- Revue Née Jolie II -

Coucou les filles !
Me revoilà pour une revue avec des produits venant tout droit de la boutique Née Jolie. Vous trouverez à la fin de l'article tous les liens de chaque article avec leurs prix.

Cette fois-ci j'ai commandé un mascara fibre 3D , des faux cils individuels et une plaque de stamping. Aller c'est parti je commence par vous montrer ma jolie plaque "mandala"

Bon la première photo c'était juste parce que je trouvais l'emballage trop chou... oui je suis bizarre et j'assume ahahah
Pour ce teste j'ai posé "French Kiss" de Anny et j'ai fais un dégradé de paillettes avec "Lost'N Roses" de Catrice et pour finir mon nail art j'ai évidemment stamper ^^

J'ai rien à dire de particulier, la plaque est bien creusé est c'est très facile de relever les motifs. J'aime d'amour le résultat mandala, je me prendrai surement d'autres plaques par la suite.


Passons au mascara, j'aime beaucoup la boite pour commencer et comme j'aime bien les motifs léopard, forcément le design m'a plus.

Quand on ouvre .... TADAAAAA ce sont deux tubes hyper classe qui se présentent à nous.
Un duo gel et fibres qui donnent du volume et plus de longueur aux cils. Vous avez donc deux tubes différents, un avec le mascara gel et l'autre avec les fibres. Voilà à quoi ça ressemble en faisant un petit zoom.

Bon, sur le papier c'est sympas, mais en vrai ça donne quoi ?
Et bien je ne suis pas déçue, je ne m'attendais pas à un si bon rendu. C'est très simple à utiliser mais prévoyez quand même quelque chose ((un gros pinceau)) pour retirer les fibres qui pourraient chuter lors de la pose.

Pour la marche à suivre:
Il faut mettre votre mascara comme à votre habitude, ensuite sans le laisser sécher ((sinon vous risquez d'avoir plein de poils sur le visage)), passez votre brosse fibres à partir de la moitié de la longueur de vos cils. Et pour finir et fixer tous ça, une nouvelle couche de mascara.
Si vous voulez donner encore plus de longueur il vous suffit répéter l'opération en mettant cette fois les fibres seulement au bout de vos cils. Effet garantis !!

Vous le savez j'ai déjà de longs cils, mais j'aime quand ça fais effet faux cils justement, alors je ne me prive pas. Avec ce mascara j'avais vraiment l'impression d'avoir posé des mèches. ^^ 
Voilà un comparatif pour vous sans mascara, avec une couche fibres et avec deux couches fibres!

Entre la première et la troisième photo on voit clairement la différence !
Dernier point concernant le démaquillage. Je n'ai pas rencontré de problème particulier pour enlever tout ça, c'est parti très facilement.

Et pour terminer en parlant de faux cils j'avais envie d'essayer ce type de produits. Souvent quand on s'achète des faux cils on prend plutôt des mèches toutes faites et on a plus qu'à les coller. Ici c'est du poil par poil lol

Ils fond 12mm de long, ne sont ni trop rigides ni trop mou et ils sont bien curvés. Je ne les ai pas encore essayé parce qu'il faut prendre un peu de temps pour les poser du fait que c'est du un par un. Mais ne vous inquiètez pas, pour mon prochain makeup je les poserai et vous ferai des photos pour les ajouter à l'article.

En tout cas a première vue ils sont de bonne qualité et se manipulent assez facilement. Mais c'est vraiment le temps qui me manque et j'avais pas envie d'attendre encore plus longtemps pour vous présenter les autres produits. Ne m'en voulez pas de vouloir vous faire des choses propres <3


Voilà, pfiouuuuu...Un article avec pleins de photos, ça faisait longtemps ! 
Encore une fois je suis satisfaite de mes produits et je vous les recommande. Si vous voulez voir ou revoir ma première revue Née Jolie c'est par ici.
D'ailleurs vous avez toujours le code promo FXX10 qui vous donne droit à -10% sur votre panier. Et les frais de port sont toujours gratuits dans le monde entiers. ENJOY !!

Récapitulatif des produits:
- Plaque de stamping "mandala"              2.33€ 
- Mascara duo                                           6.45€
- Kit de faux cils individuels 12mm         1.55€

SAL Case Study: The Joe Jensen Story

Read About a Real Educator 

Who is Making a REAL Difference

Politicians, pundits, and other persons of power love to talk about public education in America and point out its many pressing problems.  Sadly, for many, their main concerns with the "system" often involve structural inequality, lack of money, standardization, unionization, and a litany of other issues that have little to do with the heart of the matter--which involves helping the students themselves become good citizens that productively contribute to society.

Make no mistake, structural inequality, lack of resources, and other issues can present real challenges.  They are, however, not primary issues; they are secondary issues.  The root of most educational problems in America virtually always lies in a lack of knowledge, competence, character, and caring on the part of the educators themselves.

Even the most lavishly funded and structurally equitable schools will never realize their full potential if their leaders and teachers lack character--and an understanding of the fundamental principles that lead to long-term student success. 

Conversely, even the poorest funded and most structurally inequitable schools can achieve remarkable things if the teachers and administrators that lead them possess character & competence and really care about their students. 

Dr. David G. Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas

In the words of Dr. David G. Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas, and former Superintendent of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (among of 25 largest in the USA) in Houston, TX:

"I look at results that answer the question: how do we best serve kids? The simple goal of education is to make people better. We need to make adults better, and we must make students better. That’s the only goal I’ve ever really had."

Educators like Dr. Anthony are, in my experience, not a dime-a-dozen, and when you find them, they are worth their weight in gold.  I recently came across an article about just such an educator.  His name is Joe Jensen -- soon to be Dr. Joe Jensen -- the Principal of Orem Junior High School in Orem, Utah.

Principal Joe Jensen, who, aside from making big
waves in the world of education,  is also a husband,
the father of six, and an avid athlete who has
finished the elite Leadville 100 mountain
biking race an impressive 7-times.

Joe is one of the finest self-action leaders I have ever met.  His personal capacity, competence, and integrity as a leader and educator have initiated quantum changes at his school.  Even more impressive, his unprecedented accomplishments come at a Title 1 school.    

Freedom Focused exists to develop and promote leaders like Joe Jensen in the field of education and beyond.  If I have anything to say about it, his inspiring story will eventually touch all corners of this nation, which so desperately needs educators like Joe at the helm of our nation's public schools and districts.  I invite you to read his inspiring story and share with your personal network.

Click HERE to READ the Joe Jensen Story.

Next Blog Post: Tuesday, February 17, 2015  ~  The Unabridged Case Study of Felicia Cockrell

SAL Book: Creating Your World from the Inside-Out

LAW 6:

Long-term solutions to most of your problems are found inside, not outside, your world.

For the most part, the biggest problems you will face in your life will not be rooted in external difficulties; they will be rooted in your own deficiencies as a self-action leader.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. Forces of nature, others’ choices, structural inequality, and numerous other variables can sometimes genuinely be at fault for your given situation or circumstance. [1] Bad things do happen to good people. But remember, even in unfair circumstances, you still maintain control over how you choose to respond. In the long run, your response is usually more important and influential than what actually happens to you. 

Your freedom to choose endows you with enormous personal power. Armed with this power, it is possible to transcend many external challenges—even those you thought were initially outside your sphere of influence. The lives of many great self-action leaders illustrate this truth. A few of my favorite examples include Mohandas Gandhi, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Oprah Winfrey. The lives of such individuals—and countless others—illuminate the penetrating truth spoken first by Plutarch and then Otto Rank, into which I have chosen to make a SAL Mantra:

SAL Mantra

What you achieve inwardly changes your outer reality.

The next chapter tells the story of a remarkable woman who demonstrated the tremendous power that can be accessed inside your world, regardless of the external challenges and realities of your life.


[1] Sixteen (16) of these self-leadership variables are specifically listed and addressed in BOOK THE FIRST, Chapter 16.

SAL Case Study: The Fred & Marlene Hawryluk Story

Quiet Self-Action Leadership from the Silent Generation

Part 2 

The Story of Fred & Marlene Hawryluk

I grew up in an age of unprecedented prosperity that was markedly different from the world my parents and grandparents inhabited (born 1943 & 1946 and 1899 & 1907 respectively). By the time I was born in the latter-end of the 1970s, the scarcity of the Depression and World War II eras—and to a certain extent the virtues they engendered—were becoming distant memories.

I was fortunate, however, to be close to persons who lived through those difficult times. Through their example, I was able to and observe some powerful lessons. In the memorable verse of Edgar A. Guest:

I’d rather see a sermon
Than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me
Than merely tell the way…

For I might misunderstand you
And the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding
How you act and how you live.

Once, as a young lad of 10 or 11, I went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant with my maternal grandmother, Ruth (1907-1992). I recall watching her take a single napkin from the dispenser, tear it in half, put one half in her purse for later use, and proceed to use only the other half throughout her entire meal. For a kid in the 1980s and 1990s, accustomed to taking as many napkins as I wished—and then inefficiently using and discarding them—I was surprised, and impressed, by this act. While I often heard my progenitors speak of leaner times, and their accompanying habits, practices, and mantras, they were never as real for me as they were for my parents and grandparents. Nevertheless, I always greatly respected family members and others born in the first half of the 20th century for the noble virtues they exemplified, and viewed their approval and praise as the consummate compliment of circumspect citizenship. While all generations have their faults, I recognized a deep well of wisdom within my predecessors from which I could receive upright moral instruction and glean life lessons. These models of modesty, fidelity, frugality, simplicity, and silent courage became my mentors, not because they forced their ideology on me, but because I admired them. I was motivated, therefore, to act in ways that would garner the approbation of my elders.

Fred, a part-time cobbler by trade, in his workshop (garage)

There is elegance in simplicity, and Fred and Marlene Hawryluk personify this statement better than anyone I’ve known. This chapter shares the common, yet compelling, story of their lives.

When I met the Hawryluks over a decade ago, they had been in their small and modest home for approximately 40 years. Despite its size, I have rarely—if ever—seen a home so clean and tidy, or one that possessed a more peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.

Fred’s father, John, immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine in 1912. At the time, 160-acre plots of free land were available to anyone willing to work it. But upon arriving, John was arrested. At the time, the United Kingdom (including Canada) was waging war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which encompassed present-day Ukraine. Fears of cultural and political subversion from disloyal sympathizers resulted in the arrests of many immigrants at the time, not all of which were justified. After his release, he returned to the same neighborhood he had tried to start a new life in and bought up all the land he could. He was not rich, but he was industrious, and had an eye for opportunity. He worked hard and avoided debt.

His son, Fred, grew up during the Great Depression. Fred went to school in a four-room schoolhouse that included two outhouses and a stable for the student’s horses.

When Fred and Marlene got married, John gifted a small plot of land to his son. Fred bought a small adjacent lot of land for $285 and began building a home. Like the Piersons, the Hawryluks started out with very little. However, they were hard working, self-reliant, and frugal. Determined to remain debt-free, they patiently built their home as they could afford it over a period of two years. As a result, they never had a mortgage. They invested sweat, tears, and even blood (from minor accidents) into the construction of a modest, but very comfortable and tidy home. Fifty years later, they still live there. The Hawryluks also have a large, well-kept, and productive flower and vegetable garden. Growing their own fresh fruits and vegetables has saved them countless dollars over the course of their adult lives.

Canadian winters are cold (often dipping into sub-zero temperatures), and for the first winter they lived in only one room and used an outhouse. Fred wired the house himself after proactively seeking out lessons on the skill. Throughout the construction process, he would often walk to where another home was being constructed and observe how the builders were proceeding. He learned a lot from these observations, and managed to progress with his own home’s construction by working a step or two behind another home’s construction crew. Marlene helped Fred with much of the manual labor, including sawing boards.

Like Charlie and Muriel, Fred and Marlene have a large family that includes five children, 23 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. They taught their children the same life lessons that brought them success, and their children and grandchildren are, in turn, teaching those lessons to their children.

Fred & Marlene aren’t famous or rich—unless you consider wonderful family members, fresh and delicious fruits & vegetables, and zero debt as assets in their “portfolio,” in which case they are wealthy indeed. But the Hawryluk’s are happy, and you can’t put a price on happiness. In fact, they refer to their little heaven on Earth as the “Happy Hawruluk House,” or the “Hawryluk Haven.” Now in the twilight of their lives, they can look back on their long lives with satisfaction, contentment, and most importantly—inner peace. I’ve met a lot of monetarily rich folks who can’t do that. I’ll bet you have too.

Marlene at work out back of the "Happy Hawryluk House"
in her and Fred's productive vegetable and flower gardens.

SAL Case Study: The Charlie & Muriel Pierson Story

Quiet Self-Action Leadership from the Silent Generation

Part 1

It is one thing to exercise effective SAL for a day-or-two, or a couple of weeks—or even a few months or years. Practicing it for the better part of an entire lifetime, however, is another matter! This chapter’s case study highlights the life story of two remarkable people who accomplished the difficult feat of enduring to the end of a long life while practicing effective SAL along much of the way.

Charlie and Muriel Pierson, of Alberta, Canada, are excellent examples of what Joseph Badaracco, Jr. describes as quiet leaders.

These men and women aren’t high-profile champions of causes, and don’t want to be. They don’t spearhead ethical crusades. They move patiently, carefully, and incrementally. They do what is right—for their organizations, for the people around them, and for themselves—inconspicuously and without casualties. I have come to call these people quiet leaders because their modesty and restraint are in large measure responsible for their impressive achievements. And since many big problems can only be resolved by a long series of small efforts, quiet leadership, despite its seemingly slow pace, often turns out to be the quickest way to make an organization—and the world—a better place. [1]

LAW 8:

Existential Growth cannot be given, traded for, or bought; it must be earned.

If you have enough money, you can buy any product or service. But, all the money and technology in the world won’t buy knowledge, skills, integrity, courage, compassion, patience, happiness, real friendship, or Existential Growth. Developing character and shaping your existence always has a price tag in time and effort, and the price can sometimes prove steep—even steeper than many are willing to pay.

This case study illustrates what diligent planning, focused effort, disciplined practice, self-sacrifice, and patience over a lifetime created for a Western Canadian couple from the Silent Generation. Members of the Silent Generation include persons born between 1925 and 1942. [2] This is the story of two exemplary self-action leaders who were born in the late 1920s at the very beginning of the Silent Generation. Since then, they have quietly gone about their business for nearly 90 years—with little fanfare, but much to show for their efforts. Throughout their lives, Charlie and Muriel Pierson have not only exercised effective quiet leadership, but outstanding Self-Action Leadership as well.

Charlie Pierson was born in Alberta, Canada, in the late 1920s. He was the youngest of 11 children. When he was 18 months old, his father died, and then later, at 14, Charlie lost his mother. Shortly before his mother’s death, while in the eighth grade, he quit his formal schooling for good. None of his older siblings were willing to take him in, leaving him alone with his grief and without shelter or opportunities for higher education.

Desperate for work, the 14-year-old homeless orphan saw an ad in the window of a lumber company. Pierson inquired about the job. The manager replied: “Kid, we need a man, not a boy.” Charlie tells what happened next:

"I told him I needed the job really bad as I had lost my mother and had nowhere to go; if he would just try me out, I would work all day for nothing. If he found I couldn’t stand up to the job, then he could let me go, but if I could do the work, then he would hire me. He consented and told me to be in to work at 8:00 the next morning. When I got to work the next morning, I found I was to work with the truck driver hauling cement on a flatbed truck which held 200 bags of cement from the railway cars at -------, Alberta to the sheds at ---------- Lumber Yard.

"Now, when we were loading the truck from the freight car, the truck driver gave me a real trial. He would carry one bag of cement (100 pounds) out to the truck from the freight car, go back in, pick up two bags, and carry them out. For me to prove I could do the job, I had to carry, bag for bag, with him. We did this all day from 8 in the morning until 5 that night. Boy, was I tired!! I went in to the manager and asked him if I had the job, and he said that he had to talk to the truck driver first and to wait around. The truck driver went in and talked to him. He then called me back in and told me I had a job because the driver told him he’d never worked with anyone better than I was."

With hard labor came challenges; his circumstances sometimes necessitated his working outside in temperatures as low as -50˚ below zero Fahrenheit. Charlie slept in a room with no heat, with a single buffalo robe to stay warm. During this difficult time in his life, he slowly succumbed to alcoholism, and developed smoking and gambling habits as well.

Charlie Pierson’s birth year kept him from being one of the youngest members of the World War II Generation, sometimes called the “G.I. Generation,” [3] or the “Greatest Generation” [4] by a few years, but he was just old enough to don a military uniform before the end of the War. After a failed attempt to enlist as an underage soldier (due to a failed health exam), he eventually enlisted in the Canadian Army at 17 in 1944. Charlie was discharged in 1946, without traveling abroad or seeing any action. He does not describe himself as an honorable soldier or person during this time in his life.

"During my time in the services, I was not the type of person that I am proud to write about… I had been drinking pretty heavily when I enlisted in the army, so it continued on, night after night."

Around this time, Charlie began to engage in serious self-examination [5] that led to some important adjustments in his life. One of the primary catalysts of these changes was Muriel Hawryluk—“the milk girl”—whom he met in 1946. Muriel caught his eye and inspired him to make positive changes in his behavior that would last a lifetime. According to Charlie, “Everybody was against us” getting married but “we didn’t care what other people said. We knew we loved each other and that was what mattered.” The two were wed on April 10, 1948.

"How I enjoyed being Charlie’s wife! I can’t forget the joy I experienced to be with Charlie 24 hours of the day. It was so important to me to marry the one I loved, but it was even more important to love the one I married. This made up for any inconvenience that came our way. We had no fridge, no cupboards, no utilities, and only a wood stove to cook on. We carried our water from Clifford’s well. We enjoyed it all."

Following their wedding, Charlie and Muriel got serious about what was important to them and what they wanted from life. Charlie decided to rekindle his religious faith and Muriel decided to join his church. While Charlie was not an alcoholic or gambling addict, he made the decision to put tobacco, alcohol, and gambling behind him for good after marrying Muriel. He and Muriel remained faithful to their church, their employment, their community, their family, and to each other for the rest of their lives. Along the way, they became models of self-sufficiency, selflessness, and good citizenship. They were not perfect—no self-action leader is—but amidst whatever mistakes they made along the way, they effectively personified what it means to be a successful self-action leader.

According to Charlie, “We had to work hard for what we got,” but, he adds, “I’m glad of it.” Life was not easy after they got married. Their accommodations, at best, were modest. He describes their first home in Alberta as a “two room house that wasn’t much to take a young beautiful girl to, but that’s all we had.” He recounts, “that year there were crickets by the billions. They would come through the cracks in the floor; they’d drop off the ceiling onto our bed at night; they were everywhere.”

From there, they moved to a larger city where they rented a couple of rooms from another family and shared a communal bathroom. Later, they lived with Muriel’s mother for a short period of time. Not wishing to make it a long-term arrangement, Charlie sold their car to build his family their own home.

With $1,075 from the sale of their car, they began work on their home. Charlie did most of the work himself, including digging out their basement. They continued to pursue their dream of having a place to call their own, despite Charlie breaking his nose with a hammer, and a blizzard flooding their house with snow. Although they struggled to keep warm that first winter, they continued to grow in their love and devotion to one another, and were surprisingly content in their difficult circumstances. Finally, after a herculean effort, and the near fatal birth of one of their daughter, the house was done.

Over the next 10 years, Charlie pursued a career in law enforcement, and he and Muriel had four more children. During this period of their life, Charlie and Muriel became increasingly dedicated to their faith, and Charlie remained firm in his decision to rid his life of tobacco, alcohol, and gambling.

One of the greatest indicators of Charlie and Muriel’s Self-Action Leadership was their desire to be self-reliant. This desire fueled Charlie’s ambition to build his wife and family a home.

The House that Charlie built in 1960 (top) and 2000 (bottom)

"Early in 1958, I saw a picture in the paper of the Home of the Week. I loved the home, brought it home, and said to Muriel, ‘Here’s your new home. What do you think of it?’ She just laughed at me. I said, ‘I am really serious. This will be your new home.’ I contacted her dad and bought a 50-foot lot south of our property for $600. On buying the lot, I proceeded to tear down the fence and dig up the rhubarb, and Muriel said, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ I stated, ‘This is where you new home’s going to be, the one I showed you.’ I think now she’s taking me seriously. I got the building permit, hired the basement dug, and had the basement walls poured, and the sub-floor on. And from there I built the rest of the house by myself with limited help from different people."

When Charlie and Muriel built their first, there were only about seven houses visible in the surrounding vicinity. Over time, a large community sprung up that was eventually annexed by an even larger city. Fifty-five years after first starting their dream home, Charlie and Muriel are still living there.

Over the course of those five decades, they accomplished many things. Charlie served in law enforcement for 30 years before retiring in 1982.

In what little spare time he had, Charlie took up the hobby of rebuilding old cars. His achievements as a hobbyist culminated with his building two different recreational vehicles (RVs) he could use for family vacations. He had no formal training in auto mechanics, but doggedly pursued self-education on the subject. He persisted through whatever problems or obstacles that arose. Sometimes while working on an automotive project, he would go to bed without any idea how to proceed. When this would occur, he would pray for help and the inspiration would come—sometimes in the middle of the night—often leading him to get up and work until daybreak pursuing whatever ideas came, according to Charlie, as an answer to his prayers. Below is a series of pictures of a car that Charlie restored from start to finish.

Starting out...

All finished!

Charlie and Muriel’s self-reliance was made possible in part by their frugality. As newlyweds, Charlie told Muriel that, “two could live as cheap as one,” and he still believes it. If something needed mending or repairing, they usually managed to fix it themselves, thus saving the cost of hiring a repairman.

Rather than living lives primarily aimed at self-promotion or aggrandizement, the Piersons’ lives have been consistently aimed at contributing meaningfully to the well being of their marriage, family (they raised five children to adulthood), church, and community. Additionally, Charlie and Muriel donated a sizable portion of their personal time, effort, and money to their church.

Extended Pierson Family in 1998.

Presently, the Pierson’s have five children, 24 grandchildren, and nearly 60 great-grandchildren. The following picture was taken of their posterity at their 50th wedding anniversary.

Charlie’s journey through life has not always been easy—even after he transcended his difficult years after being orphaned. He dealt with many health problems over the course of his lifetime: repeated bouts with kidney stones, varicose veins, blood clots, glaucoma, hypoglycemia, and prostate issues—to name a few.

Muriel has faced her challenges as well, including her original family’s vehement disagreement with her decision to join Charlie’s church, the painful divorce of one of her sons, and the subsequent estrangement of several of her grandchildren. Through it all, they have managed to live long, and live well.

In their later years, they invested a great deal of love and time in making woodworking projects for all of their grandchildren.

They are tremendous models of “extraordinary ordinary people.” [6] Charlie and Muriel have remained devoted to their family in word and deed, and to each other as well. Rarely, if ever, have I observed a couple—especially of their age—who are more caring and devoted to each other. [7]


Next Blog Post: Friday, February 6, 2015 ~ SAL Case Study: The Fred & Marlene Hawryluk Story


[1] Badaracco, J.L., Jr. (2002) Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Pages 1-2.
[2] Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. New York: Quill, Page 279.
[3] Ibid. Page 261.
[4] Brokaw, T. (1998). The Greatest Generation. New York, NY: Delta.
[5] Neck, C. P., & Manz, C. C. (2010). Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself
for Personal Excellence (Fifth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. See page 19.
[6] The title of Condoleezza Rice’s recent memoir about her growing up years with her parents. Rice, C. (2010) Extraordinary, Ordinary people: A Memoir of Family. New York, NY: Crown.
[7] Once scene in particular illustrates the sincerity of the love they still share, 65 years later. While visiting them recently in their Canadian home, I noticed how close the couple chose to sit next to each other. Charlie rested his left hand tenderly on Muriel’s right leg. Muriel rested her left hand gently on his arm. After 63 years of marital fidelity and devotion, it seemed they adored each other as much as ever.

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

SAL Case Study: The Jason Miner Story

Having already shared Nat William's Story in a previous blog post, today I am going to share another story today of another self-action leader: Jason Miner

"Do your homework. It’s a simple message, but it is what has gotten me where I am today. I don’t just go to a job and leave it there. If you want to be really good at what you do, you have to give up some hobbies and/or free time and you’ve got to really study, because there is only so much you can learn when you are on the clock. Whether it is pursuing continuing education, taking online courses, subscribing to a blog of someone really smart in your industry, or reading books, the way to become an expert at something is to put in the time to learn. Find some time every day to just learn something. You are going to get ahead if you do a little extra homework or read a book."

– Jason Miner

In this chapter, I share the story of a young father named Jason Miner, who used Self-Action Leadership to advance his career and become very successful. With a keen eye for opportunity, and the attitude and work ethic to back it up, Miner was able to gradually write his own ticket in his workplace.

Jason lives with his wife and three children in the Houston, Texas area. He was born in a smaller community in Northern Utah, and was raised in a middle-class home.

In high school, Jason developed a love for woodworking. He learned he could be more productive if he woke up early and went to the shop before school started. He typically arrived at school by 5:45 a.m. each day throughout high school. His efforts earned him awards and the collection of professional-grade furniture that adorns his home today. He graduated from high school in 1996 and earned a vocational scholarship to a local state college, which he attended for two semesters before serving a 2-year mission in Maracaibo, Venezuela for his Church. After his missionary service, he continued his studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. His mantra in college was, “just get smarter, and work hard in my classes.”

After moving to Salt Lake, he got a job to pay his way through school. After proactively seeking out employment opportunities, he landed a job at Cardon Health Care. He had zero experience in healthcare, but Cardon liked the fact that he could speak Spanish, and they were willing to train.

Cardon specializes in providing financial counseling to uninsured hospital patients. As a Cardon representative, Jason would interview people who had recently been in the emergency room, talk to them about their options, and communicate with them over the phone. He worked part-time at Cardon for 25-30 hours a week while he attended school. In time, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Spanish.

Over time, Cardon began to significantly expand their clientele. Jason worked hard, demonstrated dependability and integrity, and expressed interest in working full-time after graduation. He was given an opportunity to represent the company at a particular hospital (Cardon’s relationship with said hospital wasn’t going well at the time) his mission being to reverse Cardon’s troubled circumstances. He recalls being “really excited” about the chance to “right the ship.” 

Going to work in the hospital was challenging, but satisfying. He was on a first-name basis with many doctors and other important hospital employees. Since patients had no way of getting treatments they needed without Cardon’s help, Miner found the work to be meaningful. During his time there, he helped people get heart transplants, liver transplants, and walk again after serious accidents. There were times when he felt instrumental in saving people’s lives.

Miner enjoyed his work, and ended up supervising Cardon’s work at the hospital for about three years. In the process, he successful turned things around.

“I like getting stuff done.”
– Jason Miner

By working hard and diligently applying himself, he became an industry expert. His expertise and track record of success opened up another opportunity, this time in management. His new position had him supervising 10-20 people. It afforded him the opportunity to travel and gave him the responsibility to hire and fire employees. He excelled at his new position, and continued to attract positive attention from his supervisors. He also got a raise.

A few years later, he was promoted again, providing him with another leadership opportunity, and a salary increase. He was now running an entire office, managing 30-40 people. In addition, he was responsible for training and tasking an entire team of supervisors.

For many years, Miner’s long-term ambition was to attend law school. As his hard work and diligence continued to reap rich dividends at Cardon, however, his original goal of law school looked less and less attractive. And this is where the story takes an especially inspiring turn.

Jason had always been a hobbyist when it came to computers; he was a self-taught troubleshooter with a variety of computer issues, and had even built his own computer from scratch. His team worked on about 60 different computers, which presented a problem because the IT department was in Texas, while Jason’s office was in Utah. He increasingly got involved with the IT side of things because he could solve computer problems.

If his office got a new shipment of computers, Jason was the one who set it up. If something broke, he fixed it. When network and Wi-Fi issues cropped up, he repaired them. He did so much IT work outside normal business hours that he ended up getting quite a bit of extra pay. As word of his track record spread, members of his team started coming to him with their computer issues.

Things really got interesting when Jason started programming. He originally began dabbling in the science because twice a month, he had to complete a pay review. This was important, but tedious and time-consuming work that was well below his pay grade. It also required that he spend many hours on the weekends outside of regular work hours. So, he began to think creatively about writing a software program that would complete the pay review electronically.

He had already studied a book on Microsoft Office’s programming language (VBA). He was fascinated by VBA, macros, and scripting, so he got an even bigger book on the subject and read it. In the course of his studies, he figured out a lot of shortcuts that made his job easier. Eventually, it dawned on him that he could write an entirely new program that could do the pay review for him. He figured if he succeeded, he could get his weekends back.

After long hours spent coding, he succeeded, and cut 8-12 hours of work down to 30 minutes (25 of which he could be doing other things while the computer completed the pay review on its own). The difference in efficiency was staggering. When people around the office learned what he did, the demand for his skills increased.

Others had similar problems they were dealing with, and were excited to learn that Jason had a solution. He ended up spending all of his extra time writing code for other people. In the process, his office became far more efficient.

About this same time, Cardon needed to replace their outdated computer systems. When Jason heard the news, he was proactively vocal about his desire to participate. At every available opportunity, he put forth excellent suggestions and provided much needed input based in his hands-on experience with making IT systems better in the office. It was challenging to get his voice heard at first because he wasn’t officially part of the IT Department; but he was pleasantly persistent. Eventually, as the IT director learned the things Jason had done, word of his skill and qualifications made it to the CEO. Subsequently, the CEO personally informed the IT director that he wanted to include Jason in the discussion.

As a result, IT headquarters created a new position and told Jason that if he was willing to move to Texas, Cardon would make him the project manager of the entire system conversion. He would work with computer programmers and developers to make sure the system was correctly built and properly tested. Jason accepted the promotion, which came with yet another raise. At about this time, he was also offered another management promotion, which likely would have paid him even more money than he was being offered in Texas, but he chose the IT opportunity because his heart was in computers--not management.

Jason and his family moved to Texas in 2007 to prepare for the system-wide conversion, set to take place in August of that year. After moving to Texas, he realized the extent of gaps in his IT knowledge. So he went to work to learn. He got a bunch of books and in his spare time, he studied. He made valuable use of his study time to enhance his knowledge and improve his skills—going so far as to set up a test server in his house so he could practice coding.

“At night, after the kids were in bed, my wife would read novels, and I would read books on how to program.”
– Jason Miner

The system conversion went really well and firmly established Jason as a competent IT project manager. After the conversion was complete, he and his colleagues began tackling a long list of enhancements scheduled for the new system—with Jason in charge of the system patches and upgrades. As he continued his work, his bonuses kept getting better and better each year.

A year or so after the conversion, a falling out occurred between the two founders of the company. The director of IT ended up going with one founder, while Jason stayed with the other. The company split created the need for a new IT director. This led to Jason’s eventual promotion to director of IT for the entire company. This promotion led to another pay raise—and he’s had several more in the meantime. Over the past several years, he has gone from managing five to six people and outsourcing their tech support to managing a team of 30 with in-house programming capability.

As the Director of IT for Cardon, Jason has hired almost everyone that currently works in his department. He has also overseen the acquisition of two smaller companies, and retains several people from those company’s IT departments. At this point in his career, he is set for long-term success. For the time being—and the foreseeable future—he is happy right where he is. But should anything change, he and his family have the peace of knowing Jason can easily be hired elsewhere because he has paid the price to obtain so much knowledge and develop a valuable skill-set in a field where such knowledge and skills will always be in high demand.

“This is like my dream job.”

– Jason Miner

Jason Miner if a fine example of what it means to utilize Self-Action Leadership in a rise to the top of his field. From a middle-class kid from a small community in Utah to a poor college student with inner drive and the will to work hard to the director of an entire department of a company headquartered in a major metropolitan area, Jason has exemplified the great truth that in the long run, we each write our own story. How our individual stories turns out depends on how hard we are willing to work, and how diligent and disciplined we are willing to be.


Next Blog Post: BOOK the SECOND, Chapter 10: Universal Laws, Tues. Feb. 3, 2015