SAL Seminar: The AGE of AUTHENTICISM

In last week's post, I shared the video clip on Postmodernism. Today, I follow up that video clip by providing two additional clips that provide the answer to the troubled age of postmodernism that has dominated American Society in post-World War II generations. The answer can only come in a whole new age that is destined to eclipse postmodernism. The name of this age is: The AGE of AUTHENTICISM.


If you are receiving this message via e-mail, the video clips will not show up below. Just click on the blue title -- The AGE of AUTHENTICISM -- at the top of your screen to access the video clip by visiting the actual blog site.

Self-Action Leadership Seminar clip

Dr. Jensen's Education Speech clip

New Self-Action Leadership Book Coming Soon!

You may have noticed that I have published blogs more sporadically the past few weeks. This is because I have been busy at work completing the manuscript of my new book: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal & Professional Freedom. I will be submitting the manuscript to the publisher on Friday, May 1st. I hope to have hard copies available within the next 4-6 weeks.

Now that the book is finally done, I will return to a posting blog articles on a consistent schedule. With the book nearing its completion, the plan moving forward is to post a blog once a week. Tentatively, blogs will be published on Tuesday, although it may occasionally come on a later day of the week. I intend to continue publishing a weekly blog post for the rest of my career with Freedom Focused.  I hope you will choose to remain a subscriber indefinitely as well.  Thank you for your interest in and support of this material! Without you, the reader, my work would have little meaning.

From One Simple Man to Another: My Tribute to Bill O'Reilly

FoxNews' Bill O'Reilly gets a bad rap in many sectors of American society, but the cold, calculating reality is that Mr. O'Reilly is one of the most honest, authentic, and important journalists that has ever reported, or commented on, news in the United States. And amazingly, he has done it in one of the most inauthentic eras in American history.

Like him or hate him, integrity demands that you respect him.  Unfortunately, the dishonesty, disingenuity, and disillusionment of our collective populace in 2016 is sufficiently viral to vibrantly support the slander and vitriol as long as Bill remains in the public eye, but when this media giant finally does retire (hopefully not for a very long time), fair-minded persons everywhere will respectfully pay homage to this journalist among journalists.

Bill O'Reilly's storied rise to fame is quintessentially American.  He was raised in Levittown, a classic post-World War II sprawling suburban working-class neighborhood on Long Island.  His parents were ordinary citizens bereft of fame, fortune, or name recognition, although they did pass along plenty of spirited Irish blood to their son.

Schooled by Catholic Nuns, little Billy was far from being a perfect child or student, but this "Bold, Fresh, Piece of Humanity" was always authentic.  Along the way he learned several life lessons that would be keys to his future success.

1. STAY SOBER. In Bill's book, "A Bold, Fresh, Piece of Humanity," he describes going to a party with a girl as a young man.  After arriving at the party and discovering drugs were being used there, his date replied, "Far out," to which Bill responded, "I'm out," and forthwith left the party.  All Americans would benefit from following Bill's disciplined example regarding the use of drugs and alcohol.

2. GET EDUCATED. While not always a model student, Bill endured the strict tutelage of the Nuns to eventually study abroad, successfully graduate from college, and earn two master's degrees from Boston University (broadcast journalism) and Harvard (MPA).

3. WORK HARD & PLAY BY THE RULES.  As a kid and teenager Bill was an avid athlete who played hard in all the childhood games and sports that he and his fellow Long Island urchins cherished.  Playing hard as a youth evolved into working hard as a man.  As a young kid supporting himself through college, Bill became an entrepreneur painting houses on Long Island where he worked long hours and raked in handsome amounts of cash for his lowly station in life at the time. As a journalist, he took nothing for granted.  Through grit, hard work, persistence, and a determination to pursue opportunities he was passionate about, he eventually worked his way to the highest levels of his profession -- a level he has maintained for an unprecedented 15 years and running.

The formula for success in America, while rarely easy, has never been particularly complicated.  If you stay sober, get educated, and then work hard and play by the rules, you are, with very few exceptions, guaranteed to eventually find success in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

While it is true that the American success formula has been more complicated for some individuals and groups of people throughout our spotted history than others, the United States remains the greatest provider of collective opportunity in the world -- especially if you are willing to focus on individual effort and personal potential rather than collective grievances.  And no one is more courageous in calling out those who promote the latter over the former than Mr. O'Reilly.

There are many reasons I admire and respect Bill O'Reilly.  I suppose my admiration stems in part from the fact that I see some of myself in Bill.  After all, I am a middle-class kid from rural Utah who loves history, is passionate about education, and had to work my butt off to earn everything I've achieved both personally and professionally.

But there are other, more important, reasons I venerate this titan of television news commentary. First, I admire Bill's authenticity; second, I respect his integrity; and third, I revere his generosity and compassion towards those in need.

First, a word about Bill's authenticity.  In employing the term, "authenticity," I am not referring to mere uniqueness or originality, but to the integrity one exercises towards oneself as well as to one's principles.  Thank you, Bill, for being a classic authenticist.  I believe an AGE of AUTHENTICISM is is the early stages of eclipsing the morally perilous postmodern era that has so dramatically wounded the ethical vibrance of our nation, and you, Mr. O'Reilly, have been a leading voice -- if not the leading voice -- in this movement.  My work is yet unknown, but when I am your age and the Age of Authenticism is credited with changing the course of American History, your name will appear among a short list of powerful authenticists that made this welcomed shift possible.

Second, a word about Bill's integrity.  Anyone who watches the O'Reilly Factor consistently will know that Bill stands as ready to critique and, when necessary, criticize a Republican as he is a Democrat.  He is just as willing to lecture President Bush or Speaker Boehner as he is President Obama or Senator Reid.  My company, Freedom Focused, champions an aristotelian Golden Mean as one means of accessing the truth about a given matter.  Thank you, Bill, for being the Golden Mean of the American media, and for giving such a powerful voice to Independent Americans.  

Third, a word about Bill's compassion and generosity. While Bill is known for an impassioned and spirited vocality, and what some consider to be an intimidating and bellicose demeanor and presentation, none of this can mask the remarkable compassion Bill feels towards those in need.  And he puts his money where his mouth -- and heart -- is by regularly extending portions of his considerable fortune to a variety of worthy philanthropic causes.  He is especially conscious of supporting our Troops, whereby he shares his prodigious platform and microphone with others who are also eager to help.  And I know Bill's giving does not end on the air.  I often wonder how much money Mr. O'Reilly gives away without ever telling his audience about it -- and he tells his audience about it on a regular basis.  A genuine Christian man, I doubt anyone will ever know the full extent of Bill's generous giving.  

As an A-list journalist, he is perhaps unmatched in his courage and willingness to criticize pop cultural icons, politicians, and others who proliferate media content and support policies that are harmful to children and others--even when he knows doing so will be unpopular, and that his comments will be crucified online and elsewhere.  Adore him or despise him, in this age of moral opacity and entropy, everyone always knows where Bill O'Reilly stands--something you can't say about many high profile journalists and leaders in this country.  Thank God someone in the USA with enormous power is willing to consistently stand on the side of modesty, propriety, and integrity.  

In a world dominated by political correctness and ideological loyalty (often at the expense of honesty and decency), Bill O'Reilly -- ever worthy of his famous moniker: A Bold, Fresh, Piece of Humanity -- remains ever true to his principles.  You may not like his principles, but how can you not admire someone as successful, rich, and well traveled as Bill, who, after all these years, remains true to the same code of ethics and principles he was brought up with in Levittown.  Perhaps ironically, it is this integrity to principle that has led to his unprecedented success.  A successful project, job, or year can be lucked or timed into.  But a successful career at the very top of one's industry that leaves a positive, lasting legacy attached thereto must always be earned the old-fashioned way, and YOU, Bill O'Reilly, have earned it.

Thank you, Mr. Bill, for your fine example of what it means to be successful in America and still live with integrity.  Thank you for your courage to speak the truth, especially when it is unpopular to do so.  And most of all, THANK YOU for the profound influence you have had on my life and career.  I hope for the opportunity to someday meet you.

As a way of expressing my gratitude, I referenced you via one of your self-appointed titles in the opening line of a recent public address I gave on EDUCATION at Lone Star College of the Woodlands (North Houston, Texas).  Click HERE to view Dr. Jensen reference Bill O'Reilly in the opening line of his groundbreaking speech on Education.

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (VI)

PART 12: Restoring American Patriotism & Greatness

The call and goal of Self-Action Leadership is self-renewal which inevitably leads to organizational, national and then international renewal.

I am under no illusions about the difficulty of the task. Transformations of entire cultures do not happen overnight. It took many decades for postmodernism to become firmly entrenched in the academy and pollute our culture to the point it has today. Likewise, it will take many decades for the Age of Authenticism to fully blossom in the hearts of ourselves, our families, classrooms, universities, governing bodies, Nation, and the world-at-large.

The best way we can make the world a better place is to make America a better place, and we begin making America a better place by loving, serving, and rooting for our own country. Once again, in the sage words of President Teddy Roosevelt:

“A [person] must be a good patriot before he can be … a good citizen of the world. Experience teaches us that the average man who protests that his international feeling swamps his national feeling, that he does not care for his country because he cares so much for mankind, in actual practice proves himself the foe of mankind…

"Now, this does not mean in the least that a man should not wish to do good outside his native land. On the contrary, just as I think that the man who loves his family is more apt to be a good neighbor than the man who does not, so I think that the most useful member of the family of nations is normally a strongly patriotic nation.”[2]

Let us not fear, my fellow Americans to shower upon our homeland all the authentic love and patriotism she deserves, and let us not aspire toward the mean or mediocre out of a concern for offending other nations.

Indeed, other nations are great in large measure because the United States was first great, and many nations are presently floundering in part because the United States is currently floundering.

May we take great pride in the unapologetic exceptionalism of our August Nation, and may we choose to be self-action leaders who improve ourselves that we may lay hold more authentically on this singular claim and thereby enjoy the countless blessings derived of excellence.

Many years ago, I chose to dedicate my life and career to the Cause of Freedom. Fortunately, I am still a young man with the greater portion of my life and career still before me. But I cannot accomplish it alone.

Indeed, I, of myself, can do but little, but together, we can do much. I call upon everyone within the sound of my voice—literally or virtually—to rise up and reclaim the right of self-sovereignty our Creator and Founding Fathers endowed upon us as Americans.

Then, as each of us improves individually, one-by-one, organization-by-organization, governing body-by-governing body, may we each rise further to help our fellows do the same, in a united effort to restore American Greatness and Strength. I do not say this in any attitude of existential superiority; Americans are no better than anyone else inherently. I say this out of historical fact—and in my present hope for a better future for everyone in the world.

Along the way, may we strive to be a little more tolerant of and loving towards our neighbors and fellow citizens—regardless how they choose to vote or live their lives. May we, in the inspiring words of Stephen R. Covey, choose to be a light, not a judge.

And the next time you see the Stars & Stripes flutter majestically in the wind at your local school, church, or car dealership, I invite you to place your hand over your heart, bow your head, and allow the sensations of gratitude for all this Country has provided you to drown out whatever erstwhile angst may have simmered over past grievances. I assure you that your day will go a little better, and your heart will be a little lighter, if you do so.

No matter who you are, and regardless what your race, culture, political persuasion, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, etc., may be, I invite you to cultivate the desire to learn, the will to work, and the integrity to adhere to conscience—in short, to unite in an embrace of the true and virtuous principles of self-reliance, self-respect, and self-government upon which our Nation was founded, and upon which it became the greatest Nation on Earth. Such unity is our only real hope for collective success & prosperity.

May God Bless the United States of America by blessing each of us in our individual pursuits of self-renewal that we may yet honorably fulfill the sacred responsibility we all have of lifting and leading the rest of the world into the welcomed arms of safety, security, liberty, freedom, & peace.

PART 9: The Golden Mean

One worldview that harmonizes particularly well with SAL is Aristotelian philosophy, and more specifically, Aristotle’s concept of the Golden Mean. This concept holds that virtue, or the good, is to be found in a balance between extremes.

Aristotle’s famous philosophy posits that right thinking and doing cannot occur in the presence of either deficiency or excess. The implication, of course, is that virtually all extremes can be labeled, in the very least, as incorrect, and at the very most, as downright evil.

As President Theodore Roosevelt once put it, “We can just as little afford to follow the doctrinaires of an extreme individualism as the doctrinaires of an extreme socialism.” [1] Therefore, according to Aristotle and Roosevelt, the happy medium between or among extremes is where truth is most likely to be located.

While it is a great truth that there are usually exceptions to the rule—meaning that isolated scenarios and unusual circumstances may require extreme action for limited periods of time (as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures)—in the great balance of things, truth is almost always found, well, in a balance of things!

PART 10: The Triadic Golden Mean of SAL

Truth, as defined by Self-Action Leadership, or SAL Philosophy, lies inside of a perfectly balanced triad consisting of three fundamental elements: Conscience, Common sense, and Rationality.

In other words, we must be willing to consult our brains, our experiences, and that of others (since that is where common sense wisdom comes from), and our own, authentic spiritual-visceral sense of what is right and what is wrong. 

The imbalance or neglect of any of these three, vital variables of the formula, will result in the wrong answers. Let me now address these three variables one at a time.

First, rationality. As human beings, we have been endowed with rational faculties that empower us to reason using sound logic and reliable scientific experimentation.

However, as all highly functioning rational beings know all too well, Mankind—despite its remarkable developments in science, medicine, and technology—still falls dismally short of anything that could be rightly called a perfect understanding of all things, and perhaps especially with regards to science.

For example, talk to any world renowned astronomer, and he or she will tell you there is a lot more we don’t know about the Universe than what we do know.

As such, and with a renewed effort to pursue scientific understanding to the fullest extent possible, let us honestly recognize and humbly accede the reality that we must yet make many decisions in life, both individually and collectively, that science alone cannot adequately address.

Thus, even the most rational of beings, must rationally turn to other avenues of wisdom when science alone fails to fully deliver. These avenues are: common sense (or experience), and conscience.

Let us first address the subject of common sense, which is rooted mainly in experience—both our own and that of others. In a world where common sense has become increasingly uncommon, where can we go to extract wisdom about this ironically elusive topic? The answer is: in the pages of history.

Despite the scientific verity that our Planet has existed in one state or another for some 4.5 billion years, we must, nonetheless, rely on a historical narrative and written record that is limited to only several thousand years. 

Despite this relatively short period of recorded history, we have been blessed with a fairly comprehensive canon of historical data on common sense. If we will study and learn from this record as an honest seeker of truth, we will be greatly empowered to live successfully in the present and build a better future for our children and their children.

As a starting point, may I suggest four (4) basic texts that will work wonders in restoring common sense and greatness to America.

1. The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution by W. Cleon Skousen
2. Citizenship in a Republic: by President Theodore Roosevelt. Speech delivered at the Sorbonne, Paris France, April 23, 1910. 
3. A Message to Garcia: by Elbert Hubbard
4. The Lessons of History, by Will and Ariel Durant 

PART 11: Conscience

Many difficulties and dilemmas we face as human beings can be effectively understood and addressed by rationality and common sense alone—but not all. In those moments of life when we are faced with challenges for which there lies neither scientific proof nor historical precedent, wherein can we turn?

The answer is Conscience—the light within.

One of our Nation’s sagest thinkers of yesteryear—Ralph Waldo Emerson—who built his career on a platform of scholarly skepticism of religious dogma, managed to still recognize the reality that something of significance resided within our minds, hearts, and spirits that transcended rationality. Perhaps this is why Emerson talked of “The Divine Knowledge,” and “The Over-Soul,” and suggested that “We are natural believers,” and that “nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”

No one can exercise true integrity without continually consulting his or her conscience—especially in matters where rationality and common sense alone are insufficient. Conscience can be dulled by ignoring its whisperings and acting contrary to its visceral commands. This is how our country has dulled its collective conscience. 

The only way to regain this collective conscience is for individuals to take a leadership role in reclaiming moral influence in the face of moral entropy.

It is up to YOU, and it is up to ME, to choose to listen to and follow our consciences in a good-faith effort to follow the counsel of Gandhi—to be the change we wish to see in our nation and in the world.

---

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

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

SAL Book: Universal Laws

LAW 6

Universal Laws exist to determine the price of Existential Growth.

The acquisition or achievement of anything comes with a price in time, effort, difficulty, pain, and/or money. The same is true of Existential Growth. The price of an individual achievement may differ from person to person based on each individual’s unique set of
SAL variables (benefits and limitations). As a result, what is easy and cheap for one person may be hard and expensive for another, and vice versa. Nevertheless, achieving the highest levels of Existential Growth is hard for anyone who undertakes the challenge.

SAL Mantra

Ease & Difficulty are Absolutely Relative to your ability, or lack thereof, to do.

COROLLARY 6.1: You cannot circumvent or cheat Universal Laws.

Universal Laws, like natural laws of science, must be respected and obeyed to avoid devastating consequences. For example, you can forget about the law of gravity, or choose to ignore it, but that does not change its presence in our world and universe, nor does it preclude the consequences that flow from disregarding it.

COROLLARY 6.2: Universal Laws apply to everyone; they do not play favorites.

Universal Laws do not care who you are. It doesn’t matter if you are the President of the United States, the Queen of England, or a homeless person on the street; the consequences of your thoughts, speech, and actions are determined by the omnipotent decrees of the Laws. No one is absolved of the consequences that flow from these decrees.

COROLLARY 6.3 (A PARADOX OF UNIVERSAL LAWS, PART 2): Universal Laws Create Limitations.

There are some things in this world that human beings simply cannot do, or at least cannot do yet. For example, we are currently unable to travel at the speed of light, fully cure cancer and AIDS, or scientifically answer questions like: “is there life on other planets,” “is there a God,” or “does life continue after death?” Furthermore, people are limited in what they can individually accomplish. In other words, no matter what the motivational speakers try and tell you, you can’t do absolutely anything you put your mind to. You can, no doubt, accomplish great things, but your extraordinary potential does not translate into human omnipotence.

One of life’s great challenges is differentiating between perceived and actual limitations and potential. While the concept of Existential Growth does provide a vision of your potential, it is ultimately a means of measuring what you have actually become, existentially speaking.

A key component of SAL is self-knowledge. The better you know yourself, the better you will understand your strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge will empower you to work to minimize or eliminate your weaknesses and to magnify and maximize your strengths. In this world, it does little good to cultivate the idea that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. You are much wiser to recognize your particular aptitudes (or lack thereof) and then become laser-focused on realizing your true potential.

For example, I am tall and skinny, with small bones and lean muscles—an ectomorph. As a result, I will never be a world champion weight lifter—no matter how positively I think, what training techniques I apply, or how hard I try. I can always become stronger and improve my own weight lifting performance, but it’s unrealistic to expect that I could ever compete with a mesomorph—someone born with a body well suited for weight lifting. On the other hand, as an experienced and skilled middle-distance runner, no champion weight lifter will ever beat me in a mile race when I am in top shape. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

SAL Mantra

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Smart self-action leaders become acquainted early with who they are, and what they have to offer. Rather than living in a fairy-tale world of imaginary achievements, they dedicate their lives to maximizing their unique opportunities for success and achievement, while contributing meaningfully to others along the way.

COROLLARY 6.4 (A PARADOX OF UNIVERSAL LAWS, PART 2): Universal Laws Create Benefits.

Universal Laws paradoxically limit and empower you at the same time. For example, the law of gravity precludes you from jumping off of high cliffs without incurring serious injury or death. But respecting gravity opens up a variety of new opportunities that would be impossible without its presence. For example, without gravity you can’t fly, skydive, hang-glide, bungee jump, cliff jump into water, etc.

COROLLARY 6.5: Existential Growth requires humility before Universal Laws.

It’s possible to have short-term success while disregarding Universal Laws. But know that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (and in the case of negative unintended consequences, they may not feel all that “equal” when the consequences come). Consequences find everybody at some point, because Universal Laws apply to everyone. So while short-term success might bring a measure of fulfillment now, their unfortunate long-term consequences will collect payment later—often with painful interest.

To illustrate, a person without integrity, self-control, compassion, and honor—no matter how wealthy and polished they may seem—has very little to offer in the way of a positive legacy, healthy relationships, and personal fulfillment. You’re not likely to enjoy their company, or even seek them out (unless you need something). Such a person is more likely to suffer from crippling isolation and loneliness, locked in a cycle of dysfunctional selfishness.

On the other hand, a person living a lifetime of SAL, no matter how modest their means, is a person worth knowing. The contributions of these “good people” are meaningful and appreciated. Self-action leaders are powerful people by virtue of their hard work and dedication. This is all the more true because people around them recognize their intrinsic goodness and worth. They are at peace with themselves and others. A self-action leader is confident, not arrogant. Their very presence uplifts, attracts, and supports others naturally. A true self-action leader is a force to be reckoned with, and influences positive change in themselves, others, and their surroundings.

COROLLARY 6.6: Honesty, integrity, and accurate self-awareness constitute humility.

Humility requires that you:

• Seek out and embrace the truth about yourself and others (self-awareness)
• Respond accordingly to that truth (integrity)

Honesty, integrity, and self-awareness are essentially synonyms of humility. These terms combine to form the basic quality of teachability – a vital characteristic required for the exercise of Self-Action Leadership and the achievement of Existential Growth.

Next Blog Post: Wednesday, February 4, 2015 ~ SAL Case Study: The Charlie & Muriel Pierson Story

Something Worth Doing Before Dec. 31st

With my marathons now behind me, it is time to turn my attention to more important matters… MUCH more important matters.

If I were a betting man, I’d wager good money on the fact that you love your Country and are concerned about the direction it has been heading.

And I’d guess that over the years, you have received no small portion of e-mails from well intentioned people seeking ardently, but less effectively, to do something about it by letting their voice be heard by forwarding along partisan propaganda filled with partial truths, half truths, or even outright lies that their senders failed to properly vet before forwarding them along to you.

Regardless how passionate you feel about the issues, you’ve probably found yourself growing weary of the steady stream of “junk political e-mails” that litter your inbox, and come to habitually delete most of them without a second glance. You may have even grown sufficiently annoyed to ask your “Friend” to remove you from his/her mailing list.

Many of you may have also gotten to the point where you avoid watching most news programs because of the bitter, strident, and even childish bickering that often fills the airwaves as the Media fights on in their acrid civil war.

In your heart, you wish there was something you could do to let YOUR voice be heard in support of character, conscience, liberty, and the Constitution, but in the hustle and bustle of daily life that swarms you with family, career, church, social, and personal obligations, you doubt there is much you can really do that would make any substantive difference.

For many years now, I have experienced these same emotions and frustrations. The past several years, however, I have discovered something I CAN do about it. The purpose of this e-mail is to share with you my plan, and ask for your support by simply reading the rest of this e-mail.

I believe that most fair-minded people of conscience can sense viscerally that the fundamental issues facing contemporary nations, governments, organizations, schools, homes, and individuals are not rooted primarily in policy problems, but in a bankruptcy of character. Policy, of course, is an outgrowth of character, but before institutional policies can be changed, or widespread cultures altered, individual character must be purified. My expertise is not in policy or culture. I do, however, know a thing or two about character; hence, this is where I have opted to make my contribution. This contribution has been many years in coming. For instance:

• Since I was eight years old, I have been deeply interested in the subject of character development. About that same time, I attended my first time management seminar, and began using my first Franklin Day Planner to organize my time as well as to identify, clarify, and prioritize my values, and set goals for personal development and self-improvement. 
• For the past 28 years, I have been, for better or worse, OBSESSED with my own character development, and how I might become an effective voice that could inspire others to become their best selves. 
• For the past 25 years, I have been diligently studying history and the work of experts in the fields of philosophy, theology, philology, self-help, and personal development. 
• For the past 13 years, I have been striving earnestly to develop a new theory and model of self-leadership that encapsulates the holism of my own thinking on the subject. 
• Over the past 5 years, I have completed a Doctoral degree in Education, written a 1,150-page dissertation, and an 802-page book in an effort to clearly articulate this newly developed Theory & Model. 

This coming January, I will be publishing an extensive revision – a more readable version – of this combined work, a project in which I have invested literally thousands of unpaid hours of labor over the course of many years.

I have also consulted with and received feedback and input from many wise, capable, and experienced individuals. This feedback has helped shape the final product into something I am very confident in, and proud of.

Those familiar with Physics have likely heard of String Theory, or a Theory of Everything. Such postulated theories attempt to isolate all the laws of science down into one fundamental premise, sort of like the Theory of Relativity does for the Law of Gravity, but with a far more expansive and comprehensive scope in mind.

You might say that my ambition has been to do something similar in the field of self-help and personal development. I have undoubtedly failed to perfectly achieve such an audacious ambition. Nevertheless, in making the attempt, I can say with confidence I have been successful in distilling a clear and vital message out of a sea of constituent truisms about living life effectively. I say this in all humility, recognizing – often painfully so – that I regularly fall short of the very ideals I put forth in my comprehensive work. The chasm between understanding & articulating theory and effectively undergoing practice is often very wide.

The purpose of this e-mail is NOT to ask you to buy my book. There is no need for that, because beginning on its date of publication in late January of next year, I am going to be giving it away for FREE in serial installments on my blog. This is in honor of one of my literary mentors—Charles Dickens—who often published his novels, including his wildly famous, A Tale of Two Cities, a chapter at a time in English newspapers before releasing it in book form. Those who read my book, serially or otherwise, will notice a touch of Dickens here and there in my own work.

Leading up to its date of publication, I will be publishing two (2) blog posts per week (on Mondays & Thursdays) that provide sneak peaks of what the manuscript has to offer. These sneak peaks will introduce and outline the book, and provide inspiring messages to uplift you in your daily journey through life.

Beginning January 5th, I will send out WEEKLY blog posts with chapters (or chapter sections), which will typically be readable in about 20 minutes. These weekly blog posts will continue until the entire book is made available serially online.

This letter serves as the first blog post. A schedule for subsequent blog posts throughout the remainder of this year is provided at the end of this post.

And now… I have TWO very simple requests of YOU,

my dear family members, friends, and colleagues.

First, please sign up to receive my Free Blog Posts. If you have already signed up, you are set. If you are not yet signed up, and if you desire to receive blog posts in the future, simply click on the link below and add your e-mail address on the right hand side of the page where it says: “Follow by E-mail,” and then click “Submit.” You will then begin receiving future Blog Posts in your e-mail inbox. And don’t worry, I will not sign up anyone against your will; this is a 100% voluntary invitation.

Click Here to Sign up to Receive Dr. Jensen’s Freedom Focused Blog Articles

Second, if you believe this is something that others in your family or social circle would appreciate receiving on a bi-weekly and then weekly basis, please e-mail, facebook, tweet, etc., them and encourage them to also sign up for the blog.

That’s it!

I feel confident you will find the blog posts both interesting and inspiring in a way that brightens your hope for your future, as well as the future of our great, albeit presently declining, nation—a country I dearly love and intend to do everything in my power to make certain Her greatest days are before us instead of behind us. In addition, you may read things that will help you in your own self-leadership endeavors, as well as to gain ideas about what you might do to further promote the causes you feel most passionately about in defense of truth, virtue, liberty, character, and freedom.

I close with an excerpt from my book’s Afterword, which was written by Dr. David G. Anthony, the CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas, and the former Superintendent of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (the 3rd largest school district in Texas and one of the top 25 largest school district in America). A few additional endorsement quotes from leadership scholars around the Country are included as well:

“Reading [Jordan’s] book may be the most worthwhile thing you do this year. I hope the message of Self-Action Leadership makes its way into the minds and hearts of students, parents, and business professionals everywhere. Its presence in the literature is a service to our Country.”  

~ David G. Anthony, Ed.D., CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas

“There is no more important contributor to your own effectiveness than how you lead yourself. If you want to learn a great deal about the latest thinking on self-leadership, read this book.” 

~ Charles C. Manz, Ph.D: The University of Massachusetts, co-author of Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence, and Father of the self-leadership field in the Academe

“Jensen has accomplished a task that is very difficult for any author to achieve, and that is to produce a single text that is highly relevant to multiple audiences at the same time. Because of the universal applicability of basic self-leadership principles, his message is germane not only to persons struggling with OCD, depression, or other forms of mental illness, but to civic leaders, business professionals and workers of all kinds, educators, students, parents, and children—in short, to everyone. Indeed, I do believe that virtually anyone who reads this book will be able to take something away from it that will improve his or her life in a significant way. In the process, it might even touch emotions in your heart that will move you to joy and tears. It takes a talented writer to do all of these things, so I know you’ll enjoy reading this book. More importantly, I know you’ll come away a wiser person with an increased motivation to begin taking action to realize your own Self-Action Leadership potential, an opportunity we can all take full advantage of, if only we will.” 

~ Christopher P. Neck, Ph.D. : University Master Teacher, Arizona State University, and co-author of Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence and Management

"While a number of books and articles have been written on the topic of self-leadership, Jordan Jensen’s Self-Action Leadership goes deep below the surface level of basic self-leading strategies and accompanying examples to provide an in-depth examination of how self-leadership processes can be woven effectively into the fabric of one’s life. A deeply personal and richly emotive narrative, Self-Action Leadership takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, providing one of the most detailed and applied treatments of self-leadership concepts currently available." 

~ Jeffery D. Houghton, Ph.D.: West Virginia University, Associate Professor of Management, & leading self-leadership Scholar.

“Jordan Jensen has written a thorough, intense, and illuminating autobiographical volume about how to lead self. His story, compounded by OCD and a determination to improve, will help others reflect on how they might best lead themselves – given whatever genetic endowment or mimetic inheritance they may have received. Jordan’s depth of analysis and self-insight will inspire others to take a similarly in-depth review of who they are who they want to be—at least once before they die—a journey well worth the effort.”  

~ James G.S. Clawson, Ph.D.: The Darden Graduate School, The University of Virginia, and author of Level 3 Leadership: Getting Below the Surface.