An Era-Shifting Speech in Education (IV)

PART 5: The Goal of Freedom Focused

At Freedom Focused, we have two overarching goals. First, EDUCATION in true principles; and Second, proactive APPLICATION of that Education.

You and I & everyone are who we are and have what we have today in large part because of our education in true principles—or lack thereof.

Good Education—and its application—is the quintessential solution to all of our preventable problems in the United States and Beyond. It is education in, and application of, true principles that leads to peace, prosperity, personal success, and professional advancement.

The Vision of Freedom Focused & the Mission of the Self-Action Leadership theory & model is to proliferate education in true principles to everyone everywhere in an effort to restore American unity and greatness in preparation to lead the rest of the world to likewise achieve their limitless potential.

PART 6: Fire, Ice, & Unity

I would like to share with you one of my favorite poems…

Fire & Ice 

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

When you consider that the legendary poet penned these immortal words but a few years after the close of World War I—not to mention the deadliest flu pandemic the world had ever known—is it any wonder that he—and others of his generation—were pondering on the sobering subject presented in this poem?

Today we stand nearly a century separated from the national and global calamities faced by Frost and his contemporaries, which conspired then to create a dour sense of dismay and even dread for the future—and understandably so. If only the War to End all Wars had lived up to its name.

If only! 

Isn’t it amazing how the more things change, the more things stay the same?! While we may not fear German artillery shells or Turkish machine-gun fire, is a terrorist intent on destroying your home and family, any less frightening?

If we, as a nation, seek to defend ourselves and protect our futures from those who, if given the slightest opportunity, would annihilate us with pleasure, the time has come for us to “stop fighting amongst ourselves” and unite in a collective embrace of the true principles and virtues that have liberated, protected, and made us a Great Nation for nearly 230 years. Moreover, we must “face that the price for it may be dear.” [1]

UNITY – unity is the only ultimate protection against those who seek our destruction, either from without or within. Yet in recent years and decades it seems as though UNITY is the most elusive virtue of all in this, the so-called UNITED States of America. Indeed, not since the Civil War has our nation been so deeply divided along ideological, partisan lines as it is today.

In 2009, our Nation voted in a new Commander-in-Chief who was elected on the stirring rhetoric of unity, and I quote:

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. … We are one people, all pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.” [2]

I cherish these words of Mr. Obama because I share this vision of unity. With all my heart, I want to believe such unity is yet possible despite the deep divisions that currently beset our desperately fractured country.

It is in this elusive spirit of UNITY that I make this address today.

I believe it is possible to regain the kind of national unity our country enjoyed throughout the World War II period, wherein our ancestors banded together on the right side of history’s most epic struggle between good and evil.

If such a slippery status of unity is possible, what must unify us? There is only one thing, and as Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama have painfully learned the past fourteen years, that one thing is not rhetoric nor partisan politicking.

The only thing that can possibly unite us once again in this great land of promise is a collective embrace of true principles – not partisan principles – but the simple truisms of self-reliance & self-government upon which our nation was founded.

I appeal to ALL Americans to put an end to the petty bickering, self-interested chicanery, and ideological extremism from all sides that got us into this mess in the first place.

I call upon every citizen throughout this not-so-united States of America to once again reclaim our nation’s cherished birthright and nomenclature: The United States of America.

Let us all take time to sincerely evaluate the role we must individually play to reinvigorate the collective unity and greatness of which the USA is yet capable.

PART 7: The Root of the Problem

As we all well know, Washington D.C. is a mess, and has been for many years. However, contrary to popular belief, the root of our nation’s troubles do not originate in our Nation’s Capitol, or in any other house of government; they lie in our own houses, and more specifically, in our own minds and hearts. While our political system is presently polluted in many ways, such issues are NOT the roots of our greatest troubles; they are the branches and leaves.

In the words of Thoreau, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is hacking at the root.” [3]

Freedom Focused was founded, and the Self-Action Leadership theory & model were expressly established to hack at the roots of evil.

Our biggest problems do not originate with our elected officials; they begin with the voters who elect them—and those who fail to show up to the polls in the first place. “I’m sorry to say so, but sadly, it’s true,” [4] the root of our problems lie with ME—and with YOU. 

The opening lines of the Constitution do not read, I the President. They read, We the People. And if We the People are ever to form the more perfect union envisioned by our founders, it is time to stop pointing fingers at everyone and everything except where the essence of the blame most often lies—within ourselves.

If we want different leaders, we must make our voice heard at the ballot box; but it goes much, much deeper than that. You see, the brilliance of our American political system is that the people themselves are allowed to choose their leaders. And what kind of leaders do We the People—speaking collectively and not individually—ultimately elect? The answer is: those who most closely mirror ourselves and our own belief systems, ideologies, and moral compasses. In other words, we really elect ourselves to office.

Therefore, if you like who is in office, it is probably mainly because those in office are pretty much like you are, and if you don’t like who is in office, the most productive possible response is not to go and whine about it on social media, but to go to the mirror and take a closer look at who you really are, and what you are actually going to do about it.

You see it is so much easier to point the finger of blame at those in official positions of power—and make no mistake—the power they wield is formidable, and elected leaders often make decisions rooted in arrogance, ignorance, and selfishness.

Nevertheless, until we stop blaming others and start changing the only thing we are capable of changing in the entire world—namely, our own thoughts, speech, actions, and attitudes—we will never make the kind of progress of which we are capable, and as the years go by we will find ourselves in even greater danger than we presently face.

It would be easy for me to stand here and bash President Obama, or President Bush, or President Clinton, or others in elected office. Pundits, politicians, and pop cultural icons have been incessantly pointing the finger of blame for years now, and where has it gotten us? We are more divided than ever, and our problems have only worsened amidst all the hullaballooing.

Because politicians are the branches and leaves—not the roots—of the problems we face, the only way to change our nation—and our political landscape—is to change ourselves.

Changing oneself does not begin in a beneficial business venture, a charitable undertaking, or a political election. It begins inside your own mind, heart, and spirit. It begins with an education in truth and an evaluation of your own motives through the honest consultation of conscience.

Then—and only then—can your positive influence begin to impact family members, friends, and your neighborhood, school, organization, community, city, county, state, nation, and world. It all starts with the ONE—with you and with me. In the words of President Theodore Roosevelt,

“[A person’s] foremost duty is owed to himself and his family … it is only after this has been done that he can help … the general well-being. He must pull his own weight first, and only after this can his surplus strength be of use to the general public. … The quality of the individual citizen is [therefore] supreme. … Character must show itself in [a person’s] performance both of the duty he owes himself and of the duty he owes the state.” [5]

Self-Action Leadership is laser focused on empowering individuals to fulfill the duty they owe to themselves first, and then to their families, neighborhoods, schools, places of work, communities, cities, counties, states, nations, and the world-at-large—and in that specific order.

A woman or man whose own life and home are not in order has no business telling other organizations, much-less nations and states how they ought to be conducting theirs. It is high time that we as Americans—and citizens of the world everywhere—turn our attention within.

I wish to make clear that I am not a politician, nor do I have any ambition or intention of ever becoming one. The color scheme of my apparel and the pin of my nation’s flag I bear proudly this day are merely tokens of the deep patriotism and love I feel for my Country—the Greatest Nation in the history of the world—even the United States of America.

Because I am not a politician, and since I make a habit of not speaking professionally on topics of which I am not an expert, I am not here to present political solutions to our nation’s current political and cultural malaise; I will leave that to professional politicians, and I believe there are some among the rising generation who will be up to the task.

If I am not an aspiring politician, then what am I? I am an educator. I am also a philosopher, poet, amateur historian, husband, father, and self-action leader. It is, therefore, into the microphone of education, philosophy, poetry, history, family, and Self-Action Leadership that I speak today.

It is through these lenses that I have produced the Self-Action Leadership theory & model over a period of a decade of diligent study and action research, ambitious—and often painful—experience, and careful (even obsessive) consultations with my own conscience. It is through these lenses that I invite you to peer through in order to better understand the only, real solution to the problems we face in the USA and throughout the World.

The message I share today is a message of REAL hope and AUTHENTIC change—not a pseudo change that originates in Washington or London or Brussels or Baghdad (real change never begins in cities or organizations) and not a false hope promised by charismatic ideologues supported by special interest groups—but a real hope & an authentic change that must be cultivated in the minds and hearts of individual men and women, boys and girls, throughout this blessed land of Promise if the USA is to remain THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH.

The deepest problems we face today originated in homes, classrooms, and individuals minds long before they began polluting organizations, houses of government, and the culture-at-large. Ironically, these problems were exacerbated not long after the United States led the world in the most climactic triumph over tyranny and evil the Planet had ever seen; namely, the Allied victory over the Axis powers of fascist Germany and Italy, and Imperial Japan in World War II. As the old adage says: “Nothing fails like success.” 

The decades following World War II were eventually given a name: Postmodernism. This cultural phenomenon was not all bad, especially in regards to its achievements in urban planning and architecture, which can be admired the world over. More imporantly, the era of postmodernism was marked by periods of unprecedented technological advancement and much needed social changes—especially with regards to civil rights. Nevertheless, the deep and indelible mark it left on the philosophical and cultural pulse of our Nation and World has been, in a word, disastrous.

Postmodern philosophy originates in the literature of the scholarly intelligentsia. Its doctrine essentially posits that there is no absolute truth, and that all so-called “truth” is, on one level or another, merely a construct of language and therefore relative to its constructor.

Ironically, postmodern philosophy flourished best in the very institutions that had traditionally been dedicated to truth’s acquisition and identification—colleges & universities. Thus it is that we see the Latin inscription, “Veritas” hypocritically emblazoned on the collegiate crests of prestigious campuses throughout the nation and world.

The philosophy of postmodernism is understandably popular with many; after all, it is much more convenient to construct one’s own truth & conscience than it is to humbly acknowledge and then dutifully attend to the edicts of an actual truth & conscience that exists outside of the whims or wishes of the natural man.

It is certainly more comfortable in the moment to claim that “anything goes” or “if it feels right, do it,” than it is to say: “I have a social and existential responsibility to do what is right—not only for my own sake, but for the sake of all those impacted by my speech and actions.”

Instead of bowing before Universal Law in the attitude of Socrates or Kant, or bowing before a Deity in the attitude of Jesus and many of our Founding Fathers, postmodernists often seek to become a law unto themselves whereby they mistakenly assume powers that are not theirs to command.

A public address of this nature is no place to academically flesh out the many nuances of postmodernism. Suffice it to say, postmodern philosophy is complicit in exacerbating virtually all of our deepest—yet preventable—problems. It is the seminal author of our Nation’s present slump, and if left to flourish indefinitely, will be the finisher of American Exceptionalism and the end of whatever vestige of world peace we enjoy today.

What is the solution to Postmodernism? There is but one answer, and it is nothing short of the advent of an entirely new age: The AGE of AUTHENTICISM.

My next post will explicate this new AGE of AUTHENTICISM. Tune in later tonight or early tomorrow morning...

[1] Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. (1991). Directed by Kevin Reynolds.  Written by Pen Densham & John Watson. 

[2] From Senator Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, MA on July 27, 2004. 

[3] From Walden: or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau, Chapter 1, Economy, sixth paragraph from the end.

[4] Seuss, D. (Geisel, T.) (1990). Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  New York, NY: Random House. No Page Number. 

[5] From Roosevelt’s speech, Citizens in a Republic, delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. 

An Era Shifting Speech on Education (III)

PART 4: The Miracle of SAL in Underprivileged Communities

Unfortunately, SAL principles are often most shunned in those sectors of society where it is most needed. Worse still, some parents and leaders of students in these same sectors actually perpetuate the problem. From some so-called Civil Rights leaders who primarily promote grievance over proactivity and possibility, to parents who instill seeds of failure by negatively affirming their own child’s lack of worth, our nation too often fails our students who are most vulnerable to negative peer pressure, and most at risk of sliding into lifestyles that perpetuate intergenerational poverty.


To illustrate this point, consider the words of Felicia Cockrell, an African American woman. Before I share her quote, let me summarize Felicia’s AMAZING story—a story I have highlighted in detail in my upcoming book and previous blog posts.

Felicia was raised on the infamous South Side of Chicago. Growing up, Felicia experienced the presence of structural inequality and other difficult realities of being Black while living on the “wrong side of the tracks.”

To her everlasting credit, she was able to practice Self-Action Leadership in a big way. This resulted in her doing well academically, qualifying to attend safer, more prestigious magnet schools, and eventually graduating from Purdue University with a degree in engineering. She has since served her country abroad in the Navy and worked for a Fortune 100 Company making a six-figure salary. She presently works as an project manager for Google, and is the proud mother of two.

        

Before she could seriously dream about achieving such impressive accomplishments, Felicia had to learn about and exercise SAL. Part of exercising SAL is learning, and then having the courage and self-confidence, to respond maturely to negative peer pressure, which she did. In her own words:

“Peer pressure is a BIG problem with inner city youth. Of course it is likely a problem with all youth, but I think it’s more intense in the inner city because there is a lot of pressure to be “Black.” The Black stereotype is you don’t care about work, you don’t care about anything except clothes and the opposite sex, and these attitudes are perpetuated throughout the community, so if those things aren’t a high priority, people think there is something wrong with you.

Worse still, if you don’t like those things you get talked about, and when I say talked about—I mean YOU GET TALKED ABOUT—you get reamed. You can’t talk about college, and you’re not supposed to like school. My peers would make fun of me for being smart, and they would call me “White girl” because I talked proper and I liked Seinfeld.”

If the problem only persisted among one’s peers, it might be a more manageable situation, but when it extends to parents & leaders, the problem becomes virtually unsolvable on a collective scale. Again, I quote from Felicia:

“One of the things I’ve seen hurt many people in the inner city is the pressure to not be successful. You would be surprised at how many parents will jab at their kids and say things like: “You’re never going to be anything, so why do you even try?” Tragically, that kind of stuff is said in a lot of households; there is a lot of negative reinforcement to not achieve goals. The aim is to maintain the status quo, which isn’t anything to brag about. My advice to everyone who faces that kind of pressure and negative reinforcement is to not let others bring you down. And believe me, they will try. Some people will even make it their goal in life to bring you down. Don’t let them do it!”

As a professional educator, I have spent nearly five-years in the classroom, first as a part-time substitute teacher in the Atlanta, Georgia area, and second as a full-time classroom teacher in the Houston, Texas area.

My teaching experiences brought me up close and personal with inner-city youth of all colors and cultures in a variety of different situations. From once putting out a fire—literally—to physically restraining a student to end a physical confrontation, I have had many stressful classroom experiences over the years. God bless all teachers of youth! In the Atlanta area alone, I visited over 40 different elementary, middle, high, and alternative schools as a substitute teacher.

Throughout the course of my combined teaching experiences, I have either worked with or mingled among students from over 100 different countries. For those who are underprivileged and marginalized, I have seen first hand the dramatically negative impacts of peer, parental, neighborhood, community, and cultural pressure to not succeed.

I have also observed the negative impacts that drug use, irresponsible sexual behavior, and possible gang-related activities have had on the lives of America’s already most vulnerable youth. It is a vicious cycle that ensnares millions in its imprisoning shackles. It is a very real American tragedy, but it doesn’t have to remain this way.

There are many causes to this deep & complex problem. Some of the biggest contributors to these problems are structural inequality and insufficient resources. Such problems, however, are secondary.

Until the root of the issue is properly addressed, no amount of money, nor formal edicts to enforce structural egalitarianism, will produce the fundamental socio-cultural transformations that our communities so desperately need.

The primary problem is poor education & too few role models of Self-Action Leadership and success. If we change the educational culture in our troubled communities, we will dramatically change the communities themselves in one generation. It is as simple—and as difficult—as that.

In conjunction with the many sad situations I became familiar with as a teacher, I also came to discover—and appreciate—the extraordinary innate, talent, capacity, and potential of many of these underprivileged and underserved students. To illustrate, I share three examples from my own classroom experiences.

EXAMPLE 1: 

As a high school English teacher in Houston, Texas, two of my top students came from single-parent households. Both of these students had one significant thing in common—their mothers were extraordinarily proactive in supporting their education—and demanded that their students did their homework & got good grades.

Moreover, these Mothers supported me as a teacher, and expected their children to listen to, and follow, my academic and behavioral directives. Such parental responsibility and support, even though it only came from one parent, worked wonders in the lives of these two students, and served to protect them from much of the adversity and negative pressures they faced from their peers. As important a role as “teacher” is, positive parental affirmation and support dwarfs any positive impact I may have had as a teacher—despite all my efforts to effectively teach them both English & SAL principles. Both of these students ended up going on to college. I am proud of them!

EXAMPLE 2:

Of all 150 or so students that passed through my classroom as a full-time English teacher, my overall top-performing student was not white or Asian; he was Native American. This remarkable young student was small of stature and shy of disposition. For the first several weeks of the school year, I hardly even noticed him. But all that changed once I started to notice how hard he worked, and how diligently he completed his assignments.

Due to his proactive completion of extra credit assignments, this young man consistently scored above 100% on his report card, and ended up walking home with the overall champion’s trophy I gave out to the #1 performing student for all of my classes for the entire school year. In his English journal, this student once wrote the following. With his permission, I share it here today:

“English is my worst subject, has been throughout all these nine years, but now I feel like it’s all about to change, and Mr. Jensen has helped in this realization. …

"He teaches English unlike any of my previous English teachers. And I like it. It’s a shame not many of my colleagues notice how good they have it, they don’t even try. I try and well my grades from last semester proved it. I was the greatest achiver [sic] by having the greatest average in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd six weeks. I also had the highest semester grade, just sayin.’ It’s something to be proud of, and I am, I am just surprised. English is my weakest subject!

"And by accomplishing this achievement, I was baffled. Sure intellect played a role, but I believe effort dominated the outcome of my grade. And Mr. Jensen helped me make an effort. One time Mr. Jensen talked to the class and basically said “If you want to pass my class, make an effort.” Now do you see how lucky we are?”

This student in my ninth grade English class went on to graduate in 2013 and then to attend the University of Texas-Austin—one of the most prestigious public universities in the Great State of Texas.

EXAMPLE 3:

My last story comes from an experience I had substitute teaching at Campbell High School in Smyrna, Georgia. Campbell is one of the most diverse campuses in the Cobb County School District in suburban Atlanta, with students hailing from over 40 different countries!

One day, while substitute teaching for a weight lifting class, I met a talented young African American student I’ll never forget. Because of the subject matter of the class I was teaching, I was quite bored, and most of the students were bored too.

As I anxiously “babysat” a mostly idle group, I took notice of a young Black man who was busy at work on an art project. The piece he was working on was an artistically romantic rendition of the name of another student and his girlfriend.

Impressed by his work, and recognizing there was still a lot of time left before the bell would ring, I praised the young man for his skill & effort, and asked him if he would make a similar piece for me with my name and the name of my girlfriend at the time, who now happens to be my wife.

Obviously flattered—and perhaps even a bit surprised—by my effusive praise, the young man beamed, and eagerly acquiesced to my request.

I still have his work today. It sits framed in my home office to remind me not only of the love I hold for my dear Lina, but of the remarkable potential that lies inside the minds and hearts of inner-city youth that are so often neglected.

I’d like you show you this young man’s work today…

 

If you are a professional artist, this may seem like a simple, relatively meaningless act by an amateur. But for me—a bumbling idiot when it comes to drawing anything, and as an educator who desperately desires to see the full-flowering of every student’s potential– this small act of service, and the quality of its creation, left a deep impression on me.

Keep in mind that this student completed this entire piece in about half of one class period. And notice the creativity & detail with which he added his own, unique signature in the bottom corner. Talk about a budding entrepreneur as well as an emerging artist.

Here is a young man with everything he needs to succeed; I often wonder if his parents, educators, mentors, and leaders saw the same light I saw—and were as quick to praise and encourage him. I hope they were, but if he was like so many other young people in underprivileged communities, he may not have.

It has been nearly six years since that young man kindly created this cherished piece of artwork for me. Who knows where Levarr Welch is today. Perhaps he is a college graduate; maybe he is even a successful professional artist. I don’t know for sure.

What I do know is that he—like every student of every race and gender—has limitless potential. What a tragedy it is when parents, teachers, and leaders choose to focus on limitations rather than potential.

An Era Shifting Speech on Education (II)

PART 2: Dr Jensen's Self-Action Leadership Transformation

I am not a salesman here to sell you snake oil. I am here to share with you what really works when it comes to authentic problem solving.


The bad news is that what really works is usually HARD and requires huge investments of time, effort, and to varying degrees, pain. I know because I’ve suffered greatly along the pathways of my own SAL journey.

The good news is that if you are willing to invest the time & effort, and if you are not afraid to courageously confront pain when necessary, SAL could change your life, and the lives of those you teach, mentor, and lead.

Such changes will lead to extraordinary increases in the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of everyone touched by the principles. I know this because SAL has led to all these things in my own life; simply stated, SAL is why I stand before you today.

To illustrate… let me share a few examples from my own life.

EXAMPLE 1: Mental Illness ~ OCD & Depression

I have battled obsessive-compulsive disorder – “OCD” – & depression for over two decades. The hellish symptoms I’ve suffered induced incalculable amounts of anxiety, guilt, stress, and anguish of body, mind, & spirit.

My symptoms led to serious issues that negatively impacted my academic performance, my social & romantic relationships, my religious practice, and every other area of my life.

Through Self-Action Leadership, I have been able to effectively manage my OCD and depression to accomplish every major academic, social, romantic, and spiritual goal I have set for myself to date.

EXAMPLE 2: Academic Struggles

Because of OCD and other issues, I often struggled academically growing up. For example, I took algebra I three years in a row. I know, it was kind of embarrassing. I failed to break a 3.0 GPA in high school, scored very average on my college entrance exam, and was rejected by the University to which I applied.

Through Self-Action Leadership, I improved my performance in college and went on to earn a doctoral degree in Education, and thanks to a couple of A-plusses, finished with a better-than-perfect 4.049 GPA.

To make up for my algebra deficiencies, I married an attractive mechanical engineer who received a perfect score on the math portion of her SAT, and whose favorite high school course was, I kid you not, algebra 1! At least now our kids will have a genetic chance when it comes to Math; and the best part is, I won’t have to help them with their algebra homework!

EXAMPLE 3: Romantic Failure

OCD and depression also negatively impacted my social life and romantic interests. Over the course of my dating experiences, I was rejected 130 times by 80 different women.

 

Now I recognize these disjointed numbers make me sound even worse at math than previously eluded, but there is an explanation… You see, some of the women rejected more than once. A couple of woman rejected me nearly 20 times between the two of them, and despite my persistence, I never convinced either of them to be my girlfriend. My OCD-influenced dating persistence was indefatigable, and my ability to take a hint was sorely lacking.

Through Self-Action Leadership, I am now married to a woman I can rightfully describe as “better than the woman of my dreams.” I say “better” because God prepared her with many wonderful attributes that even I was unable to anticipate on my own short-sighted “list” of desirable qualities in an eternal companion.

EXAMPLE 4: Fear of Public Speaking

Nearly three decades ago, I gave my first public address in front of an adult audience. Early on in my life, I sometimes found such experiences to be dreadful. I recall after one of my first public speeches at age 10 being greatly relieved it would be some time before I’d have to do that again.

Through Self-Action Leadership, I have not only conquered my fears of public speaking, but have made a career out of it—a career I LOVE—that has taken me to 44 U.S. States, 5 Provinces of Canada, 9 Shires or Counties of Great Britain, as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

I do not share this biographical information to impress you, but to impress upon you that Self-Action Leadership has changed my life in dramatically positive ways; and SAL can do the same for you—if change is what you seek.

Self-Action Leadership holds the power to transform entire cultures, restoring the virtues of hard work, integrity, self-reliance, and trained capacity into the American workforce, American schools, American communities, American homes, and ultimately, into the mind of every American who is willing to cultivate a desire to work, plan, strive, and exercise self-discipline. 

 

PART 3: What is Self-Action Leadership?

Self-Action Leadership theory is a morally informed version of self-leadership theory. Self-leadership refers to the cognitive & behavioral strategies human beings apply to lead themselves to get results.

Whether you know it or not, and whether you like it or not, you are a self-leader. All human beings are self-leaders; however, not everyone is effective at leading themselves.

Self-leadership theory has been bandied about the academy for over three decades now. The Father of the Field – Dr. Charles C. Manz of the University of Massachussetts – first published the term along with his theory of self-leadership in 1983.

Many scholars were hesitant at first to embrace an idea that seemed so self-evident and relatively unimportant.

However, as Dr. Manz and his colleagues continued to publish new papers on the subject, self-leadership theory began to receive greater attention and respect in academic circles and beyond, especially as it began informing practical professional leadership models and constructs such as self-directed work teams, also known as self-managed work teams.

Over time, this once marginalized sector of the academy has increasingly garnered the attention of major players in the leadership field. Perhaps it was the Darden Business School’s James G.S. Clawson, who said it best when, in 2008, he wrote:

I remember when Manz first came out with his work on self-leadership. At the time it seemed odd to me. I will admit I am a slow learner on some things. [because] I have come to believe that one of the biggest leadership issues [throughout the World today] is the inability of people – even and especially managers and executives – to lead themselves. [1]

Thus it is that from the Board Room to the Classroom; from the Executive Suite to the entry-level cubicle; and from the Oval office to the 18-year-old voter, self-leadership is a universal concept—applicable to all.

Self-Action Leadership theory, or just SAL theory, mirrors self-leadership theory in many ways. For example, we agree with Dr. Manz that:

Effective self-leadership can be learned and thus is not restricted to people we describe as "self-starters," "self-directed," "self-motivated," etc. The ideas provided by self-leadership … are [therefore] relevant to … anyone who works. [2]

SAL also builds upon self-leadership theory in two KEY ways.

First, the SAL theory & model is independent of, and dramatically expands upon, Manz’s existing self-leadership theory through the original use of atmospheric and construction metaphors.

Second, SAL adds to existing self-leadership theory by providing a moral imperative to both its instruction & application.

The inner compass of Conscience

Self-leadership theory alone lacks this moral imperative, and thus may inadvertently empower evil as well as good. For example, Adolf Hitler—that unprecedented fiend of the failed Third Reich—was a rather remarkable self-leader in many ways. To use one of Stephen R. Covey’s models, Hitler possessed ample self-leadership skills in the areas of vision, passion, and discipline. What he lacked, of course, was a conscience. [3]

Conscience: The Light Within

If vision, passion, discipline, and conscience represent four wheels of a car, it is readily recognizable what happens to its drivability if one of the wheels is absent. Self-Action Leadership adds the vital fourth wheel of conscience to the automobile of your life.

Any thought, word, or action that leads to negative or destructive long-term results for any human being impacted (including yourself) cannot qualify as SAL. All SAL-influenced thoughts, words, and deeds will contribute to positive and constructive long-term ends of any human being impacted thereby; if they do not, they cannot qualify as SAL actions.

Thus Self-Action Leadership draws a moral line in the sand by making explicit what so often is not clearly, much less overtly, stated in businesses, schools, communities, neighborhoods, and homes—that there really is a real wrong and a real right, and as human beings who live interconnected lives, we have an existential duty to try our best to do what is right and to avoid what is wrong—and to teach others to do the same.

Self-Action Leadership is a model for self-renewal that I believe almost anyone from any gender, culture, religion, political party, or sexual orientation can embrace. In a nation of extraordinary diversity and difference of thought, opinion, and ideology, it may be the only way to restore American Unity & Greatness.

My vision of Self-Action Leadership is to teach the theory & model to everyone in America who is willing to listen—and then, after the message has been thoroughly proliferated here at home, my colleagues and I aim to take it to the rest of the world.

SAL training is needed everywhere because, as Dr. Clawson so piercingly pointed out, it isn’t just kindergartners and college students who struggle with personal leadership issues; otherwise polished managers and executives often struggle right alongside the rest of us.

From Board rooms and corporate settings to blue collar establishments; from universities to elementary schools; from community centers to living rooms, and from the bookshelves of executives to the popular blogs of stay-at-home moms, there is no corner of society where SAL training is not needed—and needed badly.

Self-Action Leadership training is not reserved for privileged populations. In fact, underprivileged populations need SAL education as badly as anyone. Fortunately, there is no secular message that will more powerfully empower the presently powerless than the message SAL has to offer.


[1] Clawson, J. G. S. (2008). Leadership As Managing Energy. International Journal of Organizational Analysis. Volume 16, Issue 3. p. 174-181. DOI:10.1108/19348830810937943. Page 175.
[2] Manz, C. C. (1983). Improving Performance Through Self-leadership. National Productivity Review (pre-1986). Volume 2, Issue 3, p. 288-297. Page 289.
[3] Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press. Page 85.

- Revue Jeffree Star Cosmetics -

Bonjour les filles !!!

J'ai peu posté depuis mon premier partenariat avec Née Jolie, mais comme vous le savez j'ai eu pleins de changements dans ma vie. J'ai ré-emménagé en Suisse, je me suis fiancé *danse de la joie* et comme je suis de retour dans mon beau pays je repars un peu "à zéro" alors ça prend du temps. Sans compter les quelques soucis dû a des personnes qui veulent me mettre des bâtons dans les roues... Enfin bref je suis de retour !! Si vous le désirez je vous ferai une vidéo FAQ pour vous parler de tous ça si ça vous intéresse, pour plus d'info je vous laisse aller sur ma page FB.

Mais pour l'heure je veux vous parler des velour liquid lipstick de Jeffree Star Cosmetics que j'ai reçu juste avant nouvel an.

Jeffree Star fait parti de mes idoles depuis quelques années déjà, j'aime ce qu'il représente, ce qu'il fait, sa façon de maquiller, son travail en tant que modèle, son personnage... Bref !! J'attendais donc avec énormément d'impatience sa ligne de cosmétiques, sur laquelle j'ai sauté telle une panthère rose sur sa proie................ *fierce*   et c'était vraiment le cas de le dire........

.....Je vous laisse imaginez la scène quelques instant, puis je reprendrais mon récit.....

Hum Hum donc j'ai sauté sur les pré-ventes pour être sur d'avoir les 3 précieux. Et quand je les ai reçu j'étais aux ANGES !
Ça a été extrêmement difficile de choisir lequel mettre en premier et mon choix s'est finalement fait sur le violet pour fêter la nouvelle année tout en couleur. Je vous l'avais même montré sur instagram !

 ((pour celles qui ne me suivent pas encore là-bas, il est encore temps: pinkpoisonacide))

C'est parti pour les photos !!

"Im' Royalty"  est un beau violet bleuté

On poursuit avec "Prom Night" , un magnifique rose électrique.

Et pour finir "Redrum" un vrai beau rouge.

Tous les trois sont, vous l'aurez compris, des rouges à lèvres liquides matt. Ils ont une tenue au top, vous pouvez embrasser votre moitié sans risquer de lui laisser des marques. Et pour le coup ce sont de vrais matt qui donne vraiment une impression de velour.
Le bonus c'est qu'ils ne craquent pas, beaucoup de ràl matt ont tendance à assécher les lèvres et à craqueler dès le moindre sourire. Ici ce n'est pas le cas, ils sont bien élastiques et ne dessèchent pas les lèvres.

En ce qui concerne le prix: ils valent 18$ pièce ou 48$ en pack de 3.
Et bonus: ils sont cruelty free et vegan ;)
Compte tenu de la qualité, de la tenue et de la pigmentation je trouve le prix vraiment correct.

Il n'existe actuellement que 5 teintes en vente, mais Jeffree nous a fait découvrir un beau un rose pâle, un blanc, un noir et un pêche qui seront sur le marché dans le courant de l'année. Donc si ça vous intéresse filez vite sur sa boutique !! Ces merveilles partent comme des petits pains et je comprends pourquoi ;)


Juste pour le plaisir je vous montre ce que ça donne avec un peu de gloss ;) C'est pas le but de ces ràl évidemment, mais l'effet est superbe aussi, par contre ne vous attendez pas à ce que ça tienne une fois glossé... J'ai fais le gag à mon Chéri et il en avait partout mouahahahah

On dirait des bonbons  *.*

Je m'arrête là et je vous fait pleins de bisous *avec du gloss ahah* ! Hésitez pas à me dire ce que vous en pensez ^^
Et pour voir le makeup en bonne qualité et avec les produits utilisés, c'est par ici.


En GUEST mon petit Plume, vous avez l'habitude maintenant ahahah

Bitch Please ! I'm Fabulous ! 

- Makeup with I'm Royalty by Jeffree Star -

Hey Hey !

Je vous ai montré le résultat de mon ràl le soir même du nouvel an, maintenant je vais vous montrer mon makeup entier. Parce que les photos iphone c'est cool, mais ça ne vaut pas mon nikon ahah
Le makeup est assez simple mais je le trouve aussi classe.  ^^

J'ai utilisé la Naked 1 de Urban Decay que mon Homme m'a offert pour Noel. Et non je ne l'avais pas encore !! Je sais c'est bizarre... Mais à la base, quand la 2 est sortie, j'avais juste choisi celle qui me plaisait le plus. Ensuite la 3 ((c'est assez inattendu et incroyable *ironie*)) les tons roses m'ont clairement convaincue. lol
Alors pour mon Amoureux c'était plutôt évident qu'il fallait que je complète la collection. Et il a bien fait parce que je l'aime beaucoup cette Naked 1 ! 

Plus en détail:

J'ai fait mon teint avec le fdt Catrice "All Matt Plus" et j'ai utilisé ma palette de contouring de chez Née Jolie ((je vous en parlais ici)). L'highlighter sur mes pommettes est "Illuminate de Essence" et le blush "Hot Pink de NYX".
Pour mes yeux j'ai utilisé les fards "Virgin" "Naked" "Half Baked" et "Hustle mélangé à Creep".
Pour mon trait de liner j'ai choisis de mettre mon ombre à paupière Chanel "Mirifique" et pour compléter le look paillettes discrètes, j'ai mis mon mascara "Volume millions de cils Diamantissime" de L'oréal.
Pour finir j'ai mis mon beau ràl "I'm Royalty" de Jeffree Star Cosmetics ((dont vous avez les swatch ici))

En ce qui concerne le fdt Catrice, je l'utilise depuis novembre et je trouve qu'il tient plutôt bien la route ! Certes ce n'est pas mon fdt HD de MUFE mais quand même, il est sympas.

J'espère que ça vous plait ;)

An Era Shifting Speech on Education

This Saturday, February 21, 2015, Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, will be delivering a groundbreaking educational speech at Lone Star College in The Woodlands, Texas (Houston). The next several blog posts contain this address.

Part 1: Self-Action Leadership:

A Self-Help "Theory of Everything"

In the words of my favorite television op-ed news personality, I am a simple man, and I am here today to present a simple educational plan – a self-help “theory of everything” – that provides solutions to all of the preventable human problems we face in the United States of America and around the world.

From the boardroom, workshop, & classroom to the homes & minds of individual Americans, there is a dramatic dearth of character, integrity, authenticity & education in true principles. Freedom Focused is the only secular organization currently developing a comprehensive educational program on a universal scale to address the problem.

My name is Dr. Jordan Jensen, the CEO of Freedom Focused. In 2005, I founded Freedom Focused with the overarching aim to expand the personal & professional freedoms of individuals everywhere.

After 10 years of diligent working, I am pleased to announce the official launch of a groundbreaking new theory & model that will guide the delivery of all Freedom Focused content for decades to come. More importantly, this cutting edge material will assist in putting an end to postmodernism as it ushers in an entirely new age: The AGE of AUTHENTICISM.

The message I share today has the potential to empower individuals everywhere with the freedom to become happy, successful, fully-actualized human beings.

In addition, it has the power to aid struggling sectors of our society, reanimate the American Dream for a whole new generation of our citizens, and restore American Greatness & leadership on the world stage.

My plan is called, Self-Action Leadership, or, just SAL for short.

...............

If you would like to receive the rest of this speech, and future articles from Freedom Focused, please sign up for this blog on the right hand side of this page where it says: "Follow by E-mail."

SAL Case Study: Felicia's Story: The Unabridged Version

From South Side to Six Figures

Felicia is an African American female in her mid-30s. She lives in a major U.S. city where she works as an operations engineer. Previously, she worked for a Fortune 100 Company, where she commanded a six-figure salary. She was not always so successful or fortunate.

Baby Felicia
in the early 1980s

Felicia’s life is dramatically different now than when she was growing up—and not because she got lucky or had everything going for her when she started off in life. Her life is different, and better, today because of her effective practice of Self-Action Leadership (SAL) over long periods of time. If she wanted to, she could have found plenty of disadvantages to complain about. Instead, she chose to be proactive and focus on what she could control. The results have been inspiring to say the least.

Felicia was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, which infamously ranks among the most dangerous areas in the United States.

Felicia spent the first 18 years of her life in a small house with her parents and two siblings (an older sister and younger brother). She grew up in one of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago. Her first elementary school was located right in between two project buildings. Nevertheless, Felicia began exercising SAL at a young age, and her actions planted seeds of success that would eventually grow into educational successes.

Teenage Felicia in the 1990s.

She worked hard in school, and graduated from 8th grade as her school’s valedictorian. From there, she started applying to high schools. Because she had good grades, she was able to attend magnet or charter schools, and thereby avoid the rougher public high schools near her house (which, in her words, “were usually really bad high schools”).

Her grades and test scores eventually won her admittance to the prestigious Whitney M.Young High School, which, according to Felicia, “is the best public high school in Chicago.” In high school, she ran cross-country and track all four years. At age 15, she also began working at a variety of jobs, including at her dad’s restaurant, to earn her own money.

During her senior year she became interested in computer programming, and wrote a report on a piece of equipment used in World War II that piqued her interest in the military. She tried to get a full tuition scholarship through the ROTC program at Purdue University in Indiana. Though unsuccessful, her diligent efforts enabled her to procure a few smaller scholarships. At Purdue, she studied electrical engineering technology. With the exception of the few smaller scholarships she received, she paid for the rest of her schooling herself through student loans and by working a part-time job.

In the Navy.       

Before she was accepted into Purdue, Felicia set her sights high by considering applying to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the California Institute of Technology (Cal-Tech), and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). She explains playfully that her top two priorities in picking a college were first, a quality engineering program, and second, “football.” According to Felicia, the second criterion eliminated MIT and Cal-Tech, so she applied to ACC and Big-10 icons Georgia Tech and Purdue.

At Purdue, she played rugby, worked at a cafeteria all four years, and graduated after four-and-a-half years with a degree in engineering. After receiving a commission in the U.S. Navy, she was posted to bases around the world, including the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Egypt, and Canada. She also spent time on naval ships in the Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea.

At work for a Fortune 100 Company.

After serving her country, Felicia was hired to work for a Fortune 100 Company in a major U.S. metropolitan area. She also lived in Japan for two years as part of a job transfer. She presently lives and works in Austin, Texas.

Felicia attributes her success to working hard and staying focused as a student. Her academic performance empowered her to transcend the rougher schools of her neighborhood to earn a spot in the academically superior magnet schools. According to Felicia, “anyone can go to the magnet schools if they have good enough grades.” SAL empowered Felicia to earn the grades required to go to better schools.

While her middle school had a small Hispanic population, it was not until high school that Felicia was able experience a student body with a significant degree of diversity. Moreover, growing up on Chicago’s South Side gave her opportunities to witness the structural inequalities that existed between different schools and communities in the Chicago area.

"Chicago is very segregated. The South Side of Chicago is about 95% African American. When I was in middle school, I competed in a math game called “24.” This gave me an opportunity to see other schools. That is where I started seeing white students and other races, and in that interaction, I discovered that they had access to more and better resources. For example, they would have matching jerseys and clothes, and food that was provided by their school. You could also tell that they were more groomed than we were. We had practice, but that was all we had. There was no extra stuff.

"We had much better facilities at the magnet school, and parents were much more involved in their kids’ education. The main difference, however, between magnet school students and regular public school students isn’t a lack of intelligence, it’s a lack of focus and parental involvement. Other than that, there wasn’t a big difference in the demographics of the students at the magnet schools versus the regular public schools. There were a few students who you could tell weren’t from around the neighborhood, but most of us were local, and most of us were Black—just like at the regular public high schools."

Felicia did not having many close friends as a teenager, and attributes staying grounded to having a rich inner life.

"I pretty much kept to myself, and my family always made fun of me because I would talk to myself. Don't get me wrong; I was a very friendly person; I got along with people, I was never an outcast, but I just wasn’t into the typical teenage socializing scene—it just wasn’t for me. I’d talk to people and occasionally hang out, but I rarely went to parties. In fact, I can probably count on one hand how many parties I went to my entire life growing up."

Felicia attributes her unorthodox, intrapersonal social approach to helping her deal with adolescent temptations, and explains in detail the tremendous peer pressure faced by inner city youth in the African American community.

"Peer pressure is a big problem with inner city youth. Of course, it is likely a problem with all youth, but I think it’s more intense in the inner city because there is a lot of pressure to be “Black.” The Black stereotype is you don’t care about work, you don’t care about anything except clothes and the opposite sex, and these attitudes are perpetuated throughout the community, so if those things aren’t a high priority, people think there is something wrong with you. Worse still, if you don’t like those things you get talked about, and when I say talked about—I mean YOU GET TALKED ABOUT—you got reamed. You can’t talk about college, and you’re not supposed to like school. My peers would make fun of me for being smart, and they would call me “White girl” because I talked proper and I liked Seinfeld."

Felicia utilized SAL on many occasions to avoid growing angry or bitter at peers who would jab at her. And the more her peers sensed her inner confidence and sense of self, the more they left her alone.

"I didn’t get made fun of a lot because they could tell I wasn’t ashamed. My idea of what to do and what was right was mostly developed internally. I also wasn’t really involved with other people who were concerned with making sure I looked cute for the boys. I didn’t really hang out with people like that, which helped me avoid the peer pressure that so strongly pushed other people in my community to focus so much on clothing and image above education and inner security."

She also discovered that negative reinforcement doesn’t always come just from peer pressure. Sadly, parents can sometimes be part of the problem.

"One of the things I’ve seen hurt many people in the inner city is the pressure to not be successful. You would be surprised at how many parents will jab at their kids and say things like: “you’re never going to be anything, so why do you even try?” Tragically, that kind of stuff is said in a lot of households; there is a lot of negative reinforcement to not achieve goals. The aim is to maintain the status quo, which isn’t anything to brag about. My advice to everyone who faces that kind of pressure and negative reinforcement is to not let others bring you down. And believe me, they will try. Some people will even make it their goal in life to bring you down. Don’t let them do it!"

Developing inner security is an important element in SAL development. But where does it come from and how is it developed? Felicia’s actions give us a clue. To compensate for the lack of meaningful relationships with her peers, Felicia developed a friendship with herself. Stephen R. Covey corroborates the importance of self-worth:

"Intrinsic security … doesn’t come from what other people think of us or how they treat us. It doesn’t come from the scripts they’ve handed us. It doesn’t come from our circumstance or our position. It comes from within. It comes from accurate paradigms and correct principles deep in our own mind and heart. It comes from inside-out congruence, from living a life of integrity in which our daily habits reflect our deepest values." [1]

In Felicia’s own words:

"When you’re a kid, you want to play, so you seek other people to play with, and that’s how you develop friends, but when I wanted to play, I would just play with myself. I didn’t look to other people as much because I had myself. I realized over time that I didn’t really care much if other people thought I was cool or not. I discovered that I was perfectly okay with being alone, and that I am capable of being happy without doing things that other people say I should do." 

Humor can also be a valuable asset in SAL development. President George W. Bush has written, “I often use humor to defuse tension.” [2] Victor Frankl put it this way: “the attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of a trick learned while mastering the art of living.” [3] Felicia used humor as a defense mechanism for bearing up under the scathing salvos of sophomoric peers.

"Rather than get angry or upset, I would just laugh at their mocking comments. It never really upset me because the things they would make fun of me for (e.g. being smart) didn’t bother me. I liked the fact that I was smart, so when people would call me names, I’d just smile about it and carry about my business."

Felicia doesn’t consider herself to be “religious,” but spirituality does play important role in her life. Moreover, as a self-action leader, she strives for self-awareness, and seeks to be in tune with her conscience.

"I’m not religious, but I am spiritual. You might say that my God is the same thing as my conscience. I can feel in my heart the difference between right and wrong, and I try to follow that inner compass. I also feel that I have a high level of self-awareness, so I know when I do wrong things, but I know when I do the right things; and I also know when I’m achieving things that make me happy. I know when I’m being myself, so that self-awareness keeps me from being taken into peer pressure because I know I don’t want to do things just to please other people or look good in their eyes. I really don’t care what someone I don’t want in my life happens to think about me. I also question things before I act. I conduct an immediate kind of subconscious evaluation of what I’m doing."

Growing up on Chicago’s South Side gave Felicia opportunities to understand the realities of structural inequality that often marked her communities when compared to more affluent communities in the north. As she got older, she became increasingly aware of the cultural segregation that exists in the Chicago metropolitan area.

"The first time I remember really noticing it was on the trains. The Red Line and the Green Line run to the South Side of Chicago, but the Brown Line doesn’t even come near the South Side; it runs pretty much from Downtown to the northern suburbs. So I always rode the Red and Green Line trains. One day, by mistake, I ended up on one of the Brown Line trains. It felt like I was in another world because it was brand new and impeccably clean. The Red and Green Line trains are filthy. They smell like pee, the seats are torn up, and graffiti is everywhere. But the Brown Line train looked and felt like the first class train. As I looked around, the metal was shiny—like chrome—and I just figured it must be a new train. Later on, I found out that this was how all the Brown Line trains were because the Brown Line went to the North side, where the White people live, and where the money is. It was definitely the White Train. Chicago is unofficially segregated. I can tell you what area you are in based on who gets off at which stop."

Felicia’s positive SAL worldview empowered her to invest energy on things she could control, rather than on things she could not. Instead of feeling victimized for whatever structural inequalities impeded her world, she confidently and courageously exercised her freedom to choose. As a result, she was able to rise above her circumstances to become very successful.

A natural self-action leader, Felicia is always seeking out insights about the way things really are in the world in an effort to reject victimization to become all she is capable of becoming.

"My friend and I were talking the other day and he made an interesting observation. He said that unsuccessful people tend to see freedom as being freedom from something. For example, some Black people view freedom as being primarily from slavery, an attitude that adversely affects them 150 years after slavery was abolished. Successful people, however, tend to view freedom as being for something, or freedom to do something. People often refer to freedom as being all about having less restrictions, so this person or this thing is no longer holding me down. But that really isn’t what freedom is about. Freedom isn’t about having less restrictions, it is about focusing my energy on what I can do, what I can accomplish, and what I can become. We are talking about two totally different outlooks on life, and there is a big difference between the two in terms of the personal results you are likely to get."

Felicia’s conversation with her friend was more than just a friendly exchange of simplistic ideas; it was the reaffirmation of powerful concepts iterated and affirmed by others, some of which have been published. For example, listen to the words of Haddon Klingberg, Jr., and Stephen R. Covey, respectively.

"Spirituality is in its essence self-transcendence, it brings with it human freedom. But it is not freedom from as much as freedom to. We are not free from our biological nature, whether instinctual drives, genetic legacies, or the functions and malfunctions of our brains and bodies. Nor are we free from the grasp of social, developmental, and environmental influences. But we are free to take a stand toward these, even against them. We are free to do what we will with the cards we are dealt, to choose what response we will make to fateful events, to decide what cause or persons will receive our devotion. And this freedom to carries an obligation to." [4]

Even if you live in horrible circumstances, it is in those circumstances that you will find your call to choose your own response. It is then that “life calls out to us” to serve those around us whose needs we become aware of; it is in so doing that we find our true “voice” in life. [5]

Passionate about her freedom to grow and succeed, Felicia has achieved much in her young life to date. How did she do it? One SAL strategy she has utilized involves mentally turning negative experiences into positive learning opportunities.

"I have been able to view almost all of the negative things I’ve experienced as an opportunity to grow. For instance, when I’ve met someone that I didn’t really like, someone who was a total ass hole, I think, “well, you know, he’s not a great guy, but now I’ve learned about him, and I’ve gained experience how to deal with that kind of person. Next time I meet someone like that I’ll be prepared.” Experiences make up life, and you can either make them ruin your life or help your life, so I just allow them all to help me in some way."

Although a big fan of “just walking away” from peer pressure, Felicia understood that on Chicago’s South side, it isn’t always that simple for everyone.

"In some cases, if you just walk away like I did, they’ll hurt you. Take gangs for instance. If someone proposes an opportunity for you to join a gang and you say “no,” you could be badly beaten or even killed. It can be difficult to walk away, but the good news is that you can claim a lot of personal power if you demonstrate belief and confidence in yourself. I credit my belief and confidence in myself with repelling those who might have otherwise pushed too hard. If those people had at least tried to get me caught up in the wrong things—especially when I was younger—I probably would have said “yes” to do whatever, but as I grew older and more confident, the way I felt about myself seemed to turn them off, and they ended up just leaving me alone. It sent the message to them that I wasn’t weak enough to infiltrate or trick."

Her statement about gangs roused my curiosity, so I asked her if she was ever approached to join a gang. Her response:

"The gangs weren’t that big with girls, but for me, they knew I was different, so gang members’ interest in having me around wasn’t that high. You know, I really can’t describe it, because it’s not like I was an outcast. I still hung out with some people who were either affiliated with gangs or in gangs themselves, but I just wasn’t that close to them, you know. We’d hang out at the park; we’d talk. For example, when I was 14, I technically had an 18-year old boyfriend, yet this boy never tried to do anything with me—never. And it wasn’t because I was literally saying no. He was definitely not a virgin, but he just seemed to sense something about me that communicated to him that I’m not that kind of person."

Felicia with her two kids.

To better confront the many challenges faced by inner city residents, Felicia believes leaders should focus on education initiatives, including after-school activities, which give young people something to focus on after school, which is the time of day when many students get themselves into the most trouble.

"In the schools, we need an increase in the availability and advertisement of after-school activities. Being on the track team is probably something that kept me out of a lot of trouble. I think they should start such opportunities in elementary school. That way, your children are in school; they go to the activity; they come home; and they go to sleep. They have no time to get in trouble. They have no time to be negatively influenced."

Felicia is a tremendous inspiration to me, and others who know her. She is one of the most pleasant and cheerful people I’ve ever met. She also has a remarkable force of character and sense of self. Her capacity for, and dedication to, self-action leadership has empowered her to achieve many impressive accomplishments. I greatly admire who she has become because of it. I hope that many people in the United States and throughout the world will likewise be inspired by her remarkable story and personal example.


Next Blog Post: Friday, February 20, 2015 ~ The Difficulty of Existential Growth


[1] Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Fireside. Page 298.
[2] Bush, G.W. (2010). Decision Points. Crown: New York, NY. Page 35.
[3] Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Page 44.
[4] From Haddon Klingberg Jr.’s biography of Viktor and Elly Frankl: When Life Calls Out to Us, quoted in Covey, S. R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press. Page 315.
[5] Covey, S. R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press. Page 315.