SAL Book: Your World

LAW 1:

All human beings possess equal existential value.

Any conversation about Self-Action Leadership must begin with a categorical accession of the absolute existential equality of all human beings. This equality is fundamental, self-evident, and perennially vital. The holism of this inclusivity extends to both sexes and individuals of all races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, ideologies, lifestyles, etc.

LAW 2:

All human beings are self-leaders, each possessing sovereign leadership of his or her individual, metaphorical world.

You are a self-leader. Whether you know it or not, like it or not, or want it or not, you already ARE. Whether you are effective at leading yourself or not is another story, but if you are a human being, you do lead your “self.”

Your world is made up of a unique combination of internal and external variables that involve your spirit, body, mind, heart, sociality, and sexuality. Throughout the vast universe, there is no other world exactly like yours. You are, therefore, a unique being with a singular existence and limitless worth. As the ruling sovereign of your world, you ultimately call the shots that determine your destiny.

LAW 3:

Right and Wrong thoughts, speech, and actions exist as real forces and absolute opposites.

Corollary 3.1: Right choices consist of thoughts, speech, and actions that lead to the long-term health, happiness, and Existential Growth of all animate beings impacted thereby.

Corollary 3.2: Wrong choices consist of thoughts, speech, and actions that lead to the long-term sickness, misery, and Existential Atrophy of all animate beings impacted thereby.

Corollary 3.3: Self-leaders who seek to think, say, and do what is right, and who avoid thinking, saying, and doing what is wrong, become self-action leaders by virtue of their intent.

Everyone is a self-leader; but not everyone is a self-action leader. To qualify for the latter title, you must be willing to lead yourself to think, say, and do what is right.

INFLUENCE VS. CONTROL

A key component of SAL theory involves recognizing what you can and cannot control. Most of what exists in life, the world, and the universe, you cannot control. For example, you can’t control other people. You also can’t control the weather, macroeconomics, geopolitics, scientific verities, natural laws, and most other things.

The only thing you can control is yourself. Your influence over others will therefore always be rooted in what you do to manage and lead yourself. Hence, your focus should always primarily target self-change.

Influence differs from control in the same way that leadership differs from self-leadership. As a self-leader you may be able to influence other people, but you can only control yourself. This difference between control and influence is a primary reason I am passionate about Self-Action Leadership—it involves something I actually can control. In consideration of all the things in the universe I can’t control, I think it’s pretty exciting that I can at least control myself.

Change Yourself

Try not, my friend, to change what’s life,
For life cannot be changed,
And trying only brings you strife,
And leaves your mind deranged.

Instead, work hard to change yourself,
And as you do you’ll find,
Growth, happiness, and wond’rous wealth,
Including peace of mind.

And neither try to change another,
That e’er ends up a mess;
Try instead to serve your brother,
With examples of goodness.

The only things you can truly control are your own thoughts, words, and actions. That’s it. Everything else in the Universe you can only accept as is, or attempt to influence. I have intentionally ordered these three elements of control – thoughts, speech, and actions – because your thoughts are the seeds of every word and action. Thoughts, therefore, become the primary catalysts of everything you ever say, do, and eventually become. One of your greatest concerns as a self-action leader, therefore, must be to carefully guard your thoughts.

“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”

– James Allen

“Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny.”
– William James 

“When you rule your mind, you rule your world.”
– Imelda Shanklin 

YOU ARE SOVEREIGN

While your overall power and influence might seem small, remember that you are the King/Queen, President, Prime Minister, General, Executive Director, Admiral, Captain, etc. (pick your own title) of your own world. Within the realms of this personal title and power lies enormous power to design your world and choose your destiny. In the words of the poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903):

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul. ...
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.” [1]

Regardless of your circumstances, you remain sovereign over your thoughts, speech, and actions. This means that while you cannot always control what happens to you, you can control how you respond to what happens to you. The determination of your destiny therefore lies in your life choices as well as to your responses to life events.

There are many famous examples of people who chose to abdicate their self-sovereignty. For example, consider the excuse of President John F. Kennedy, who, when queried as to why he did not demonstrate more self-control and discretion with regards to his adulterous philandering, replied: "I just can’t help it." With all due respect to JFK—and he is worthy of respect in many regards—this is a classic historical example of an incredibly intelligent and talented man who chose to abdicate his self-sovereignty in regards to sexual restraint. In truth, JFK could have helped himself. He could have gotten help from others, and he could have sought help from his faith, but he chose instead to willingly relinquish his scepter of self-control in the matter.

However you wish to spin it, JFK ultimately chose promiscuity over conjugal fidelity. With this said, I am not suggesting the latter path was easy for JFK, or anyone else in a similar situation. In President Kennedy’s defense, temptations are often greater, more varied, and certainly more accessible to those who occupy high-profile positions than to those who don’t. 

Furthermore, I doubt there has ever been a straight, married man in the history of the world who never had a lustful thought towards a beautiful woman who was not his wife. Such is human nature. But these are excuses, and this book is not into making excuses; it is into providing real solutions to real problems we face as human beings. The message of this book is that all men and women possess sufficient power to transcend our baser natures, inclinations, whims—and yes, even temptations—if we desire it, and are willing to accept help and embrace the healing powers of Serendipity. JFK did not lack the ability to be faithful to his wife; he lacked the desire and the will to do so.

Of course, no one is perfect, but an imperfection doesn’t make you powerless to choose. It also doesn’t make you powerless to seek help with whatever human weaknesses and foibles you may struggle with. We all have shortcomings. I have enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life, and I’m sure you do too. We all mess up—sometimes spectacularly. But there is a big difference between messing up, admitting it, and working diligently to improve, and completely abdicating personal responsibility. Too often, people confuse I won’t, or I don’t want to, with I can’t. While doing so is convenient, it is ultimately a fiction—and the ultimate self-deception. I don’t begrudge JFK his weakness; I am simply disappointed he chose to give up his freedom in the matter.

I would bet that every fully functioning person in the world has at least one natural inclination he wished he didn’t have, or that she would ideally like to rid herself of. I know I do. I also know, however, from many personal experiences, and from observing the experiences of others, that intentional human beings can overcome personal weaknesses—even to the extent of triggering a fundamental change in our very natures—if we desire change badly enough. Those who promote otherwise are either misinformed, naïve, dishonest, or are making money by vacuuming you up into a vat of victimhood.

The message of SAL is that I can change; you can change; we all can change! We can control ourselves, and we can choose who and what we will ultimately become. Whether you and I successfully claim this sovereignty is up to us, as individuals, to decide.

You Choose

Anyone who’ll work and wait
Ensures good fate.

Anyone who’ll never quit
Avoids the pit.

Anyone who keeps one’s soul,
By never casting off one’s goal,
Sets up a plea
For destiny
That’s touched
By Serendipity,
Will You?
Will Me?
I guess we’ll see . . .
But this I know,
Though vague it be,
That all of us
Are Free
To be
The kind of men,
Or women
We most would like to be.

And in the end,
Deep down
Everyone knows,
That blame for failure
Ultimately goes,
To each and every
Single Soul,
Whose free to choose
To Win,
To Lose,
No matter how the battles rage.
Come wind, come storm, come ice and hail,
We’ll always get our due earned wage,

Will you prevail?
Fly high and free?
Beyond the grasp of gravity?
The choice is YOURS
To win,
Or lose—
YOU Choose.

SAL Mantra 

I Am Sovereign 

Come what may, at the end of the day, you are sovereign over your life, and I am sovereign over mine. I challenge you to memorize the poem below as a reminder of the enormous personal power you possess over your own life and the remarkable potential you have to make a positive difference in the lives of others. May retaining its words in the recesses of your mind and memory inspire you to make the most of your existence.

I Am Sovereign

I Am Sovereign!

Today I affirm that
I am the captain of my own life.

I acknowledge that as such,
I am fully responsible for
My attitude,
My decisions,
My life’s results, and thus—
My life’s long-term
Direction.

No one can take this power away from me,
Though if I choose, I can give it away to,
Someone, or something else.

This I will never do,
For there is but one me in all history,
And my one shot at life,
I will not waste.

In the past, I have blamed,
Named,
Gamed,
And shamed.

No more!

For now I know that I cannot control anyone
But myself.
Yet in that control,
I can defy Existential Gravity,
Create my world,
Design my destiny, and
Conquer the enemy within.

And with the aid of Serendipity,
I will eventually accomplish
All of these things,
Because

I Am Sovereign!

Something, or someone, is always in control of your life. If that someone or something is not you, then you are headed for a destination that is not of your choosing, the consequences of which will be predictably grim. I challenge you to claim, or reclaim—and then rightfully exercise—the self-sovereignty that Life has endowed you with, and then use that power wisely to pursue higher purposes. This will enable you to realize your full potential, and help many others do likewise.

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life if your own. No apologies or excuses.”

– Dan Zadra

Next Blog Post ~ Friday, January 23, 2015 ~ BOOK the SECOND, Chapter 5: Freedom & Consequences


[1] Reprinted from Henley, W.E. Poems (1919). New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Page 119.
63-64.

SAL Book: The Final Frontier of Your Own Potential

BOOK the SECOND

The Self-Action Leadership Theory

Dedicated to:

President John F. Kennedy, the men and women of NASA and other organizations dedicated to the study and exploration of Outer Space.

Chapter 1:
A Theory of Existential Space Travel

“We do not go to space because it is easy, we do it because it is hard.”
– President John F. Kennedy
(1917-1963)

THE VALUE OF A GOOD THEORY

Dr. Clayton M. Christensen is a professor at the Harvard Business School, and one of the world’s foremost thinkers on business management and innovation. As a theorist, Dr. Christensen argues persuasively for the usefulness of theory to inform all kinds of decision-making processes.

A good theory doesn’t change its mind: it doesn’t apply only to some companies or people, and not to others. It is a general statement of what causes what, and why. … You don’t want to have to go through multiple marriages to learn how to be a good spouse. Or wait until your last child has grown to master parenthood. This is why theory can be so valuable: it can explain what will happen, even before you experience it. … Without theory, we’re at sea without a sextant. If we can’t see beyond what’s close by, we’re relying on chance—on the currents of life—to guide us. Good theory helps people steer to good decisions—not just in business, but in life, too. [1]

The American author and lecturer, Marianne Williamson, once pointed out that, “Americans are not that big on philosophy” (aka: theory), but that "we're very big on action … once we understand the reason for it.” [2] A clear understanding of the SAL theory (philosophy) will positively impact your application of the SAL model (application) to come.

The Self-Action Leadership theory is presented as 12 postulated laws with accompanying corollaries. BOOK the SECOND contains these laws and corollaries. Interspersed amongst them, I share stories of real life self-action leaders who have earned significant successes by learning, internalizing, and applying the principles.

Let’s begin with the definitions of three key terms: postulate, law, and corollary. [3]

POSTULATE: To suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief.

LAW: A generalization based on a fact or event perceived to be recurrent. [4]

COROLLARY: A proposition that follows from (and is often appended to) one already proved.

The SAL theory is meant to be carefully considered and studied deeply, rather than merely read. For leaders and teachers presenting the material in training and classroom settings, each law and corollary can serve as an individual topic for instruction and discussion. The 'meat' of this theory utilizes a series of metaphors that compares an individual self-action leader—YOU—to a spaceship or shuttle on its journey up through the Earth’s atmospheric layers to the gravity-free zone of Outer Space.

I have always been inspired by the leadership of President John F. Kennedy and others who chose to make Space exploration a high national priority for our Country. This leadership demonstrated tremendous vision, courage, and foresight. The benefits of this productive ambition have been many and varied. For example, many scientific and technological breakthroughs that have benefitted us here at home have been a by-product of the technological advances developed through the Space program. Furthermore, the era of Space exploration has inspired countless people to reach higher in their own educations, careers, and lives. The positive influence of outstanding astronauts, astronomers, rocket scientists, and mechanical engineers on American and global society cannot always be quantified, but should never be underestimated.

I live in the Houston, Texas area. I recently had a chance to visit NASA’s Mission Control Center located in the Southeastern corner of metro Houston. As I walked around the Saturn V rocket, and stood behind glass to behold the original Mission Control—as it appeared when Neil Armstrong and his colleagues first set foot on the moon in 1969—my spirit was subdued. I know of few other things that better personify the greatness of the American spirit than the highly intelligent, skilled, and dedicated men and women of NASA, and related private companies, who, quite literally, shoot for the stars. It is in their honor—and the leaders who made their work possible—that we dedicate the Self-Action Leadership theory. 

Some hold the belief that Space exploration should not be a high priority in our national consciousness because it may divert our attention away from the many problems we face here at home. At Freedom Focused, we disagree. We hold that there are few more beneficial endeavors to life on Earth than good-faith endeavors to explore that which lies beyond its surface. Besides the enormous technological advancements derived from Space study and exploration, few things elevate collective ambition and progress more than a society seeing its best and brightest undertake tasks that seem impossibly difficult. Such endeavors inspire nearly everyone to greater heights in each person’s individual sphere of education, exploration, and influence.

One of my wife’s former college roommates at Georgia Tech is now an aeronautical engineer. She lives in Los Angeles, California, and works for Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, a private enterpirse that embraces the value of Space study and exploration. We are proud of you Sarah! We hope many other girls and boys will study hard in school, nurture their ambition to explore the Final Frontier, and then follow in Sarah’s footsteps to pursue similar careers, that our nation may once again lead the world in the vital field of Space study and exploration.

Astronauts from the United States first landed on the moon a decade before I was born. I believe this achievement was a catalyst in the unprecedented prosperity and production that followed in the following three decades, and that I have enjoyed throughout my life. Space exploration is one of the many things that have made the United States of America an exceptional nation. Far-sighted wisdom demands we continue our exploration of Space because of our troubles at home, not curtail our ambitions in Space in order to solve them.

Just as brave astronauts have courageously explored what lies beyond our Planet Home for the past 60 years, I hope that YOU will choose to explore the outer limits of your own potential by studying and then applying the principles contained in the Self-Action Leadership theory. Just as there is no greater astronomical ambition than to explore the Final Frontier, there is no greater existential ambition than to aim for Self-Transcendence and beyond. In the famous words of Buzz Lightyear: Let us then begin our journey – a journey of Existential Growth -- that can take you “To infinity, and beyond!” 

[1] Christensen, C. M., Allworth, J., & Dillon, K. (2012). How Will You Measure Your Life? HarperCollins: New York, NY, page 12, 14, & 17.
[2] Williamson, M. (1992). A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles. New York, NY: HarperPerennial. Page xix.
[3] These 3 definitions come from the New Oxford American Dictionary (electronic version).
[4] There are multiple definitions of the word 'law.' This definition most closely aligns with the intended meaning of the word as it applies to the 'Laws of Self-Action Leadership.'

The Last Best Hope of Earth

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

– Mohandas Gandhi(1869-1948)

In 1979, Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize. When asked what individuals could do to promote world peace, she replied: “Go home and take care of your families.” That august sage of the Indian subcontinent understood the great truth that macro problems cannot be solved externally; they must be internally repaired. Our nation’s greatest problems begin at home, and our greatest problems at home begin inside the minds, hearts, and souls of individuals.

America as a whole is powerful and great because of individuals and families who are honest, hard working, and self-reliant. Conversely, America’s biggest problems are rooted in broken families, which result when individuals abdicate their familial and/or personal responsibilities. Fix broken individuals and broken families and you fix America. It's that simple; it is also that difficult.

“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.

I wanted to change the world, but I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.”

– Aldous Huxley(1894-1963)

If you want to change the world, change yourself. America – or any other nation – is only as great as the citizens that comprise her. That includes you, me, and everyone else. When a system’s micro components are strengthened, the macro system itself is refined and fortified.

A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

This book calls for a national revitalization of American strength and character. Self-Action Leadership provides a means of constructing and maintaining American Greatness. We’ll leave the strengthening of other areas—military, political, economic, agricultural, energy, and spiritual-religious—to experts in those fields. Freedom Focused suggests a 3-point educational-based formula for resurrecting American greatness in the twenty-first century. 

1. Peace through Strength

2. Strength through Freedom & Unity

3. Freedom & Unity through Integrity to True Principles

PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH

America must remain the strongest nation on Earth—economically, militarily, educationally, and morally—for the safety and prosperity of We the People as well as all other nations. If America does not lead, someone else—who does not place the same value on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—will, to the detriment of all mankind.

I admire John F. Kennedy. I think that in some ways, he deserves to be ranked among our nation’s best and strongest leaders. While I do not respect some of the ways in which he chose to conduct his personal and political life, I do admire the strength of his leadership during his brief stint as our Commander-in-Chief. This admiration springs largely from the philosophy of peace through strength that Kennedy championed.

As a young man in the late 1930s, Kennedy spent time in London, England, where he observed the workings of a well intentioned, but ultimately weak, British government. Led by then Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, Kennedy watched as Britain infamously made “peace” with Adolf Hitler only a few short years before Nazi bombs were raining down on English cities. These vicious, unprovoked air raids killed 40,000 people in London alone during the Battle of Britain in 1940; so much for peace. A budding world leader, Kennedy learned early in his life that evil exists and that evil leaders do not respect weakness—militarily or otherwise.

Later, as President, embracing the paradigm of peace through strength empowered Kennedy to successfully steer the country through the Cuban Missile Crisis without starting a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. President Kennedy’s successful handling of this crisis ranks among the finest foreign policy achievements in our country’s history. His actions were bold, audacious, and courageous. More importantly, they were rooted in the principle that peace is best achieved not through acquiescence and capitulation, but through undeviating courage backed by hard power.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. … Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. … We dare not tempt [our enemies] with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.[1]

The mantra, peace through strength, dates back to the ancient Roman Emperor, Hadrian, who built his famous wall in Britain as an eponymous symbol of a robust foreign policy. Our nation’s first great general, George Washington, echoed Hadrian’s wisdom when he said: “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”

Ever eager to prevent World War III with the Soviet Union, most post-World War II Presidents enthusiastically embraced this ideology as the basis of American foreign policy. Resurrecting Hadrian’s famous phrase as a political mantra empowered Ronald Reagan to defeat Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Presidential Election. After winning the Presidency, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush after him, constructed America’s foreign policy around the principle of peace through strength. Today, Reagan and Bush Sr. are widely credited as instrumental authors of the peace with the Soviet Union that marked the end of the twentieth century.

When I was born in 1979, the United States was still fighting the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This fact was not lost on my young friends and me. As little boys growing up in the 1980s, our imaginary playtime battles virtually always pitted us against either “The Germans” or “The Russians.” There was something noble—even on the playground—in fighting to defeat forces (i.e. fascism and communism) that sought to undermine personal liberty, freedom, opportunity, safety, and prosperity.

When I was 10 years old, something unthinkably wonderful happened; the Berlin Wall fell. Two years later, in a seeming instant, the Soviet Union’s evil communistic empire had been relegated to where it belonged—the pages of history. The United States remained the world’s lone superpower, and it seemed as though nothing could stop the proliferation of liberty and freedom backed by American opportunity, prosperity, and power. American virtues were further displayed in the dramatic successes of our coalition forces against the evil tyrant Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War.

The following year, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and the rest of the original Dream Team personified American excellence on the Olympic basketball courts of Barcelona, Spain. The apex of American Greatness had peaked in an unprecedented display of athletic artistry and dominance. As the decade wore on, the synergistic fruits of self-government, the rule of law, the Protestant Work Ethic, Christian brotherly kindness and generosity, and free markets flourished as never before for the whole world to see—and seek to replicate. America’s present power and future preeminence seemed assured. I was privileged to grow up a U.S. citizen in the midst of this, her greatest period of collective prosperity.

Unfortunately, this power and prosperity has not continued unabated. A decade-and-a-half into the twenty-first century, we now find ourselves increasingly unsure of our identity and role in a world that has grown increasingly complicated, hostile, and dangerous. In the midst of these growing complexities and hazards, the world needs a strong America more than ever. The United States must lead! To do so, we must curb our individual and collective slide down the slippery slope of diminished power and influence. Likewise, we must reverse the troubling trends of individual indiscipline, dishonesty, selfishness, and lack of self-reliance.

The dam that will stop this increasingly unchecked flow of decay and decline will be built with metaphorical concrete and steel poured and forged in many different fields. Our focus is education—the dam’s foundation. The dam itself must be built by experts and leaders in other vital arenas, including, business, energy, agriculture, religion, politics, and government. Leaders and performers in journalism, pop culture, art, literature, music, athletics, and every other field must also play key roles in restoring American greatness. Such roles are played best when actors, actresses, artists, musicians, and athletes seek to influence their audiences to embrace True Principles instead of fleeing from them.

And to educators everywhere… it is time to stop teaching students that America is bad, or that America ought to become like other countries in the world. Such statements are false, and accompanying pathways are dangerous—for all of us, including for those who think our nation is evil, and seek its diminishment or destruction. Aside from outright destroying us, our enemies abroad love nothing more than to see voices and efforts from within erode the very strength that can defend us from attack, thus aiding them in their nefarious designs.

STRENGTH THROUGH FREEDOM AND UNITY

“United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do. For we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds, and split asunder. Let [us] explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us."

– President John F. Kennedy

(1917-1963)

If we are to remain the strongest nation on Earth, we must put an end to the bitter antagonism and petty quibbling that has overtaken so much of our land in recent decades. We must unite in a collective embrace of the personal and organizational principles that made our nation great in the first place.

We call upon Americans everywhere to re-commit to the True Principles that successfully created, and has thus far sustained, the greatest nation in the history of the Planet. Let us individually and collectively forsake the pseudo-principles and petty practices that only deepen our current divisions. We won’t give up on America. We hope you won’t either.

However admirable a goal restoring American unity and greatness may be, our present reality paints a picture whose dark lines of division overshadow our present pastels of progress. Amazingly, secession is increasingly talked about in some corners of our nation. The problem with a secession paradigm—no matter how well intentioned—is that it only breeds more secession. Had the South won the Civil War, it would have only been a matter of time before the Southeastern States wished to separate from the Southwestern States (or something similar), and on it would go until all factions were drowned in a sea of anarchy.

Permanent answers to serious problems can never be found in separating ourselves (running away) from problems. The answer to America’s problems is not, nor will it ever be, secession. The only, true answer lies in collective commitments to face up to and solve whatever problems we do face through individual commitments to True Principles. Come what may in the future, we maintain an unfailing faith in the destiny of the United States of America, and believe that destiny involves unification now and indefinitely into the future. 

Like Abraham Lincoln before me, “I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided.”[2] Lincoln spoke these words three years before the outbreak of the Civil War. In many ways, our nation is already fighting a Cold Civil War. Whatever may yet occur before our own “Berlin Walls” are broken down may prove austere, if not dire, but let us not throw in the towel.

We do not know, nor can we predict what this country will have to pass through before it makes it to the other side of the terrible gulf that presently bisects, trisects, and poly-sects us, but we at Freedom Focused remain optimistic about the long-term future of America. Barring an unforeseen worldwide calamity, we believe America’s greatest days are not only ahead of her, but may very well be just around the next corner in the near future. Be it sooner or later, however, America will rise from the ashes of her recent moral, educational, military, and political decline; America will lead the world once more. America will once again be a strong, vibrant, nation of optimists where the dismal din and damage of critics, cynics, pessimists, and evil doers is kept to the shadows and back-alleys where it belongs.

In the spirit of this optimism, we call on all Americans to embrace a vision of authentic unity that can only be achieved through conscience-guided Self-Action Leadership. We do not have to agree on every particular to live together peaceably. Unity can occur amidst a sea of great diversity, but only if conscience, character, compassion, tolerance, and integrity collectively carry the day. Diversity can create the seedbed of our greatest progress, but only if True Principles are adhered to by all voices at the table. This book has been written in a good-faith effort to identify and articulate those principles that are not unique to any one religion, ideology, or even one political party, but are rooted in natural law itself. Let us reinvigorate the vision of one of America's most prominent leaders, who, just over one decade ago boldly proclaimed:

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 of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. ... [Let us not] participate in a politics of cynicism, ... [but] in a politics of hope [3].

These words, spoken by Senator Barack Obama in 2004, stirred hope for unity in the hearts and minds of many throughout our land. His vision influenced millions to elect him President, not once, but twice. Unfortunately, the divisions Mr. Obama sought to bridge have only deepened during his own Presidency. Nevertheless, I believe in elements of his original vision. If we are willing to unite in a collective embrace of True Principles, we can once again be the kind of nation that rose up in unity to defeat the most powerful Empire on Earth to earn our liberty 224 years ago--that same nation that overcame a bloody Civil War and severed the chains of human bondage 150 years ago, that defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan 70 years ago, that put a man on the moon 45 years ago, and that in recent generations has been, in very deed, the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Let us rise up and choose once again to become a “United States of America.”

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, I hope and pray we may all hang together in our quest to seek out and honor True Principles in a quest for individual freedom and collective strength and unity. If we fail to do so, I fear many of us will hang separately; and the noose of natural law will prove ghastly in its effects on the personal destiny of each victim that chooses abdication over self-sovereignty.

FREEDOM & UNITY THROUGH INTEGRITY TO TRUE PRINCIPLES

The only way to achieve strength through freedom & unity is to seek for that unity through integrity to True Principles. The purpose of this book is to identify and articulate those Principles that are rooted not in partisan ideology or personal preference, but in natural law. Our aim, therefore, is not to promote our own brand of goodness and rightness, but to articulate what goodness and rightness actually ARE. In the words of Emerson, “He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness.”[4] Therefore, let the principles throughout this book be submitted to a candid world[5] with Emerson’s conviction that “nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of [true] principles.”[6]

We invite you to join us in this movement to stop being part of the problem, and start being part of solution to the many and varied issues that plague our families, communities, organizations, states, nations, and the world-at-large. Join us in a twenty-first century revival dedicated to once again making the United States of America “The last best hope of earth.”[7]

Fellow-citizens, we can not escape history. We … will be remembered in spite of ourselves. … The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility. … We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth. … The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just—a way which if followed the world will forever applaud and God must forever bless.[8]

SAL Mantra

Peace through Strength
Strength through Freedom
Freedom & Unity through Integrity to True Principles

Next Blog Post ~ Monday, December 8, 2014; Chapter 12: Things that Enslave

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[1] Excerpts from President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961.

[2]From Abraham Lincoln’s House Divided Speech delivered in Springfield, IL on June 16, 1858.

[3] Excerpts from Senator Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, MA.

[4]Emerson, R.W. Self-Reliance. In Ziff, L., Ed. (1985). Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays. New York, NY: Penguin.  Page 178.  Italics added. 

[5]Phrase from the Declaration of Independence.  

[6]Emerson, R.W. Self-Reliance. In Ziff, L., Ed. (1985). Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays. New York, NY: Penguin.  Page 203.

[7] From Lincoln’s Second Annual Message to Congress delivered December 1, 1862.

[8] Ibid. 

SAL Book: Ask Not

Self-Action Leadership is about taking action to lead yourself. Ironically, however, it is not ultimately about YOU. SAL is much bigger than the individual. Self-aggrandizement is not the goal of SAL, nor is self-improvement its endgame. While Existential Growth is vitally important, it is merely a means to accomplishing SAL’s real end, which is to serve other people.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others.’”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

(1929 - 1968)

The more you personally learn and grow, the more you will be able to contribute meaningfully to your family, school, business, community, state, nation, and world.

THE QUEST FOR NATIONAL EXCELLENCE & UNITY: REANIMATING THE AMERICAN DREAM

I have always been inspired by the Olympic Games, especially the Summer Olympics. My earliest Olympic memory was watching Mary Lou Retton win a gymnastics gold medal in the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. I was just shy of my fifth birthday, but I can still recall her famous performance on the vault, and the All-American smile that followed her perfect landing.

Watching subsequent Olympics further fueled my passion for competitive sport, goal setting, and the quest for national excellence and unity. To this day, there is nothing quite like watching an American athlete stand atop the first-place medal stand, receive his or her gold medal and flowers, and then hear the regal refrains of the Star-Spangled Banner reverberate gloriously as the athlete sings the stirring lyrics of Francis Scott Key’s inspired anthem. As a boy, I often envisioned myself someday standing atop the winner’s podium to receive a gold medal and sing patriotically before a worldwide audience.

The closest I ever came to competing in the Olympics was racing in the 1500-meters final at the 2003 Junior College National Championships in Levelland, Texas. I took second-to-last place in the race, but just to have qualified for that elite field was an honor and thrill I will always cherish. Though my natural talent never rose to the Olympic standard, I relished each chance I got to place my hand over my heart and sing the national anthem prior to an athletic competition in which I played or raced. Olympic champion or not, I was always proud to be an American athlete who strived to honor my country through personal excellence.

There is value and power in patriotism because it allows individuals to dedicate themselves to a cause greater than themselves. As an American, I hope you will choose to take pride in your citizenship, if for no other reason than the hope of making your country a better place through the exercise of your own Self-Action Leadership. Good-faith displays of citizen patriotism can be an honorable means of developing and then celebrating noble character and high achievement. 

As important as individualism is to Americans, our strength is also rooted in our collectivity. Unfortunately, a growing lack of unity is paralleling America’s present decline. Like Greece, Rome, Spain, France, Germany, Britain, and the Soviet Union before her, our land has begun to fall prey to humanity’s perpetual propensity for moral entropy, and the political, military, and cultural enfeeblement that inevitably follows.

This is sad because it doesn’t have to be the case. Our moral, educational, political, military, and cultural deterioration are not the results of external foes; they are the natural consequences of a collective character crisis. If the United States is ever conquered, it will not be from an external foe. It will result from an internal spoilage. Abraham Lincoln, who presciently spoke the following words more than two decades before the onset of the Civil War, understood this:

"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? – Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! – All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the Earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."[1]

MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATION I LOVE

I have great respect for the United States military, including all the volunteers who serve or have served the Stars and Stripes in uniform. As a professional seminar facilitator, I have had the honor of training soldiers and civilians in all five branches of the U.S. Military (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard). It is always a privilege to work with these fine men and women, who dedicate their careers—and sometimes their safety and lives—to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and the values and virtues that undergird our nation's greatness.

I greatly admire the tremendous contributions made by U.S. servicemen and women throughout history. Some of my own ancestors and relatives have served in uniform, and in several cases seen combat in past conflicts. My fifth great-grandfather served in General George Washington’s Continental Army during our Nation’s founding conflict, the American Revolution. During World War II, my grandfather – an army radioman – landed on Utah Beach following the Allies’ D-Day attack. My own Dad was two years old before he met his father in late 1945, following his honorable discharge from the Army following V-E Day. One of my uncles flew helicopters in Vietnam, and another is a former F-15 Eagle fighter pilot and retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. My cousin, a former dentist in the Army, served in Iraq, and one of my best friends (also a dentist) served in the Air Force. On two separate occasions, I considered serving myself. The first time I investigated the opportunity, I learned I was ineligible because I was taking medication to treat OCD and depression—a categorical disqualifier of any applicant at the time. The second time, when I was no longer on medication, another professional opportunity replaced any would-be military consideration.

Although I have never had a chance to serve my country in uniform, I have always been eager to know what I could do to serve out of uniform. This desire is fueled not only by my admiration for those who have served, or are serving, but by my recognition of the tremendous liberties and endless blessings I enjoy as a result of my U.S. Citizenship. America has done so much for me. The real question is: what have I done for America?

In 1961, in his Inauguration Address, President John F. Kennedy uttered the now immortal words:

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Since I first learned about my remarkable heritage as an American, I have been asking myself this question. One of my goals in writing this book is to give something back to the country that has done so much for me. This nation has made it possible for me to have dreams, pursue them freely, and eventually accomplish them.

It is payback time.

While this book may be a paltry contribution compared with others who have dedicated entire careers—or even their lives—to the defense and betterment of the USA, a literary contribution is something I can do; therefore, it is what I will do. In writing this book, I have – to the best of my ability – attempted to articulate and explain the principles and practices I know can reanimate the American Dream for anyone willing to learn and apply them.

The American Dream has become a reality for my wife and me, and it can become a reality for you, your children, and your children’s children. But remember that the American Dream is just that—a dream—unless you are willing to learn about it and then seek after it with all you’ve got. It will not simply walk up and knock on your door. Prosperity is not a right guaranteed by citizenship; it is a privilege earned through Self-Action Leadership. Therefore, in the end, it doesn’t really matter who your parents are or aren’t, or how much money, opportunity, or love they did or didn’t bequeath to you. The true American Dream is no respecter of persons. It is available to all; but it must be chased with energy and ambition if it is to be caught and realized.

Are you up to, and ready for, the chase? If so, READ ON…


[1] Excerpt from Lincoln’s speech entitled, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions, given at the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois; January 27, 1838.  For a full transcript of the speech, visit URL: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm