Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Creation Stage

    

Chapter 20


CREATION Stage




LAYER 9:  Planets and Stars Beyond

As you travel beyond Earth's atmosphere into deep outer space, an innumerable host of astronomical bodies—namely planets and stars—are housed within different space classifications known as superclusters, local groups, galaxies, solar systems, asteroid belts, stars, planets, moons, comets, space stations, etc.

All of these objects or collections of objects can be found throughout the Universe in various stages of creation and expansion or contraction and destruction. 


LEVEL 9:  CREATION Stage 

Something truly wonderful awaits YOU on your journey beyond the realms of Self-Transcendence. 

That something is the CREATION STAGE, where you get to take a prominent—even a leading—role in creating new ideas, things, relationships, families, organizations, communities, states, regions, nations, and even the world-at-large in the form of global-enhancing projects.

These creative pursuits are likened to the creation of various astronomical bodies throughout the universe.

In the Creation Stage, you have acquired and/or honed all of the abilities, experience, knowledge, skills, talents, and wisdom necessary to become a builder of structures and/or organizations, a creator of constitutions and cultures, a producer of philosophies, and—most importantly—an influencer and molder of human lives and relationships.

In this most important realm of your life's work, YOU spearhead the Existential Growth and development of other self-action leaders in hopes of helping them to one day join you as a Self-Transcended being in the Creation Stage themselves.

In the Creation Stage, there is no longer any jealous threat of competition, and one-upmanship ceases to exist. Self-action leaders in the Creation Stage value each other as much as they value themselves, and they take as much joy and satisfaction in the creations of others as they do in their own—if not more so.

Men and women like Jesus, the Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Florence Nightingale created whole new religions or movements upon entering the Creation Stage. In short, they changed the world in significantly positive ways. 

Many other men and women have done likewise throughout human history. While their names are not always widely known to history, the nature and kind of their accomplishments and creations are possessed of a similar substance to those whose names are commonplace. Moreover, the quantity of ordinary men and women who achieved extraordinary Existential Growth, development, and achievements—up to and including the Creation Stage—dwarfs the number of men and women who did so and are well known to history. As such, don't fall prey to the erroneous notion that you must ink a salient or prominent mark on the history books in order to reach this lofty existential status.    

Self-action leaders who arrive at the Creation Stage change the world and make it a better place in which to live and work. You can usually identify these people because they possess lasting legacies that are burnished ever brighter with the passage of time. These remarkable and venerable individuals achieved their masterpieces through commitment, consistency, constancy, continency, and continuance to the end.    

Depending on the scale and scope of one's visibility and influence in a social setting, such contributions may impact circles ranging from small groups of people (relationship, home, neighborhood, organizational) to immense masses (state, nation, world). 

The reason that Buddha, Christ, Confucius, Muhammad, et cetera, are so well known is because they combined substance with a massive scale and scope. But remember: the scale and scope of one's influence or creations is not nearly as important as the substance thereof.  


Financial Standing as a Metric for

Measuring Existential Growth

In general, financial status can be a useful metric by which to judge Existential Growth; but it is an imperfect and often unreliable method. This is because some people obtain wealth through avarice and other morally dubious means and then use their wealth for selfish and/or nefarious purposes.

In short, there are almost always exceptions to any given rule.

Nevertheless, the general rule is that financial solvency, security, success, independence, and prosperity/affluence can be meaningful benchmarks for measuring Existential Growth. This is only true, however, when wealth is earned honestly through productive industry that benefits others.

Wealth that was merely inherited or gambled into likely has little, if any inherent positive effect on your Existential Growth. In many such cases, money may even contribute to your existential atrophy and regression.

While many exceptions exist, the Beginner's Stage is typically marked by financial dependence on one's parents/initial caregivers. If you're on your own, you are likely struggling to make ends meet, as I was at that point in my life.

Basic financial stability is typically reached in the Practitioner's Stage, but may be challenged again in the Refining Stage. 

A more solid and reliable means of financial stability and security is typically reached in the Polishing Stage. From there, a self-action leader may become increasingly secure along one's way to financial independence and/or prosperity and affluence as they progress to higher levels up to and including the Creation Stage. Many, but not all, self-action leaders who reach the Leadership Stage and beyond are financially independent. 

As you reflect upon these approximate benchmarks, always keep in the forefront of your mind the possibility for legitimate exceptions to exist.

Suffice it to say, one can rise to the highest levels of Existential Growth without being financially wealthy, even though fiscal well-being often is a hallmark of such development and growth.  

In the next chapter, we will provide three case studies in order to further illustrate and illuminate the SAL Hierarchy's NINE different levels (or stages) in the dynamic interplay of real life. 







In Your Journal

  • Would you like to someday rise to the Creation level? Why or why not? 
  • Are you willing to pay the high price required to rise to the Creation level? Why or why not?
  • What are ways that we can help each other rise to this lofty level of Existential Growth?  


Dr. JJ

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA


Author's Note: This is the 412th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 221st consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 411 FF Blog Articles 

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES  

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS   

Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles


Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

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

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

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Chapter 20 Notes


Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Self-Transcendence

   

Chapter 19


SELF-TRANSCENDENCE




LAYER 8:  OUTER SPACE

Beyond the Exosphere, the Earth's atmosphere ends completely, leaving a rocket or spaceship free to travel in the air- and gravity-free zones of deep outer space—where a spacecraft can maintain its propulsion and speed indefinitely without the aid of additional fuel. 

LEVEL 8:  SELF-TRANSCENDENCE 

The Self-Transcendence Stage, also known as just Self-Transcendence, or the "Freedom Zone," is the penultimate stage of Existential Growth in the SAL Hierarchy.

It is analogous to deep outer space.

Just as a rocket ship is no longer subject to gravity beyond the Exosphere, self-action leaders who reach Level 8 are no longer subject to Existential Gravity. This means that self-action leaders at this level have become so fully actualized they are no longer candidates for regression for lower levels. Having fully conquered their enemies both within and without, they've truly "Arrived" existentially and have therefore become thoroughly free

On the first seven levels, even the strongest self-action leaders remain susceptible to moral entropy and existential regression. But upon reaching Self-Transcendence, YOU have finally "Made It" in the sense of your existential journey to character development and moral maturation.

This does not mean you are perfect in every particular—no human being ever is. It does, however, mean there is no longer any danger of colossal moral failure or significant existential regression.

Achieving Self-Transcendence doesn't mean your proverbial "Ship" has come in. Rather, it's a signal that you've voluntarily swam out to your ship and successfully conquered the rough seas and storms along the way. As a result, those who transcend themselves and reach this elusive level enjoy almost unlimited personal and professional freedom within a context of existing Universal Laws of physics and metaphysics.

Self-Transcended persons are almost always financially secure, if not financially independent. 

They have also often received and embraced outlying opportunities to positively influence and meaningfully contribute to the lives of others.

They have many relationships with other people that are deep, rich, and founded on mutual respect and impeccable trustworthiness. If they have a significant other, they have probably been with their mate for decades, are more in love than ever, and have a happy, healthy, and mutually satisfying union. 

By the time you have reached Level 7, YOU typically have an enormous amount of freedom to choose where and when you spend your time and money. While you may not be an organization's executive leader in a formal sense, you will undoubtedly exert a significant influence on growing (and sometimes vast) numbers of other people with whom you work and associate.

Self-Transcended persons leave a deep and lasting legacy of greatness, honor, love, and service for others to admire and replicate in their own lives. 

Sadly, only a relatively small percentage of the population ever reaches this lofty level during the course of their lives. It doesn't have to be this way, of course. Theoretically speaking, everyone has the potential to transcend self over the course of their lives, but many choose to tread other pathways that fundamentally miss the mark. Some simply lack the basic building blocks (i.e. food, shelter, safety, education) so necessary to support existential advancement.

Confucius
551-479 BC
Examples of those who have reached Level 7 are very well known figures in religion and culture, such as Jesus Christ, Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha), Confucius, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Florience Nightingale, Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and others like them. 

Other examples are far less famous, but similar to those mentioned above in terms of their character and commitment to moral and ethical living. Indeed, you don't have to be famous to reach Self-Transcendence. 

In reality, the number of obscure individuals reaching this top stage far exceeds the number of high-profile persons who've done so. Such existentially advanced persons may not be known beyond their families, friends, organizations, and communities; however, this fact does not diminish the value and importance of their achievements and contributions. Nor does it negate the very real metaphysical achievement and advancement they have made. There's no specific scope of influence required to reach Self-Transcendence. Seemingly ordinary mothers and fathers are often among the finest of candidates for Level 7.

In the insightful interrogatory of one theological sage:

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling that what happened in congresses?" (1)

Never underestimate the potential of any human being to eventually reach this advanced level of Existential Growth—no matter how inauspicious their beginning or how lowly their station. Moreover, don't ever let the simplicity of your own life's backstory, current social status, or present profession lead you to believe you can't rise to this level of existential greatness. 

Theoretically, those who are currently homeless, starving, or drug-addled possess as much existential potential as presidents, potentates, and princes. Human change is always possible; that is perhaps the single most important paradigm and thesis of this Life Leadership textbook. But change doesn't happen by magic. There are FIVE (5) Fundamentals that must ultimately be in place to ensure the transformation actually happens. 

FIVE (5) Fundamentals of Self-Transcendence

1). Secure basic Safety and Survival Needs
2). Obtain an Education in SAL
3). Cultivate a cadre of Advocates willing to assist
3). Develop a deep Desire to Grow and Succeed
4). Nurture an Inner Drive to never give up

Anyone able and willing to obtain and pursue these five (5) basic stepping stones can eventually progress to Self-Transcendence. You will inevitably need some help from others to accomplish the first three steps. But once you and others have ensured these steps have been taken, then YOU and SERENDIPITY can take care of the last two, thus ensuring that you eventually reach your goal of Self-Transcendence.  

With only nominal help from others, a truly driven and motivated self-action leader possesses the liberty—and can earn the freedom—to advance as far as one desires, intends, and is willing to chase after.  

Confucius Quote

That's
the GOOD NEWS of Self-Action Leadership.

When you truly transcend yourself through SAL and SERENDIPITY, extraordinary moral authority is earned as a by-product of your diligent and focused efforts over time. You become, in short, a person of authentic GREATNESS. Whether your greatness influences eight billion people, just eight folks, or only a single, solitary soul, it may still be a greatness of the same kind and degree

REMEMBER: Christ and Confucius did not transcend self because they founded popular belief systems. They transcended self because they paid the price to become a morally-minded and principle-centered self-action leader determined to keep going and growing forever. Christianity and Confucianism were tangible and influential outgrowths of their deep, penetrating, and authentic inner accomplishments. The same could be said of the Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or anyone else who has reached this extraordinary and elusive level of Existential Growth.




In Your Journal

  • What are some of the ways in which you would need to change and/or grow to eventually transcend self and reach Level 7?
  • Is the high price of Self-Transcendence worth it? Why or why not?


Dr. JJ

Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA


Author's Note: This is the 411th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 220th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 410 FF Blog Articles 

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES  

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS   

Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles


Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

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

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

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Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks  


Chapter 19 Notes

1).  Maxwell, N.A. (1978). The Women of God. URL: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1978/04/the-women-of-god?lang=eng

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

LEADERSHIP Stage

  

Chapter 18


Leadership Stage




LAYER 7:  EXOSPHERE


Earth's last atmospheric level is called the Exosphere. It begins where the indefinite thermosphere ends. 

This level is by far the deepest atmospheric layer, extending to nearly 120,000 miles (200,000 km) beyond Earth's surface, or halfway to the Moon. 

While this layer is extremely deep and large compared to the other six atmospheric layers, it's hardly a layer at all because air particles are so far apart and Earth's gravitational pull is so weak. 

The end of the Exosphere marks the beginning of outer space.  


LEVEL 7:  LEADERSHIP Stage 

Earth's gravitational pull is almost non-existent in the Exosphere. Likewise, the tugs and pulls of Existential Gravity are typically slighter and less influential here than on lower levels—so much so, in fact, that highly developed and experienced leaders may hardly notice them at all.

It's not that existential crabs don't exist on Level 7, but only extremely bold existential crabs are audacious enough to try tangling with self-action leaders at this level, and those who do tend to be quickly marginalized or mocked by those who recognize an authentic leader on Level 7.

Self-action leaders on this level have developed—through much practice over time—the ability to disregard and otherwise care very little for what an x-crab might think or say about them. Thus, verbal barbs from x-crabs are akin to "water off a duck's back." They may even chuckle to themselves lightheartedly at whatever an x-crab may try to sling their way.    

The vast majority of x-crabs are too frightened and intimidated to open their mouths in the presence of an authentic and virtuous leader at this advanced stage of Existential Growth, development, and experience. There is a metaphysical energy and power that emanates forth from leaders on this level that repels and silences x-crabs.

In the rare case that an extra bold x-crab does attempt to explicitly nip at the heels of a self-action leader on this level, he/she will have little, if any, effect or influence upon you because YOU have grown so confident and secure in yourself. Plus, you are likely to have the backing and support of the majority, thus leaving the x-crab(s) vastly outnumbered.  

In the Leadership Stage, YOUR focus shifts from being primarily about your own growth and development to being primarily about the advancement and maturation of others. In fact, most of your own future growth will be a by-product of helping others to grow.

In your own rise to the Leadership Stage, you went to great efforts to seek out coaches, leaders, mentors, and teachers. Now that you are a LEADER, you become the teacher, mentor, leader, and coach. Sympathy, empathy, compassion, and a truly altruistic desire to see others succeed are a natural outgrowth of authentically inhabiting this stage.  

Self-action leaders at this level have a deep desire and remarkable capacity to "forget themselves and go to work" (1) on behalf of other people and organizational causes bigger than themselves. You are no longer "content with blessing [yourself and your] family alone, but range ... through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." (2) 

In the Leadership Stage, you become increasingly aware of your life's legacy. More importantly, you begin to comprehend more fully the fact that a legacy centered on self alone is no legacy at all—or at least not an honorable one. 

Many (but not all) who reach the Leadership Stage have acquired sufficient resources to support themselves and their family without further employ; and many have become financially independent. This empowers them to further dedicate their surplus time and energy to philanthropy, service, and other enriching personal, familial, community, state, national, and global pursuits.

While the Leadership Stage is largely immune from Existential Gravity, it is not completely free of negative influences and temptation. Since those on this level are almost exclusively leading others, they often find themselves in positions of great power, authority, and influence. Thus, some may fall prey to their own "cult of personality" and stoop to reveling in the hero-worship heaped upon themselves by others.

If these temptations are not shunned and transcended, a self-action leader at this stage could end up succumbing to a host of vices, including, but not limited to: debauchery, greed, indolence, insolence, narcissism, self-worship, etc. If a leader on this level begins to give way to avarice, lust, or the practice of unethical or unfair dominion over others, that leader will regress backwards to lower levels.  

Unfortunately, some leaders who enter the Leadership Stage are seduced by whatever fame, fortune, popularity, or power they have achieved. These individuals regress backward to lower levels and/or turn to the Dark Shadow—an evil inverse of the SAL Hierarchy that will be covered in a later chapter. If amends and changes are not penitently made, such leaders will leave a tainted and tarnished legacy behind them marked by disappointment, shame, and unrealized potential. 

Fortunately, some leaders remain humble, steadfast, and true no matter how high they rise or how powerful and influential they become. These relatively rare persons are both self-action leaders and leaders in the truest sense of the word. Such leaders continue to pursue Self-Transcendence by helping as many people as they can.

These noble and remarkable leaders no longer care much, if they care at all, about who gets the credit for their many achievements. They're focused almost exclusively on lifting others, providing compassionate service, and otherwise getting positive and productive results in everything they undertake.



In Your Journal

  • Do you have a desire to someday rise to the LEADERSHIP STAGE? Why or why not?
  • If you were to eventually reach this lofty level of Existential Growth, who would you want to serve and what causes would you support?
  • What suggestions would you give to someone on this level to help them avoid falling from grace and regressing back to lower levels?


Dr. JJ

Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA


Author's Note: This is the 410th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 219th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 409 FF Blog Articles 

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES  

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS   

Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles


Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

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

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  


Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks  


Chapter 18 Notes

1.  Advice of Bryant S. Hinckley to his son, Gordon B. Hinckley, during a trying period of Gordon’s full-time missionary service.

2.  Roberts, B.H. (1978). History of the Church. Volume IV. Salt Lake City, UT: The Deseret Book Company. Page 227. Quote of Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844) in a letter written to the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in October 1840. 

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

SAL Actualization Stage

 

Chapter 17


SAL Actualization Stage




LAYER 6:  THERMOSPHERE

Sitting atop the Ionosphere is the Thermosphere. This is the layer of Earth's atmosphere where satellites and space shuttles enter orbit.

The Thermosphere "contains only a minute fraction of the atmosphere's mass." (1) The Thermosphere begins at a height of 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the Earth's surface and has no definite boundaries, (2) thus making it the deepest layer of Earth's atmosphere.

Temperatures increase dramatically in the Thermosphere. This is due to the low density of air molecules. Curiously, however, you would not tangibly feel the full extent of this rise in temperature (heat) because of a lack of air molecules.

Technically speaking, the Thermosphere incorporates the Ionosphere as part of its lower levels. However, space shuttles, space stations, and satellites must transcend to Ionosphere and enter the upper levels of the Thermosphere to officially enter orbit. Thus, the Ionosphere officially ends where ORBIT begins.  



LEVEL 6:  SAL Actualization Stage 

It is appropriate that the Ionosphere is technically part of the Thermosphere. This is because the Polishing Stage and Self-Action Leader Actualization Stage similarly blend. In other words, the process of SAL Actualization begins in the Polishing Stage and the polishing process continues on into the SAL Actualization Stage—and beyond.  

Just as human-made satellites and spaceships begin to orbit the Earth in the Thermosphere, entering the SAL-Actualization Stage launches YOU into metaphysical "Orbit" as a self-action leader. 

From this point on, you'll be able to maintain the same (or greater) levels of performance as you have in the past, but by expending far less fuel (energy and resources). In this regard, life really does become easier in many ways (especially physically and emotionally) upon reaching the SAL-Actualization Stage. This is part of what makes it such an appealing stage to eventually enter. 

This is the stage of YOUR personal development and Existential Growth where you can finally say with confidence to both yourself and the world that: "I like who I am, and I wouldn't trade places with anyone else on Earth—even if I had the power to do so."

In this sense, it is very much an "Arrival" stage.

And the arrival is immensely rewarding! 

Having entered your own personal "Orbit" in the SAL Actualization Stage, the probability that you will regress back to former stages is low. This is because your character, integrity, and confidence have reached such high levels of maturity, resiliency, and strength. 

Regression is still possible at this level; it is just unlikely. And while reaching this level unquestionably represents a significant "Arrival" in your existential trek, it does not by any means signal that your journey is complete; nor will it be the end of adversity, pain, and trials.  

It does, however, signal the beginning of a whole new life, one which will be accompanied by a new set of different challenges and obstacles to surmount, many of which will prove easier to navigate than difficulties in days gone by. This may be due, in part, to a tangible move or improvement in your physical circumstances and opportunities. It may also be due to your bolstered confidence, added security, and expanded toolbox of knowledge and skills by which you can more successfully adapt to, confront, and troubleshoot life's endless challenges.  

The SAL Actualization Stage is similar to "Self-Actualization"—the highest level attainable on Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" scale. According to Maslow, self-actualization "refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely ... the desire to become ... everything that one is capable of becoming." (3)

The SAL Actualization Stage is marked by a clear realization of who you really are and what your life's purpose is. Arriving at this lofty stage also represents a quasi-mastery of the full-range of SAL principles and practices. While you may still be a long way from perfection, you've nevertheless reached a high level of self-awareness, emotional and social intelligence and resiliency, personal capacity, and SAL understanding and application. Having become a self-action leader of great capacity and integrity, you've also begun to exert increasing levels of positive influence on others who seek the Existential Growth you've already achieved. 

Because everyone is unique, SAL Actualization will look different from person-to-person. This is why, as Maslow explains, "in one individual [actualization] may take the form of a desire to be an ideal mother, in another it may be expressed athletically, and in still another it may be expressed in painting pictures or in inventions." (4) But despite all the variations of SAL-Actualization, all actualized persons will demonstrate certain key attributes of CHARACTER, such as integrity, morality, and selflessness.  

The SAL Actualization Stage is likened to the Thermosphere, where satellites, space shuttles, and space stations ORBIT the Earth to obtain knowledge about outer space and transmit information to and from the Earth. 

Similarly, once YOU reach the SAL Actualization Stage and desire further Existential Growth, your focus will begin to naturally shift towards helping those at lower levels who seek their own development and growth. Having achieved a vaulted existential station yourself, you can now continue your own journey by leading others to where you are. Thus, moving forward, your own development and growth will largely come as a by-product of helping others rise in their existential journey. Moreover, the extent of your future success will hinge in large part on your success in effectively helping others in this manner. 

Persons entering the SAL Actualization Stage have developed high levels of personal integrity and moral character. They are proactive, resilient, emotionally intelligent, and possess an extraordinary capacity to respond maturely and wisely to a full spectrum of different people and situations.

Professionally, SAL Actualized persons have developed and honed skills and talents such that they are now rightly referred to as an expert, professional, or even a master

Becoming SAL Actualized means
becoming more YOURSELF
than you ever were before.
SAL Actualized persons are fully themselves in a way that highlights the gradual development of a singular and unique individuality that is attractive and pronounced without being ostentatious or overbearing. This fact flies in the face of the notion held by many—especially among the endless milieu of Existential Crabs—that upholding True Principles rooted in Universal Laws diminishes your individuality and inhibits your freedom. 

In reality, precisely the opposite phenomenon occurs. 

As C.S. Lewis one put it, "How monstrously alike all the great tyrants and conquerers have been; [yet] how gloriously different are the saints." (5). 

M. Scott Peck put it similarly, as follows:

"If one ever has the good fortune to meet a living saint, one will have then met somebody absolutely unique. Though their visions may be remarkably similar, the personhood of saints is remarkably different. This is because they have become utterly themselves. God creates each soul differently, so that when all the mud is finally cleared away, His light will shine through it in a beautiful, colorful, totally new pattern." (6)

On lower levels of Existential Growth, insecure persons often equate individualism and originality with aberrant and rebellious deviations from traditional grooming, fashions, and mores—and the stranger and more flamboyant the better. In reality, such strident personal actions have little connection to one's true and authentic character, identity, or potential—and are usually a cry for help. 

Have you ever found yourself wishing you could be someone else?

By the time you become actualized, such wishes will have vanished from your life. SAL Actualized persons sincerely like who they are and who they have become. By the time you have reached this level in your Existential Growth, you wouldn't trade your own life circumstances and opportunities for anyone else's, even if you had the power to do so. As a result, diffidence, immaturities, insecurities, jealousy, and vindictiveness have been almost entirely eliminated from your life and world.  

SAL Actualized persons no longer see the world through a mindset of danger and scarcity, but through a paradigm of abundance and opportunity. (7) Your embrace of this new mentality engenders genuine appreciation for, and satisfaction in, the growth and achievements of others. You may even find yourself gradually taking more joy in the accomplishments of others than you do in your own successes.

At lower levels of Existential Growth, it is hard to conceive that this could ever be possible. But the higher you rise and the closer you get to becoming SAL Actualized, the clearer you begin to see reality and the more you begin developing this remarkable transformation of positive feelings towards others.    

Knowing that everyone possesses the same Existential Worth, and therefore (theoretical) Existential Potential, you no longer feel the need to compare yourself to others after becoming SAL Actualized. Your own inner peace, maturity, and understanding make such comparisons irrelevant, uninteresting, and puerile. You have largely achieved what you set out in life to accomplish; therefore, the only primal goal that remains is to continue rising to higher levels of Existential Growth yourself—and help other people do the same. 

Arriving at the SAL Actualization Stage is a significant touchstone along your journey to Self-Transcendence and beyond. It qualifies as a significant personal and ontological achievement. It's the level of Existential Growth where, perhaps more than any other level, you can legitimately claim to have "ARRIVED."

It also serves as an important hinge-point of decision-making moving forward. 

That decision is this: Will you choose to live for yourself in the future, or will you dedicate the rest of your life to helping others to become similarly SAL Actualized?

If you choose to live only for yourself, you'll remain on Level 6, or, more likely, begin a regressive slide backward to lower levels. If, on the other hand, you opt to dedicate your life to helping others progress—which is what most SAL Actualized people do—you advance to Level 7, the Leadership Stage, which is where you begin to make many of your life's most meaningful, important, and lasting contributions.


SAL Actualization and Your Existential Train

At Freedom Focused, we believe that all human beings—including every person who has ever been born upon the Earth—has a definite, specific, and meaningful reason and purpose for being here. We believe that this purpose is, generally speaking, to become SAL Actualized as a self-action leader and then help others to do the same. 

Of course, SAL Actualization looks different for each of us in terms of its topical particulars. After all, we each possess a singular disposition, personality, and genetic makeup in conjunction with a unique set of aptitudes, desires, and talents. 

The process of becoming SAL Actualized is, metaphysically speaking, akin to catching and then boarding a train; and not just any train, but the singular "Existential Train" that Life itself intends for YOU—even your "Train of Destiny"—whose course is straight and narrow and whose engine is programmed to transport you to the highest levels of Existential Growth, even the pinnacle of your personal potential.

To "Catch Your Existential Train" refers to discovering your life's truest and most authentic, individual purpose. To "Stay on Board Your Existential Train" refers to pursuing that singular and unique purpose with all your heart, mind, soul, and might until the end of your life—and beyond if an afterlife exists.  

Unlike boarding a physical train, boarding your metaphysical "Train of Life" isn't easy. You can't merely show up to the train station, buy a ticket, and then hop on board at your leisure. This is because your train stops for no one—not even for YOU—its intended occupant! Hence, YOU must prepare and pay the price to "Catch" and then "Board" your train as it barrels down the tracks at a daunting and intimidating speed.

There's an old saying: when my SHIP comes in

Self-action leaders understand that their ship never comes in; YOU must swim out to your ship!

The same principle holds true for boarding your existential train. To succeed in catching and then boarding it, you must become well acquainted with how your train runs and works. You must also develop the speed, strength, agility, confidence, and daring required to latch onto it as it zooms by. In the process of doing so, it is helpful to remember that no one boards one's train on his or first attempt. 

For most of us, many attempts will be required over a period of many years, or even decades. Moreover, your initial attempts will likely end in failure, leaving you with all kinds of metaphysical bruises, lacerations, scars, and perhaps even some dislocated or broken bones. Failure to board your train will hurt, sometimes badly. In fact, the only thing that could possibly hurt more in the end is the loss and regret you will feel from having willingly forfeited an earned passageway on such a lofty locomotive.  

To succeed at "Catching" and "Boarding" your Existential Train, YOU must repeatedly "pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again" (8) each time that you fall short.

Doing so is not easy!

It is a wonderfully exhilarating, yet terribly challenging endeavor fraught with seemingly endless frustration and failure. There may even be times when you choose to turn your back on your train and stop trying to board it altogether for a while. Sometimes this occurs because you have been injured attempting to board and must take time out to heal and regroup. Other times, feelings of bitterness and disillusionment may camouflage the enormous benefits and rewards available on your train. 

In the midst of such poignant disappointments, you may even try to deny that your train exists. Some, and perhaps many, will deceive themselves into thinking that moseying along through the countryside in an ox-drawn wagon or on a dutiful donkey is preferable to the unspeakable thrill of zipping along the continent on an ultra modern, super speedy, bullet train. 

But for those hardy and determined souls willing to endure the trials of boarding their train, the ride is truly "out of this world."  

Once you have caught and boarded your existential train, you have earned a comfortable residence whereby you can live and work as you continually go forth to coach, mentor, serve, teach, and otherwise help others on their own journey toward SAL Actualization.

In many ways, helping others become SAL Actualized will be far easier and more enjoyable than your own crucible-laden and painful process of SAL Actualization. After all, it is usually easier to talk about something than it is to actually do it; but you won't have much credibility speaking about something that you haven't already experienced and overcome. Thus, the BEST TEACHERS are usually those noble souls who have already "walked the talk" and otherwise proved themselves "in the trenches" and "heat of battle."  

Catching and then boarding your own existential train—becoming SAL Actualized—is a tremendously significant event in your life. Moreover, as long as you choose to stay on the train, all tracks eventually lead to the highest levels of Existential Growth.  


A Paradigm Shift from Competition to Love

There is typically a big difference between what motivates YOU on lower levels (1-6) and what motivates YOU on higher levels (7-9). 

On the first six levels, self-action leaders tend to be driven by a desire to compete with and ultimately outdo others in a continual quest to "get ahead" and/or "win." This kind of motivation is referred to as a "Competition Paradigm" and to a certain extent is very useful in helping you to prove yourself to yourself and others. 

A Competition Paradigm is defined as: a desire to obtain Existential Growth in order to surpass others.


COMPETITION PARADIGM

A desire to obtain Existential Growth to surpass others. 


Every self-action leader is unique. Thus, some will be more (or less) motivated by the Competition Paradigm than others. Nevertheless, most self-action leaders are primarily motivated by the Competition Paradigm on Levels 1-6. 

By the time you graduate to Level 7, however, a fundamental transformation of your mind, heart, and soul has begun to take place. This transformation leads you to become increasingly motivated by a genuine care, concern, and love for other self-action leaders and human beings in general. 

Having already proved yourself and risen above many others (in an Existential Growth sense, or in terms of a specific skillset), your desires will increasingly shift toward helping others along their pathways of Existential Growth. Instead of being primarily motivated by the Competition Paradigm, you will find yourself increasingly motivated by the Love Paradigm, which is defined as: a desire to help others obtain Existential Growth.  


LOVE PARADIGM

A desire to help others obtain Existential Growth.


The development of this pure, sincere, and unsullied LOVE for others is inevitably a gradual developmental process that occurs by degrees over a long period of time. Most self-action leaders will begin experiencing sparks and vestiges of this authentic love in earlier stages of Existential Growth (Levels 1-6), but will not fully flower until much later on during the time they spend on levels 6-9.

The individual growth curve of a self-action leader's Love Paradigm will, of course, differ widely from person-to-person as one develops up the hierarchy. Personality, environment, circumstances, education, access to loving coaches, mentors, and teachers, and other variables will all play a role in the singular developmental trajectory of each individual. 

Nevertheless, by Stage 7, it will, like concrete in a mold, likely be sufficiently set up to begin a positive and lasting "curing process." If properly cultivated and persistently pursued, it will continue to cure (harden/strengthen/toughen) throughout one's continued development up through the three highest levels of Existential Growth, leading theoretically to a PERFECT LOVE for others at some distant point in one's existence.  

Depending on how powerfully one was motivated by the Competition Paradigm in earlier stages (1-6) of Existential Growth, the pouring, setting up, and curing process of love may occur more slowly or quickly; it all depends on the individual self-action leader and his or her unique SAL Variables Quotient. 

For those who experience a more gradual development and growth of love for others, there may be a protracted period of time where one wonders how one could ever be as motivated by love as one is by competition. Moreover, for those who reach Level 7 and then begin to atrophy and regress backward in one's Existential Growth, the Competition Paradigm may return to smother one's potential capacity for love. 

But those who continue to grow past the Leadership Stage into the Self-Transcendence and Creation Stages will discover that love is in fact an infinitely greater motivator than competition ever was—even in its most captivating and motivating stages on lower levels of Existential Growth. They will also discover that the fulfillment, joy, satisfaction, and inner peace that accompanies an authentic and pure Love Paradigm infinitely exceeds the lesser perks that accompanied the Competition Paradigm. 

At the highest levels of Existential Growth, competition no longer exists in a traditional sense. It has become completely swallowed up by LOVE for all people, living creatures, and other worthwhile things.  




In Your Journal

  • Where do you believe you currently stand in relation to being SAL Actualized?
  • What do you think would be required of you to eventually become SAL Actualized?
  • Describe your ideal Existential Train
  • What do you believe will be required of you to successfully catch and board your Existential Train?
  • How much are you presently motivated by the Competition Paradigm?
  • How much are you presently motivated by the Love Paradigm?
  • How might you decrease the Competition Paradigm and increase the Love Paradigm in your life?


Dr. JJ

Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA


Author's Note: This is the 409th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 218th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 408 FF Blog Articles 

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES  

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS   

Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles


Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

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

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

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Chapter 17 Notes

1.  Lutgens, F. K., and Tarbuck, E. J. (2010). The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology (Eleventh Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Page 28.

2.  Tarbueck, E J., and Lutgens, F. K. (2009). Earch Science (Twelfth Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Page 454.

3.  Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review. Volume 50, Issue 4, p. 370-396. Page 382.

4.  Ibid. Page 383.

5.  Lewis, C.S. (2001). Mere Christianity. San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins. Page 226.

6.  Peck, M.S. (1983). People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil. New York, NY: Touchstone. Page 264.

7.  Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Fireside. Pages 219-220.

8.  From the Nat King Cole Song, Pick Yourself Up. Lyrics by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern. Copyright by Reservoir Media Management, Inc. and Universal Music Publishing Group. 

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

POLISHING Stage


Chapter 16


POLISHING Stage




LAYER 5:  IONOSPHERE


Level 5—the Ionosphere—begins where the Mesosphere ends. It forms the lower section of the Thermosphere, which will be discussed in greater detail in the next chapter (level 6).

Northern Lights in Iceland
This level is called the "Ionosphere" because of the process of ionization that occurs therein. An "ION" is "an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons." (1)

To "ionize" means to "convert (an atom, molecule, or substance) into an ion or ions, typically by removing one or more electrons." (2) Ionization of nitrogen and oxygen occurs when they come into contact with photons from the sun, thus enabling the creation and transfer of electricity and the facilitation or passage of radio waves. 

The Ionosphere rises to a height of about 250 miles (400 kilometers), making it about 200 miles (320 kilometers) thick. Weather is virtually nonexistent in the Ionosphere. In the place of weather, new phenomena occur, such as the appearance of the colorful and picturesque aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights), which become increasingly visible as you approach Earth's northern and southern poles.



LEVEL 5:  Polishing Stage 


After all the heartache and struggle of the Refining Stage, the Polishing Stage represents another metaphysical "Arrival" of sorts. This destination is most welcomed and may be marked by explicit and tangible successes that start off gradually and then accelerate in quality and quantity over time. 

While your initial entrance into the Polishing Stage might signal a "break" or a "rest" compared to the fiery heat, pressure, and stress of the Refining Stage, it is not meant to serve as a mere plateau in your progression. It is not, therefore, a cue to embrace rest exclusively; nor should it be used as an excuse for idleness. Rather, it provides YOU with with golden opportunities to exercise your growing agency, capacity, and potential that have been so beautifully developed and refined in previous stages.

As Elbert Hubbard once put it: The reward which life holds out for work is not idleness nor rest, nor immunity from work, but increased capacity, GREATER DIFFICULTIES, MORE WORK. (3)   


"The reward which life holds out for work is not idleness nor rest, nor immunity from work,
but increased capacity, GREATER DIFFICULTIES, MORE WORK."  

Elbert Hubbard


The Polishing Stage corresponds to the Ionosphere, where the dazzling aurora borealis and aurora australis (Northern and Southern Lights) occur. For those who make it past the agonies of the Refining Stage, the metaphysical views in the Polishing Stage are similarly refreshing, rewarding, and spectacular—and sorely welcome. (4)

By the time you arrive at the Polishing Stage, you begin to discover by degrees the extent to which your seemingly endless efforts and sacrifices were, in fact, worth it all along. The deeper you progress and the higher you rise into the Polishing Stage and beyond, the more you realize it was worth it many times over.

While I sincerely shudder to even think about doing it all over again—thank God I don't have to!—I can also say without reservation that I have no regrets about successfully enduring my own Refining Stage and that it has been entirely worth it... and then some.

The Refining Stage changes you in important and fundamental ways. As a result, life looks very different from the "far side" of the Refining Stage than it did from the "near side." In the acutely astute assessment of Oliver Wendell Holmes: I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity; [but] I would give my right arm for the simplicity on the far side of complexity."  


"I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on the near side of complexity.
But I would give my right arm for the simplicity on the far side of complexity."  

Oliver Wendell Holmes


It has been my ongoing observation that in some respects, life doesn't even fully begin until after you've successfully passed through the Refining Stage. Thus, the precious and even priceless vantage point accessible only on the "far side" of adversity and complexity is worth everything it costs to achieve it. It also highlights how unfortunate it is when someone decides to give up before one's refining is complete.  

By the time you arrive at the Polishing Stage, your character and integrity will have developed great strength through commitment and resilience over time. Having significantly matured as a self-action leader, you can now take joy in doing more of what you truly want to do most in an environment where your chosen actions will increasingly serve and benefit others while simultaneously bringing glory and honor to yourself.

This does not mean, however, that your journey is over; nor does it signal an end to your growth and progression as a self-action leader. Far from it, in fact! Moving forward, however, you will be "polishing" your skills as opposed to "refining" them.

There is a big difference! 

For example, buffing or polishing a sword is a much less invasive process than forging it in the first place. Once your character has been forged in the Refining Stage, you will be given opportunities to make it shine in the Polishing Stage whereby you can take your knowledge, skills, and talents to the next level through continual practice and fine-tuning. 

You will still face difficulties, irritations, and obstacles in the Polishing Stage; but they are typically less intense, shorter lived, and more easily transcended than they are in the previous stages, including the Refining Stage.    

Another blessing and boon of the Polishing Stage is the measure of financial security (not to be confused with financial independence) that typically accompanies your entrance into Level 5. Thus, you no longer have to rely on others for your basic survival as well as for moderate creature comforts and freedom.

This financial security blanket will include an emergency fund to cover all your expenses for 6-12 months. You will also have begun in earnest to build a financial "nest egg" for retirement. Lastly, you will have obtained the necessary education and skills to be able to successfully absorb and rebound from a job layoff or other temporary financial setback.  

At this point in your existential development, you've purged toxic relationships from your life and you're secure enough to laugh off and rise above any lingering existential crabs that may still try to nip at your heels. A fresh and confident sense of being "at home" in your own skin engenders a deep sense of personal satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness.

While the "explicit," "obvious," and "noisy" variety of crabs will have mostly disappeared from your life at this point in time, there may remain a number of "phantom" crabs that will continue to challenge your confidence and security in this stage. "Phantom crabs" refer to those who at one time may have been champions and cheerleaders of YOU and your cause; but have now fallen silent as they observe (perhaps jealously) how much you have achieved and how far you have progressed from lower levels where they once knew you so well.

The danger of these kind of crabs is not so much what they say to you, but more a matter of what they don't say to you. The lack of explicit feedback may cause your brain to play tricks on you by formulating fears about what these phantom crabs might be thinking about you. While there's likely little or no proof that they are thinking about you at all; your imagination can produce a variety of mental and emotional demons by conjuring up phantom crab-like pressures that may or may not in actuality exist. There is no question that much of our suffering as self-action leaders is self-imposed and based in fear rather than reality.

As Mark Twain once said: "I have suffered a great many calamities in my life; most of them never happened." And as President Franklin Roosevelt famously suggested in the depths of the Great Depression when FEAR abounded throughout the United States and World: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."


Franklin D. Roosevelt
1882-1845

"I have suffered a great many calamities in my life.
Most of them never happened."  

Mark Twain


 "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  

Franklin Roosevelt



YOU will need to diligently PRACTICE working through and ultimately transcending the negativity of these self-constructed "phantom crabs." In my own experience, these kind of crabs can be even more difficult to transcend than the more obvious, noisy, and immature ones you faced on lower levels. But like any challenge or struggle, if you face up to it and focus on overcoming it, you will make steady progress toward healthier planes and freer pinnacles over time.   

As you work to increase your knowledge and polish your skills, your life's purpose gains clarity and increasingly comes into a sharpened focus. You better comprehend who you really are, why you are here in this world, where you are headed in your life, and what contributions you are best suited to make for the benefit of others.

You are preparing yourself to enter the next level—the SAL Actualization Stage.

A fascinating component and phenomenon of the Polishing Stage is the accelerating and intensifying presence and influence of Serendipity. This metaphysical power remedies a host of loose ends that may remain marginally frayed from your time in the Refining Stage. Serendipity, the passage of time, and the words and actions of others all contribute to this natural process that both heals old wounds and tightens up loose ends.  

In reality, Serendipity is usually the most present in the Refining Stage even though it may, ironically, seem to be the most absent. You might say that this "irony" becomes "ionized" or "ironed out" in the Polishing Stage, thus allowing you to see, hear, and feel the fuller weight of Serendipity.

As this serendipitous rehabilitation process progresses, you may find that you feel and act "younger" and have more energy and passion for life, despite the fact that you are, in actuality, older than you were when you passed through the Refining Stage. Such a reinvigoration of your physical energy and vitality may feel and seem miraculous—a truly Serendipitous gift—which is why many self-action leaders will humbly acknowledge the countless graces that accompanied their treacherous journey through the Refining Stage onward to the much more peaceful palace of the Polishing Stage. 




In Your Journal

  • Is there an area (or areas) of your life you believe has already been successfully refined? If so, what step (steps) might you take to begin polishing that area? 
  • In what specific ways do you think Serendipity plays a role in the Polishing Stage and process?  


Dr. JJ

Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA


Author's Note: This is the 408th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 217th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 407 FF Blog Articles 

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES  

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS   

Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles


Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

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

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  


Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks  


Chapter 16 Notes

1.  New Oxford American Dictionary. Electronic Version (Mac OS).

2.  Ibid.

3.  Hubbard, E. in Hubbard, A., Editor. (1946). An American Bible. New York, NY: Wm. H. Wise and Co., Inc. Page 8.

4.  A clever phrase coined by a fellow named Val Killian, of Pleasant Grove, UT. Val was a member and leader of our local church congregation in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.  

Creation Stage

     Chapter 20 CREATION Stage LAYER 9:  Planets and Stars Beyond As you travel beyond Earth's atmosphere into deep outer space, an innu...