty and failure in thought, word, and deed. 

Education is obtained in three different ways: precept, example, and inspiration. Precept refers to learning from what a teacher SAYS. Example refers to learning from what a teacher DOES. Inspiration is learning from the voice of conscience within.

Whether a lesson is taught by precept, example, or inspiration, the lessons you learn influence the choices that shape your life. If you are taught to work hard, be honest, and take personal responsibility for your words and deeds, you will most likely become trustworthy and self-reliant. If you are taught to blame, game, shame, and call people names, you will most likely become hateful and irresponsible. If you are taught peace and forgiveness, you are more likely to forgive and let go of past injuries. If you are taught vindictiveness and revenge, you will likely spend your life questing after satisfactions that can never be quenched. If you are taught discipline, diligence, and determination, you will most likely succeed in your life no matter what external difficulties you face, or how challenging life was when you started out. If you are taught emotional volatility, intemperance, laziness, victimization, and entitlement, you will most likely fail – and blame others for your failures, no matter what external privileges or blessings come your way. 

WHY I VALUE MY EDUCATION


From my boyhood onward, I have been blessed with a magnificent education. Much of my education was acquired informally as a means of personally satiating my own thirst for knowledge. To quench this thirst I read books, asked questions, devoured educational multimedia, and carefully observed how smart and successful people spoke and acted. 

My formal education was good, but not unusually privileged. My first thirteen years of formal schooling came in the public schools of rural Utah, suburban Phoenix, Arizona, and Spokane, Washington. Later, I earned a Bachelor’s degree from a public state college in Utah and a Doctorate from a relatively unknown distance learning University in Southern California. 

I am by no means an academic genius or member of the Ivy-League intelligentsia. There are no big-name universities on my resume. Excluding my elementary years and doctoral studies, my grades and test scores were average, and I was rejected by my first choice of undergraduate studies—a prestigious private university. 
My informal education, however, was unusually blessed. It began at home where my family fueled my love of great books. My maternal grandparents were not financially wealthy, but had spent a lifetime collecting books and had thereby accrued a home library of several thousand volumes. It was there that I spent some of my choicest childhood hours. 

My dad, albeit a bona fide rural Renaissance man, was first and foremost an educator. He taught middle and high school English for twenty years and amassed an impressive personal library. My father’s home library contained a more modest collection than my grandmother’s, but was still larger than the parents of most of my childhood friends. Perusing the books in his office and throughout our house ranked among my childhood’s most treasured pastimes. Sometimes I would help him prepare and organize his classroom in Mesa, Arizona prior to the start of a new school year. I say I helped him, but mostly I was blissfully lost among his hundreds of texts and other books, as well as eagerly anticipating our trip to Taco Bell together for lunch.

My parents encouraged me to check out books from public libraries, and provided transportation to and from these bastions of book learning before I could drive myself. By the time I was 10 years old, immediate and extended family members knew exactly what to get me for birthdays and Christmas. Between these gifts and my own proactive procurements, I had, by the age of 23, amassed a personal library that exceeded 500 volumes. 


At age 10, my Dad gave me the Complete Works of William Shakespeare for Christmas. His note to me in the front cover of this 2,334-page tome was indicative of my parent’s love, support, and passion for reading, education, and their pursuit of the American dream.

I was further blessed with five older siblings, who were between four and 12 years older than me. This provided me with early exposure to concepts, conversations, and a variety of high school and college texts that were far advanced from the elementary lessons I was receiving at school. 

The influence of my parents, siblings, and personal study, in conjunction with my religious background, afforded me continual educational opportunities in history, philosophy, psychology, theology, spirituality, critical thinking, logic, rhetoric, oratory, leadership, self-leadership, management, pedagogy, emotional intelligence, sales, marketing, time management, and human relations.

In connection with the endless social, emotional, spiritual, cultural, and academic lessons I learned at home, my parents also taught me that America is the ultimate land of opportunity, and that if I was willing to work hard, follow the rules, take personal responsibility for my actions, and never give up, I could accomplish great things in my life. I believed them. 

A PEDAGOGY OF PARENTAL AFFIRMATION


In conjunction with learning from my family members, my life and education were blessed further by a constant stream of positive affirmation regarding my worth and potential. They explicitly taught me that I was smart, capable, and had a bright future.

My mother had a habit of leaving little notes for my siblings and me to find when we’d come home from school. Often the notes contained reminders of chores or other household duties, but they almost always they included a smiley face and an “I Love You!”

In fourth grade, my teacher requested parents write a letter of affirmation to their child. The words my mother wrote meant a great deal to me then, and they still do today.
Jordan Jensen is indeed a unique and special human being. … He is an example of determination and excellence in our home. … The Jensen home would surely miss a great deal without Jordan’s presence. Jordan is a good friend and tries not to ever offend or hurt one of his [friends].… We love Jordan and are very proud of his efforts and actions thus far in his life.[1]
My father was especially positive and enthusiastic in his affirmations of my worth, capacity, and potential. There was never any doubt in my mind he really believed I could do or be just about anything I decided to achieve or become. He was, and still is, my greatest cheerleader.

For example, once day, around age ten or so, I announced my interest in someday becoming a newscaster. This was not the first time I had announced a grandiose ambition for my future career, yet my father’s reply was swift and certain: “Well, Jordan, if you want to become a newscaster then you can become a newscaster.” My interest in broadcast journalism was fleeting, but my memory of Dad affirming my potential was lasting.

Years later, after the completion of my missionary service, a brief exchange took place between my father and me that I will forever cherish. I was getting in my car to drive to my first semester of college. That particular morning had been unnecessarily stressful due to last minute preparations and poor planning on my part. To make matters worse, I had absentmindedly misplaced my car keys. I eventually found them, and got in my car to leave. As I did, Dad looked at me, and with a twinkle in his eye, said: “Jordan, someday you will speak before Congress, but right now, you just need to focus on remembering where you put your keys.” He smiled, we laughed, embraced each other, and I drove off to college feeling like a million bucks knowing my Dad thought I was pretty special—in spite of my lingering immaturities and mindless mistakes.

In sharing these stories, I am not suggesting parents and teachers fill the heads of their children and students with disingenuous platitudes and unrealistic potentialities. To be clear, my Dad never told me I was destined to become a rocket scientist, or that I would someday play quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He was, however, consistently optimistic about my legitimate potential in areas where I had consistently demonstrated natural abilities and a strong work ethic. He was quick, therefore, to point out my potential as a budding writer and orator. While he saw no harm in a little playful grandiosity, which made me feel like a prince, he was never unrealistic, just incredibly affirming and encouraging.

Pedagogues and parents should never allow a false or unrealistic optimism to strangle pragmatic realism in the lives of their students and children. At the same time, they should also avoid letting cynical perceptions of reality squelch optimism about their legitimate potential.

While they were lavish in their affirmations of my worth and support of my goals, my parents never tried to push me into an activity or endeavor for their sakes. They never tried to live their lives through me. Instead, they encouraged me to pursue my own passions, and rejoiced in my successes.

How could I go wrong when the two most important people in my life were continually affirming my worth, potential, and worthy desires? And it wasn’t just my Mom and Dad. My siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, schoolteachers, Sunday school teachers, neighbors, and friends repeatedly reminded me that I was important and could accomplish great things. My family members were not perfect, but they were nearly perfect in their practice of positively affirming and sincerely encouraging me.

I painfully recognize that not everybody is born into a family with such luxuries in the form of parental and sibling affirmation, love, and support. Such temporary troubles do not, however, diminish anyone’s existential worth. Regardless of your upbringing, your potential remains limitless if you are willing to take the time and effort required to overcome the challenges of the past by learning to forgive and grow. Even if no one has ever told you this, believe it! Hold on to hope for the future and exercise faith in yourself. Believe that you can work hard, make good choices, and eventually overcome the challenges of your past to become very successful. And then, if you decide to ever have children yourself, you can choose to give them the love, affection, and encouragement you were denied.

A PEDAGOGY OF REPROOF


As valuable as positive affirmation was in my education, it was only half the story. Just as importantly, I was taught the difference between right and wrong, and what that difference entailed. When I did something wrong, I was lovingly—albeit often firmly—reproved by parents, siblings, extended family, and teachers. Discipline and appropriate punishment were essential components of my understanding of right, wrong, and consequences. From an early age, I was taught to do what was right, and helped along to succeed in making right decisions. Sometimes this involved reproof, discipline, and even punishment.

For example, at age four or so, I innocently pocketed some candies from the grocery store. When my parents found out about the goods their preschooler had pilfered, they wisely turned the incident into a learning experiencing by taking me back to the store to return the stolen items. The lesson was not lost on me, and my life as a thief ended as quickly as it had started.

On another occasion, I had opted to run wildly through the coat rack in my kindergarten class. I thought it great fun to watch all the other kids’ coats fly off the rack making a big heap on the floor. My teacher, Mrs. Moore, did not share my good humor in the matter; neither did my parents. After receiving Mrs. Moore’s call, I was sternly scolded. They further required that I call and apologize to Mrs. Moore. They also expected me to apologize to the entire class the next day when I returned to school. Never again did I yank all my classmates’ coats off the rack.

My education in reproof involved being told—sometimes with steely seriousness—when I was thinking, saying, or doing something that was wrong. From reprimands and rebukes to formal discipline and the removal of privileges, I received a fine education in what it meant to act like an idiot—and that acting thus was not acceptable.

I don’t know anyone who likes being rebuked. I also don’t know anyone who doesn’t need it from time-to-time. Benjamin Franklin once wrote: "That which hurts, instructs." He was likely referring to a variety of adversity when he wrote this, but I believe his truism applies to necessary and wise, albeit sometimes hurtful and uncomfortable behavioral "discussions" from those who love us, and whose perspective transcends our own.

Some of the most painful moments of my life have come from being corrected, reprimanded, disciplined, or otherwise held accountable for my actions. Part of the pain results from the severe blow to my pride. Another part stems from the shame and remorse I feel from knowing I have disappointed someone I love and respect. A third component involves the realization that I have fallen short of my potential. I DON’T like to fail. Screwing up causes me great pain.

No matter how caring and compassionate the delivery may be, reproof can cause one to feel small and ineffectual. It is not easy to admit fault and weakness. But it has been absolutely essential to my Existential Growth, and it will be just as essential to yours at various junctures of your life’s journey. No human being is perfect—we can’t always see beyond our own heads, and we are sometimes incapable of perceiving the need to change without outside intervention. In this respect it is far more efficient to pay attention to corrections and warnings from others than it is to figure things out for ourselves through the much longer process of “trial and error.”

CHURCH EDUCATION


The purpose of this book is not to proselytize for my faith. Nevertheless, in a book that draws heavily on my personal narrative, it would be intellectually negligent to overlook the impact of my religious upbringing and continued activity in my faith on my overall education. This is due to the sheer amount of time and effort I have invested as an active member of my church.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints begin their formal theological education in between the ages of 18 months and 3-years of age. I gave my first public address at age four, in the children’s program (“Primary”) of the church. Since that first childhood address, I have spoken publicly literally thousands of times in a variety of church settings to audiences ranging from 1-500 people.

I have attended 30 years of Sunday school classes. I am a graduate of LDS Seminary (4-years of high school) and Institute (2-years of college). I served a 2-year full-time proselytizing mission in Alberta, Canada. In all, I have spent upwards of 20,000 hours in ecclesiastical education, worship, and service.

A detailed overview of the theological underpinnings of mainstream Mormonism is beyond the scope of this book. Suffice it to say, my Church taught me humility, self-discipline, moderation, the courage and competence to teach and speak effectively in public, leadership, hard work, goal setting, personal vision, kindness, forgiveness, service, self-sacrifice, generosity, tolerance, and unconditional love. In the words of Joseph Smith, Jr., the Church’s first prophet-president: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men … if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”[2] You can judge for yourself whether my church education has been beneficial to my exercise of Self-Action Leadership, or not. 
 

A BLESSED EDUCATION


I am now 35 years old, and while it is still weird to think of myself as “Dr. Jensen,” I am aware that my education has been unusually blessed. I am convinced the best possible way to give back to my Country is to teach others what I have learned, especially regarding those principles that, if followed, will bring anyone success, happiness, and peace of mind beyond their wildest dreams here in the land of the free and the home of the brave--and beyond. I desire, therefore, to share and promote the principles that provide the key to unlocking the American Dream, which, despite contemporary popular opinion, is still alive and well throughout most corners of our great land, and doesn’t have to die—ever—unless we collectively choose to let it perish.

YOUR DUTY TO LEARN & TEACH


Now that I have learned and deeply internalized SAL principles, it is my solemn duty to teach them to others. I wrote this book in an explicit effort to fulfill this responsibility. I have dedicated my life to teaching other people what I have been so incredibly blessed to learn myself. Everything good that has entered my life as an adult has been a result of learning, and then practicing, correct principles I learned in my formative years and beyond. I am honored beyond measure to share with you what I have learned. I hope you will choose to make good use of this knowledge and experience.

There are two basic existential duties or purposes we all share in life. The first is to learn. The second is to teach. Once you have learned something that benefits yourself and helps you avoid danger, you have an Existential Duty to teach that truth to others. Teaching occurs primarily through example and secondarily through instruction. I have been taught, reminded, and re-reminded about all of the principles in this book dozens, hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of times throughout my life. I hungered and thirsted vociferously after these truths. Learning them has been one of my life’s most satisfying fulfillments. Teaching them has been even more rewarding.

Once you have learned and applied them to yourself, I invite you to join me in my quest to teach and exemplify these priceless principles of personal power, success, and freedom at every opportunity throughout your lifetime. As we work together in a united mission of SAL-education, everyone who wants to learn and who is willing to work, will receive their chance to scale the massive heights of their own potential. Let us then each do our part by seeking out correct knowledge, and then following and sharing it as faithfully and enduringly as our imperfect minds, hearts, and spirits are capable.

Next Blog Post: Friday, December 5, 2014 ~ Chapter 11: The Last Best Hope of Earth




[1] Excerpts from a personal letter written to me by my mother, Pauline Smith Jensen in April 1991, at the request of Bridget Owens, my fifth grade teacher at Hermosa Vista Elementary School; Mesa Public Schools; Mesa, Arizona. 
[2] 13th Article of the LDS Faith.  Written in 1842 by Joseph Smith in a letter to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat.