Now What?

 

Chapter 1

Now What?

It is Time to Celebrate Nearing Your Completion
of the SAL Life Leadership Textbook.

Congratulations!

You have made it to the EIGHTH (8th) and final book of this comprehensive life leadership textbook. 

If you are reading this chapter because you have already read all the previous books and chapters and completed the SAL Master Challenge exercises along the way, I doubly and triply congratulate YOU, because doing so is an impressive accomplishment that takes a lot of time, effort, discipline, diligence, focus, and persistence.

Achieving this triple-feat is your KEY to officially becoming a self-action leader. It proves that you have what it takes to move forward confidently in the direction of continued growth and progress up the SAL Hierarchy indefinitely into the future.  

Now that you have come to the end of your initial journey through this text, you may be asking yourself the question, what comes next?

Good question! 

     The next step is three-fold. 

STEP ONE is to move forward in your life and career boldly, confidently, and prepared to demonstrate in action that you have indeed become a self-action leader. You will, of course, make mistakes in the future—many of them. But, you are better equipped than ever before to learn from your mistakes, make restitution where necessary along the way, and then strive for never-ending improvement forever into the future.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey famously taught that, "to learn and not to do is [really] not to learn." (1) In other words, the most authentic kind of education is an applied education. Reading this book is a worthwhile pursuit. But, applying the book's principles and practices is better, wiser—and infinitely more useful—than reading alone.  

STEP TWO is to share and teach SAL principles and practices with others as opportunities arise. Nothing will implant and imbed your own learning more deeply and firmly than teaching what you know to others. Moreover, few things will bring you more personal and/or professional satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment than sharing your own wisdom and experiences with others. 

STEP THREE is to continue to re-read and study the this Life Leadership textbook over and over and over again—and otherwise refer back to it as often as desired or needed throughout the rest of your career and life.

There are many books for which a single reading may suffice for your immediate desires and needs. There are some books, however—such as holy scripture, great and/or classical literature, and other enlightening and inspiring works—which can (and should) be read (and studied) repeatedly throughout your life to provide perpetual edification, inspiration, and reminders of your deepest held values and sincerest held desires.

Moreover, it has been my personal experience that you will always glean new insights each additional time you read a book again for a second, third, fifth, tenth, or twentieth time. There is one book in particular—a book of holy scripture—that I have read 24 times since my first reading of the volume at age nine (9). As you can imagine, I nearly have the entire book memorized from my past readings; and yet, I still continue to gain additional knowledge and wisdom as I pore over its pages in the present.  

Discovering Your True VOICE

Many years ago, I attended a multi-day "Train the Trainer" course conducted by a seminar company with whom I contracted to teach their all-day courses. At the conclusion of the training—after they had taught us all of the logistical and technical "nuts and bolts" about how to facilitate a successful all-day seminar—our trainer said that everything they had taught us was secondary to one thing and one thing only. 

Any guess what that one thing was?  

Answer: personal authenticity. 

In other words, the single most important thing to remember if you want to be a successful public speaker is to simply be yourself and reflect your true inner VOICE. 

I suppose the same thing could be said about many other life endeavors.

As my uncle, Hyrum W. Smith once wrote: True success in life can only come when you are true to the uniqueness in you.

"True success in life can only come when you are true to the uniqueness in you." 

—Hyrum W. Smith

And as Leo Buscaglia once noted: You are the best you. You will always be the second best someone else.

"You are the best you.

You will always be the second best someone else."

—Leo Buscaglia

There are over eight (8) billion human beings currently residing on Earth. Isn't it extraordinary to consider that no two persons have the exact same combination of genetic, cultural, religious, educational, experiential, and existential variables? No matter how similar two persons might appear on the outside, we are all singularly unique and original—an absolutely irreplaceable masterpiece of existential engineering. Your ever-present and ongoing challenge as a self-action leader is to figure out how to efficiently, effectively, and joyfully operate—and continually refine and polish—the masterpiece that is YOU.

Indeed, one of life's greatest opportunities—and challenges—is to figure out who YOU really are and then live true to your best self with as much authenticity and integrity as possible. In the words of the late leadership guru, Warren Bennis: Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.  

"Becoming a leader [or self-action leader] is synonymous with becoming yourself.

It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult."

—Warren Bennis

In this particular case, "who you are" does not refer to your genetic makeup, background, or upbringing. It is never primarily about your last name, zip code, bank account, or raw intellect or talent. Neither can you be defined exclusively by your natural inclinations, or even your past or present actions (although such variables may provide helpful hints).  

We are talking more about your future potential—the pinnacle of your existential possibilities—and your unique capacity to achieve extraordinary things along your journey throughout life. As you grow existentially and rise steadily up the SAL Hierarchy, you will come to better understand who you are, the unique contributions of which YOU are capable, and the kind of personal relationships you would like to form and nurture with others throughout your life.  

The unique achievements and contributions of your life will most likely be very different from mine. They will evince who YOU really are and what your gifts and potential entail. 

Have you already made any contributions of which you are particularly proud? If so, what are they? And if not, then what do you desire to contribute before your time in this world expires?

Discovering who you really are, and then getting busy making the contributions you most desire and are best suited for is a wonderfully adventurous and satisfying—yet difficult—pathway to pursue. The sooner you begin this journey and the harder you work at achieving Existential Growth, the quicker you will develop inner security, self-confidence, and patience; and you will need all of these qualities in great supply to realize your full potential and help others to realize theirs.  

When all is said and done, nothing is more satisfying than knowing you have done your best, given your all, and maximized your potential. On the other hand, knowing you could have achieved and become more than you actually did has certainly been a source of significant sorrow for many human beings throughout history.

In the poetic parlance of Whittier: For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been!" (2) 

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen

The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

—John Greenleaf Whittier

Self-Action Leadership is a vehicle for achieving greatness. But what does it really mean to be GREAT? What does greatness constitute? 

This is a deep and profound question to which many different answers may apply—depending on who you ask.

At Freedom Focused, we believe that true greatness lies less in external accoutrements and attainments and more in the internal development of knowledge, wisdom, and character.

One of my all-time favorite movie lines comes from the 2013 film: Oz the Great and Powerful, starring James Franco in the titular role. In the beginning of the movie, the Wizard of Oz laments his lack of greatness and exclaims: "I don't want to be a good man; I want to be a great one!" (3)

Later on, near the movie's end—and following the passage of a series of important, life-altering and character-shaping events in the Wizard's life—he learns the great truth that goodness actually is greatness. Thus, the audience is left to conclude—or at least I was left to conclude—that if you want to be GREAT, then YOU should strive with all your heart to be good, and greatness will inevitably follow over time.  

Play YOUR Part, and Play it Well

As a former athlete, I find sports metaphors relevant and useful to life.

As a former thespian, I also like the imagery of life as one, long, grand play or movie—in which each of us plays many different parts. 

As the Immortal Bard so eloquently and timelessly put it:  

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

They have their exits and their entrances, and one man, in his time, plays many parts." (4)

—William Shakespeare

There are perhaps as many different roles in this world as there are people, and there is no question that some are better suited to certain roles than others.

At times—such as in the case of selecting a college major or career field—you will be at liberty to select or reject a given role or pathway. At other times—in the case of accident, illness, natural disaster, or other calamity—you may find yourself thrust into a certain role whether you like it or not. 

Nevertheless, all along the way, you always possess a great deal of choice over how you will choose to play whatever roles you end up filling. At Freedom Focused, we are firm believers that we all have a duty to ourselves, others around us, and our planet as a whole, to do our duty—whatever that duty may entail—to the best of our ability with our eyes and hearts ever focused on righteousness. As our pal, Abraham Lincoln, once proclaimed: Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. (5)

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, 

let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

—Abraham Lincoln

However, as self-action leaders, our responsibility goes beyond merely doing our duty. It is certainly in the best interest of ourselves and others to discover those roles we are best suited for and then fill them to the best of our imperfect abilities—and extract as much joy therein as possible.

In other words, life is not only about doing what you should. It is also about paying the price to do what you like that is good—and benefits others. In the final analysis, the very best self-action leaders end up spending a great deal of time doing both what they should and what they want.

On the other hand, less effective personal leaders end up spending a great deal of time doing what they should not do and what they don't want to do. As the devil in C.S. Lewis so cleverly explained in his theological classic—The Screwtape Letters—a poor self-leader confesses in the end that he or she: "spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked." (6) Self-action leaders, on the other hand recognize—to their great joy and satisfaction—that, despite the inevitable hardships along the way, they still spent most of their lives doing what they ought and what they wanted.   

True self-action leaders recognize that it is not enough to merely be yourself; YOU must strive continually to become your best self.

This means that you cannot act foolishly and then blame your behavior on "being yourself." The "this is just who I am" trope is an excuse—a copout used by less effective personal leaders. Self-action leaders avoid going down that well-worn, but ignominious road built and maintained by those who sell themselves short in life.  

At Freedom Focused, we firmly believe—and hold—that all human beings have unlimited Existential Potential. Assuming this is true—and we'll go to our graves defending its veracity—do not sell yourself short!

Be yourself—YES... but more importantly; be your best self.  

In words once emblazoned in stone on the side of a building in Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom: Where 'ere thou art, act well thy part.

"Where 'ere thou art, act well thy part."

—Anonymous stone inscription

SAL MANTRA

Don't just be yourself. 

Be your best self!

In Your Journal

• What do you believe your true role or voice in life is, or will eventually be?

• Are you moving in the right direction to properly cultivate the maturation of that role and/or voice? How do you know?

• How can you better discern and discover what your true role and/or voice in life is, or will eventually be? 

• If you were to paint a mental picture (or create a collage) of your best self in the future, what would that picture look like? 

NOTE: For more information on how to discover YOUR OWN VOICE, and help others to discover theirs, we encourage reading Stephen R. Covey's book: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 504th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 290th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 503 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 Current Events, Cultural, Philosophical, & Miscellaneous 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.  

If you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to bookmark this blog to access a new FREE article every Wednesday.

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Chapter 1 Notes 

1.  Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press. Page 343.

2.  Whittier, J.G. Maud Muller (Poem).

3.  Oz the Great and Powerful. (2013). Directed by Sam Raimi. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. Actor's lines recited by James Franco (The Wizard of Oz). 

4.  Shakespeare, W. As You Like It. Act II. Scene VII. Lines 139-166. 

5.  Lincoln, A. (1860). Cooper Union Address. New York City. February 27, 1860. 

6.  Lewis, C.S. (1995). The Screwtape Letters. New York, NY: Bantam. Page 36.

A General Template

 

Chapter 10

A General Template

Pedagogy of Personal Leadership &

Character Development

PPLCD

Earlier on, in BOOK the SECOND / Chapter One of this Life Leadership textbook, a Pedagogy of Personal Leadership and Character Development, or PPLCD, was defined as: "educational curricula that focuses a student's attention and efforts on taking individual responsibility and developing integrity-based character."

Pedagogy of Personal Leadership and Character Development (PPLCD)

Educational curricula that focuses a student's attention and efforts on

taking individual responsibility and developing integrity-based character.

It has been made amply clear throughout this comprehensive Life Leadership textbook that both self-education and formal education have played vital roles in my own Existential Growth, as well as my long-term happiness, success, contentment, fulfilment, and inner peace. By including significant chunks of my own personal narrative, I have striven to illustrate—as vividly and comprehensively as possible—the extraordinary importance of an education in SAL (or PPLCD) in my own life and career, and by extension, in the lives of others as well. 

Simply stated, my achievements and growth would not have been possible without learning what to do and how to do it, and then being continually reminded of—and taking action on—these same principles and practices. The same will be true for YOU or anyone else.

As someone once said: "Repetition is the key to reception." And to reiterate the choice quote of G.K. Chesterton: We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed.  

"We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed."

—G.K. Chesterton

  

The late and great Dale Carnegie—Father of the Self-Help field and author of the massive bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence People—said of his most famous work: "I am not advocating a bag of tricks. I am talking about a new way of life."

At Freedom Focused, we think and feel the exact same way in introducing the SAL Philosophy, Theory, and Model to the world. Our goal is not merely to help others modify their behavior so they can get what they want. Rather, we are promoting an entirely new way of thinking, believing, acting, living, and being based on authentic, real, and true principles of character development and Existential Growth.

These principles have been painstakingly tested by billions of people over thousands of years, to say nothing of the 40 years of my own diligent study and focused self-action research—and the shining examples of countless others who have overcome great adversity and achieved mighty accomplishments and growth through its study and practice.

Making SAL efficacious in the long-run of your life and career journey will not come quickly; nor will it be easy. To the contrary, it will be difficult, and for most people it will take a lot longer than they may initially desire or suppose to achieve long-term objectives. But, it remains possible for anyone and everyone willing to learn the principles and apply the practices consistently over time.    

Problems Precluding PPLCD's

(Pedagogies of Personal Leadership and Character Development)

From the earliest days of self-leadership in academe, a universally accepted (and hopeful) truism has been that self-leadership development is feasible for everyone. To reiterate the words of Dr. Charles C. Manz, the father of self-leadership in academia:

"Effective self-leadership can be learned ... [it] is not restricted to people we describe as "self-starters," "self-directed," "self-motivated," etc. ... Self-leadership approach[es] are relevant to managers and nonmanagers—that is, to anyone who works." (1)

Accepting this truism as fact, everyone who wants to learn and apply SAL can learn and apply SAL. However, the fact that SAL can be learned by all students doesn't mean it will always be taught. In fact, another great truism about education in the West is that it all too often has failed to teach SAL-oriented principles and practices.

There are several reasons for this glaring pedagogical omission so pervasive in Western schools, both public and private. Consider the following reasons, in order of most to least endemic and problematic:

1.  Many parents are not valuing, teaching, or exemplifying SAL principles and practices to their children and students, at least not to the extent that they could.
2. Creators and purveyors of pop culture routinely spotlight, glamorize, and promote individuals of all walks of life who are not honorable SAL role models.  
3.  Heavily influenced by pop culture, the media, and the Internet, Western mores and norms have evolved to have a high tolerance for personal irresponsibility and moral relativity. 
4. Legislative academic requirements involving curriculum and standardized testing often require that educators teach almost exclusively "to the test," thereby decreasing the time and opportunities to implement and support PPLCD initiatives within a framework of established curricula. 
5. Educators (administrators and teachers) themselves lack the desire, and/or energy, and/or knowledge, and/or time, and/or willpower to incorporate PPLCDs into their classrooms and schools.

There is a limit to what EDUCATORS can do about the first four (4) problems listed above. However, there is a lot that any educator can do about the fifth problem if they are willing to generate the desire, energy, knowledge, time, and willpower to proceed creatively in ways that are both planned and spontaneous.

How do we know that this is true?  

Because Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, Kehl Arnson, Thresa Brooks, Dr. JJ, and many other educators like them have proven it can be done within real classrooms and real schools in spite of any and all other demands.    

SAL Must be Taught

An Invitation

Imagine a society where Existential Growth and personal character development was as "Cool," popular, and sought after as Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, or the latest video game, Internet meme, or YouTube channel? 

I know... 

     It's hard to imagine!

While is may presently seem impossible for SAL principles and practices to ever compete with Mr. Beast or K-Pop Demon Hunters, I believe that elements of popular culture will, in due time, become compelling exponents of SAL and Life Leadership. (2)  

The famous French sociologist, Émile Durkheim, once sagely surmised that: when mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary; [but] when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable.

"When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary, 

but when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable. 

—Émile Durkheim

The successful enactment of well-crafted human-made laws may improve problematic issues within a society on a temporary basis. But, when it comes to producing lasting cultural changes on a broad scale in the long-run, the transformation of informal mores will always prove more impactful and powerful than the alteration of formal laws. 

As a general rule, this is just the way most human beings operate. 

We would much rather follow a principle or practice because we believe it will help us (and others) than we would prefer to follow a rule because an external enforcer commands us to do so.

For example, areas with some of the toughest gun laws in the United States tend to also experience some of the most gun violence. Sadly, mores of hatred combined with fierce competition often trump mores of civility and compassion in these same areas. Tougher laws will never curb a problem if there is no desire or will to address the underlying symptoms of the problem.

True change, be it intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, societal, or cultural must always come from within. Changes that come from without—via an externally enforced authority figure—usually produce results that are either superficial, short-lived, or both. This reality often plays out geopolitically on a macro level as political elections see-saw back and forth between polar opposite ideological viewpoints. One candidate is elected and immediately enacts sweeping external changes. Then, another candidate from the opposite party is elected and does the same thing, causing the pendulum to swing back in the opposite direction. 

However, without necessary internal changes in attitudes, beliefs, behavior, and culture on the micro level—inside of the hearts, minds, and souls of individuals—little lasting progress is achieved.  

My goal as a scholar-practitioner and thought leader is to provide opportunities for people everywhere to become better educated in SAL and other, related PPLCDs. This includes expanding people's vision of what is possible for them both personally and professionally as they gradually achieve Existential Growth over time.

The solution that Freedom Focused offers is neither fast nor easy—authentic internal solutions to real metaphysical problems rarely are. That is why SAL will always struggle to compete with Taylor Swift and the alluring and rowdy retinue of her pop cultural and media milieu.

It is so much easier to simply Shake it Off—in other words, pretend our problems don't really exist—and remain rutted in self-deceived patterns of perpetual symptom palliation rather than rising above our problems by honestly recognizing and acknowledging them for what they really are and then paying the price to get them fixed from the inside-out.    

But, if and when properly implemented, our proposed solution of SAL will produce profoundly positive effects and results—even to the extent of bringing about individual, group, organizational, communal, regional, societal, and cultural transformations. The realization of this vision depends upon the faithfulness of individuals—including YOU and ME—to learn SAL principles and apply SAL practices. 

For widespread cultural change to occur, SAL must be continually taught, encouraged, and acted upon by growing numbers of the world's population. This simple learn-know-do-repeat model of education must then continue throughout your life.

However detailed, intricate, and nuanced SAL may be in its more esoteric philosophical particulars, it remains very simple and basic on its face. It is all about listening to your conscience, trying your best to follow its edicts or commands, and then striving continually to take complete personal responsibility over everything in your life and career over which you have control and/or influence.

These are very straight forward principles. 

     Yet, how difficult it can be to consistently practice them!  

As the Immortal Bard would say: "Ay, there's the rub!" (3) 

And again, we feel compelled to repeat the truism spoken by that great British philosopher, G.K. Chesterton: We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed. 

"We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed."

—G.K. Chesterton

This statement is particularly true of adults, who may have completed their formal education, yet still struggle with so many of the simple—but not easy—habits that lead to happiness, success, and inner peace.

We therefore call upon everyone with a heart that cares and a will to try to study and practice SAL.

We further call upon those special individuals with the high calling of EDUCATOR to teach and model its principles in their schools, classrooms, communities, and personal lives.  

Finally, we call upon all of humanity to look deeper into the source of all human ills—the thoughts, speech, actions, attitudes, and beliefs of individuals—beginning with YOURSELF. 

I was born in 1979. The recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize that year was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Upon receiving the prestigious Norwegian award, she was asked was people could do to promote world peace. 

She replied simply: "Go home and take care of your family."

"Go home and take care of your family."

—Mother Teresa

This is one of the most succinctly wise statements I have ever heard, and we at Freedom Focused wholeheartedly endorse simple, yet profound statements of wisdom. We do, however, ask that you take her advice one step further, as follows...

As you go home to love, serve, nurture, teach, and cherish your family members, remember that your individual capacity to give depends upon how much physical and metaphysical fuel you have in your own metaphysical gas tank. Thus, the stronger and healthier YOU are, and the more knowledge and skills that you have, the better equipped you will be to take care of and positively impact and influence others.  

After you have risen to higher levels of Existential Growth yourself, and taught SAL to those in your home, I invite you to creatively consider how you might further promote its proliferation in communities, schools, and organizations throughout your region, state, nation, and/or world.

Along the way, do not make the mistake of thinking you have mastered the material yourself and have no need of review or refreshing. In this world, none of us are above entropy or atrophy. As such, wise self-action leaders always remain humble and continually review, renew, and refresh themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.

We are reminded here of the inspired words and humble admission of Dr. James G.S. Clawson, a friend of mine and an Emeritus Professor at the Darden Graduate School of Business at The University of Virginia. 

Said Clawson: 

"I remember when Manz (1983) first came out with his work on self-leadership. At the time it seemed odd to me. I will admit I am a slow learner on some things [because] I have come to believe that one of the biggest leadership issues [that exists throughout the world today] is the inability of people—even and especially managers and executives—to lead themselves." (4)

Nothing—save Serendipity—will have a greater long-term impact on the welfare of our world than the widespread embrace of SAL principles and practices. Groups are only as strong as the individuals that make them up. When an individual makes a small self-improvement, every conceivable group or organization associated with that individual is enhanced by a factor of that single change. 

As individual self-action leaders take greater responsibility for their own lives and Existential Growth, our planet's possibilities for free, just, clean, peaceful, and prosperous nations, societies, and cultures will expand exponentially.

And the miracle of this planet-altering phenomenon is that it all begins with the ONE.

     It all begins with YOU and with me.  

Pedagogies of Personal Leadership and Character Development

PPLCDs: A Template

PPLCD Curricular Triad

For leaders, managers, educators, and parents who are ready to begin implementing PPLCDs into their organizations, departments, schools, and homes, but currently lack a curriculum to do so, we invite you to use this Life Leadership textbook as a primary text for teaching the SAL philosophy, theory, and model. 

For those who would prefer to deliver your own uniquely packaged curriculum beyond or outside of the confines of this text, we provide the following pedagogical template to inform your efforts.

This template consists of three, broad components of Personal Leadership or SAL: Temporal SAL, Relational SAL, and Existential SAL. 

1.  Temporal SAL
2.  Relational SAL
3.  Existential SAL 

We further suggest that educators spend approximately 40 percent (40%) of their time focusing on Temporal and Relational SAL topics and 20 percent (20%) of their time on Existential SAL topics. 

TEMPORAL Self-Action Leadership

It is difficult—if not impossible—to adequately help others if you are not in healthy and proper working order yourself. Thus, when practicing—or teaching—SAL, it is vital to always put First Things First (5) by ensuring you are standing on higher ground (physically or metaphysically speaking) than the person you are trying to assist. As such, Temporal Self-Action Leadership logically precedes the relational or existential components of SAL in the PPLCD Curricular Triad.   

Temporal SAL focuses on primal personal leadership issues such as your own HEALTH (physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, et cetera), strength, and wellness to ensure that YOU are in a positive and productive place in your personal and professional life. 

Temporal SAL also focuses on cleanliness, hygiene, grooming, fitness and nutrition, and other basic personal responsibilities including career establishment, maintenance, advancement, and enhancement in conjunction with self-renewal activities (i.e. rest, relaxation, rejuvenation, renovation, time off work, vacation, personal hobbies, et cetera). 

The point and purpose of Temporal SAL is to develop the health, wellness, inner security, self-confidence and esteem, and self-reliance that is required to move to the next step of the triad, which involves building healthy and meaningful relationships with others.  

Approximately 40 percent (40%) of a self-action leader's focus, energy, and time should be devoted to Temporal SAL.  

RELATIONAL Self-Action Leadership

Relational Self-Action Leadership refers to building, maintaining, sustaining, and improving human relationships in both your personal and/or professional life. This includes effectively and productively troubleshooting the many problems that are apt to arise in relationships. 

Relational SAL refers to learning how to effectively develop high functioning and mutually beneficial relationships through communication, effort, empathy, understanding, and effectively cooperating or otherwise working with other people. 

It also involves making meaningful contributions to the well-being of others through lifting, serving, sharing, teaching, and other cooperative efforts. Keys to building effective and mutually satisfying relationships with others include: courtesy, compassion, kindness, active and empathic listening and other communication skills, emotional intelligence and resiliency, tolerance, forgiveness, etc.  

Relational SAL begins with your Source—whatever or whoever you believe your Source to be. It should then extend outwards to your spouse or significant other, immediate family members, close friends and colleagues, extended family members, more casual friends and colleagues, neighbors, and anyone else with whom you might associate—in this order.  

Approximately 40 percent (40%) of a self-action leader's focus, energy, and time should be devoted to Relational SAL.  

EXISTENTIAL Self-Action Leadership

Approximately 20 percent (20%) of a self-action leader's focus, energy, and time should be devoted to existential matters, such as metaphysics, spirituality, and/or religion.

Existential SAL is concerned with the development and care of one's past, present, and future experiences and existence. As part of Existential SAL, self-action leaders should focus on who they are, why they exist, what their purpose in life is, what their spiritual and/or religious beliefs are (or aren't), what they need to improve upon, and what they hope to become over time in this life and—for believers—beyond as well, where they desire to live and travel and why, and what kind of a legacy they desire to leave behind them when they pass away from this world.  

For some, Existential SAL will manifest itself largely in spiritual development and religious practice. Others may choose to see it as a process of fine-tuning their moral compass, or developing a deeper connection to nature, the universe, and themselves. Because of the natural connection between Existential and spiritual/religious matters, public educators should be careful about how they address this subject. For example, efforts should be made to ensure that materials used maintain a clear separation between church and state and do not promote one set of religious or spiritual beliefs above another. Obviously, prayer cannot be taught or officially advocated for in public school environments. However, similar exercises, such as: self-contemplation, self-reflection, self-observation, self-analysis, observing moments of silence, and creating a Self-Constitution can—and should—be taught.  

Specific Topics to Consider Covering

When designing a PPLCD for your school, classroom, community, organization, or home, the following topic lists can assist leaders, managers, educators, trainers, and parents in identifying where their audience's greatest SAL needs lie. 

These lists are more cursory than comprehensive, and can therefore be supplemented with a variety of other, related topics as needs and wants arise.  

 

Temporal SAL Sub-Topics

• Addiction recognition, acknowledgement, and recovery
• Courage
• Delaying Gratification (impulse control)
• Emotional well being
• Financial Management, Planning, and Saving
• Goal Setting
• Honesty & Integrity
• Journal Writing
• Life-management and Leadership
• Managing/overcoming personal disappointments, failures, rejections, and loss
• Mental health and hygiene
• Organization
• Personal hygiene and grooming
• Physical health, fitness, and nutrition
• Proactivity
• Self-Discipline
• Self-management and Leadership
• Time Management
• Writing a Self-Constitution

Relational SAL Sub-Topics

• Becoming other-minded and/or service oriented
• Communication Skills
• Empathy
• Listening
• Conversations
• Building Rapport
• Speaking (negotiation and persuasion)
• Caring
• Compassion
• Courtesy & Etiquette
• Encouragement
• Ego subversion
• How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
• Kindness
• Negotiation
• Recognizing and overcoming hedonism
• Recognizing and overcoming narcissism
• Praise
• Self-sacrifice
• Service and volunteering 
• Sharing
• Specific relational skills, or how to be an effective
• Daughter, Son
• Brother, Sister
• Mother, Father
• Spouse / Significant Other
• Extended Family Member
• Friend
• Colleague
• Boss
• Subordinate
• Neighbor
• Citizen
• Other
• Thoughtfulness
• Win/Win agreements and arrangements

Existential SAL Sub-Topics

• Deep Breathing
• Prayer (where appropriate, as desired)
• Self-Analysis
• Self-Examination
• Self-Contemplation
• Self-Observation
• Self-Oneness
• Self-Reflection
• Spending time in and enjoying NATURE
• Study of metaphysics, philosophy, religion, culture, anthropology, et cetera
• Volunteer Service
• Visiting hospitals, care centers, senior homes, loved ones, etc.  
• Dedicating an extended period of time (e.g. month, 3-months, 6-months, year, 2-years, 3-years, et cetera, to full-time volunteer service work as desired.  
• Dedicating smaller units of time to piecemeal volunteer work projects throughout your life (e.g. 1-5 or more hours a week/month/quarter/year, etc.
• Donating a portion (however large or small) of your financial resources to organizations that serve the homeless, hungry, poverty-stricken, mentally ill, hospitalized, or otherwise needy.
• Worship (where appropriate, as desired)
• Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, et cetera

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

Sadly, too many of the topics listed above are not adequately taught in schools, colleges, communities, organizations, and homes. And even when they are addressed, the material is often minimal, watered-down, or delivered indirectly through the speeches and life examples of outlying leaders and role models who visit schools to make brief, token presentations. 

Rarely are entire courses dedicated to such topics. 

     This must change!

Schools need to acquire or develop complete courses on the weightier matters of REAL LIFE, such as health and wellness, personal finance, building and navigating relationships, and of course, Self-Action Leadership. 

When it comes to training young (and not so young) minds in the art and science of becoming healthy, productive members of society, such courses are at least as important as other core academic subjects, and from a practical standpoint, they often prove to be much more important than academic subjects (with the exception of reading, writing, and arithmetic).  

Just as Daniel Goleman argued that Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can be even more important than Academic Intelligence (IQ), a solid education in SAL can be even more important than a traditional education in academic subjects—at least when when it comes to making a qualitative difference in a student's long-term success in life. 

I know this is true from my own experiences. After completing 19 years of formal schooling, including higher education up to and including a terminal (Doctoral) degree, there is no question in my mind that SAL has been even more important to my long-term success than any other academic subjects I've ever studied, with the exceptions of reading, writing, history, and basic arithmetic.  

Obviously, a solid education in English, math, science, history, computer operation and Internet navigation, et cetera, should always form the core foundation of a successful education. However, at Freedom Focused we believe that a thoughtful overhaul of the entire educational system is sorely needed.

As part of this overhaul, greater classroom coverage of SAL-oriented subjects of all kinds need to be granted so that students enter the real world prepared not just to get a job, but to also successfully confront all sorts of challenges that will arise after one begins that job so that you can eventually advance and thrive in your career, get along well with others, become a person of influence, and prosper both personally and professionally regardless what pathway you choose to travel.  

SAL provides that kind of comprehensive EDUCATION. And it is becoming exceedingly important in our incredibly competitive and increasingly interconnected, complex, and information-saturated, 21st century global society.

The time has come to stop relegating the future of our children—to say nothing of our own futures—to the moral whims of postmodern philosophy and cultural caprice, entropy, stagnation, and rot.  

It's time to start being REAL!

It's time to embrace the dawning of a new Age of Authenticism by taking the vitally important matters of personal leadership and character education into our own hands. It is time to decide to determine our own destinies rather than letting arbitrary forces beyond our control whip us around in every which way without any regard to its impact upon our Existential Growth and the long-term results we get in our lives and careers.  

It is my sincere hope and prayer that each of us will choose to play a conscious, active, and productive role in positively directing our own lives for the everlasting benefit of ourselves, our children, and future generations yet to be born.

The time has come for all of us to reclaim our divinely gifted endowment of self-sovereignty, and to teach others to do the same. 

We can do this! 

     Let us each begin TODAY...

In Your Journal

• Are we missing anything? If you were a leader, teacher, or parent setting up your own PPLCD in your own school, classroom, organization, or home, would you add anything to the general curriculum template introduced in this chapter? Why or why not?  

 

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 503th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 289th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 502 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 Current Events, Cultural, Philosophical, & Miscellaneous 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.  

If you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to bookmark this blog to access a new FREE article every Wednesday.

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Chapter 10 Notes 

1. Manz, C. C. (1983). "Improving Performance Through Self-Leadership." National Productivity Review (pre-1986). Volume 2. Issue 3. p. 288-297. Page 289.

2.  For an example of pop culture messages that resonate SAL principles, see Ashton Kutcher’s 2014 Teen Choice Awards speech on YouTube.  

3.  Shakespeare, W.S. Hamlet. Act III. Scene 1. Line 73.

4.  Clawson, J. G. S. (2008). "Leadership As Managing Energy." International Journal of Organizational Analysis. Volume 16. Issue 3. p. 174-181. DOI:10.1108/19348830810937943. Page 175.

5.  Covey, S.R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Fireside. P. 145-182.

Covey, S.R., Merrill, A.R., & Merrill, R.R. (1994) First Things First. New York, NY: Fireside.

I Am Sovereign

 

Chapter 9

I Am Sovereign

Pedagogy of Personal Leadership &

Character Development

EXAMPLE  #5

Deeply inspired by the character education efforts of Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, Kehl Arnson, and Thresa Brooks, I decided to develop and implement my own Pedagogy of Personal Leadership and Character Development (PPLCD) when I became a classroom teacher myself at a large, public high school in Houston, Texas during the 2009-2010 school year. 

In designing my own PPLCD, I drew heavily upon my own personal leadership mantra and motif of "Self-Sovereignty," which I had championed in the First Edition of the SAL Textbook. This work, written primarily for a high school audience back in 2005-06, was titled: I Am Sovereign: The Power of Personal Leadership. (1) It emphasized the importance of taking complete personal responsibility for everything in one's life and was the source from whence all future editions of the SAL Life Leadership textbook eventually sprang.

First Edition of the SAL Textbook
Self-Published 2006
Booksurge Publishing LLC

The idea of Self-Sovereignty is that each individual human being is the sovereign ruler of his or her own world. This makes each of us the Captain of our own ship, the President of our own country, the CEO of our own company, the General of our own army, et cetera. Self-sovereignty focuses and capitalizes on the opportunity students have to consciously and strategically design their own lives over time.   

A few years before I landed my full-time high school English teaching position, Joe Asbury—a high school teacher at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana—used the First Edition of the SAL Textbook in his health classes during the 2006-07 school year. I had been invited by then-Principal Dan Scherry to teach six (6) of my I Am Sovereign personal leadership seminars to students in Asbury's health classes at Heritage Hills High in August 2006.

Following my in-person delivery of these introductory seminars to his students, Asbury then used the I Am Sovereign book as a text for the 3-week unit on mental health in each of his health classes. Scherry purchased enough books for all of Asbury's 9th and 10th grade students. These students read and completed assignments from the book on a daily basis throughout the 3-week long mental health unit. 

In his own words, Asbury described the process and perceived efficacy of the experiment as follows: 

"Each student received a copy of the book and we read aloud the entire book. I would add personal stories and comments throughout. We completed the written sections as well. I used those sections as a way to take grades.

"The students enjoyed reading the book, after which they drafted their self-constitutions in our computer lab. Overall. I think they enjoyed the work very much and I was impressed by some of the great projects [personal constitutions] they produced.  

"I would recommend the I Am Sovereign book to anyone who is interested in advancing personal leadership in themselves or today's youth. My ninth and tenth grade students read and worked through Jordan's book and found it to be very rewarding. This book gave me a way to teach personal leadership where I did not have an effective resource before." 

Encouraged by Asbury's positive feedback and glowing endorsement of the SAL Textbook (First Edition), and amply passionate about the I Am Sovereign personal leadership philosophy in that work, I was eager to creatively incorporate some of the same material into my own classroom environment as a 9th grade English Teacher. 

Fortunately, for me, the two (2) traditional academic subjects that are perhaps best suited to incorporate SAL Training and instruction are English and history. This is because history and literature are full of examples of human beings—both fictional and non-fictional—who exhibit both positive and negative character traits and behavior. Thus, as a history-loving English teacher, I readily perceived a cornucopia of opportunities to weave SAL principles and practices into my lesson plans on a regular basis within a framework of the literature we were already covering—and in conjunction with the concomitant classroom discussions. It was also easy to incorporate SAL material into classroom writing assignments, including journaling. 

Then, following in the footsteps of Thresa Brooks, I composed an original poem full of SAL affirmations and mantras I could use in my classroom. 

I entitled this poem: I Am Sovereign. 

I Am Sovereign (Classroom version)

As the Captain of my life, I understand that I am responsible for
my thoughts, my words, my decisions, my grade, and ultimately, my future.

Knowing this gives me power—personal power—to make good choices, do the right thing, (2) and be successful at Cy-Ridge High School and beyond. 

No one can take this power away from me, though if I choose

I can give it away to someone or something else.

This I will never do. For there is but one me in all history,

And my one shot at life I will not waste. 

Just for today, (3) I will respect myself by respecting my school, my teachers, my classmates, and by doing my best to master what I am supposed to learn. 

I know that I cannot control anyone or anything but myself. Yet with that control I create my world, design my destiny, and conquer the enemy within. Today I choose to be successful in school and in life, because...

I Am Sovereign!

Picture of JJ's I Am Sovereign poem as it was displayed
in his high school English classroom.
Cypress-Ridge High School
Houston, Texas
2010

I introduced this poem to students in January 2010—at the beginning of the second semester—and printed it on a large poster board in the back of the classroom. I further attached a sign that read "You are Sovereign" above the classroom doorway for students to see each day when they left class. 

Sign posted above the doorway of my classroom in 2010.

While I lacked the experience, confidence, and personality-stylistic preferences to use Brooks' more formal and advanced methodology with my own poem, I still introduced and taught it to my students and then referenced it on a regular basis from that time forward to the end of the school year. For example, I would read the poem out loud to the students a couple of times a month and then assign students to write in their journals about the poem's subject matter—and other related topics, such as goal setting. I also repeated the mantra—I Am Sovereign—whenever a SAL principle became relevant to whatever lesson plan or literary piece I was covering on any given school day. This was easy to do because literature is littered with a potpourri of characters who either exhibit—or fail to exhibit—SAL principles (or both).  

As part of our curriculum, my ninth grade English teaching team designed a journaling assignment that required students to complete five (5) handwritten pages every other week. To help them accomplish this task, we gave students daily opportunities to write in their journals and prompts to get them started.

For my classroom journal prompts, I would often write a SAL-oriented quote on the board or share a SAL-oriented poem on the overhead projector. I would then ask my students to reflect on what the quote or poem meant to them and jot their thoughts down in their journal. 

Some examples of these prompts include the following:

• What is something you do well?
• What are you thankful for? Make a list and explain why. 
• When you have had a problem, who do you talk to? Or, who could you talk to, and why? 
• Do YOU think it is important to be honest? Why or why not? 
• Think of the best teacher you have ever had. Why was he or she a good teacher?
• Do you think there is too much fighting on television? Why or why not? 
• Do you think it is necessary to have alcohol at a party in order to have a good time? Why or why not?
• What is the best advice you have ever received?
• What do you think makes a happy family?
• What do you do for exercise?  
• What do you like most about yourself? Why?
• What do you think courage means?

Answering these prompts in their journals provided students with positive and productive opportunities to reflect on SAL-oriented principles and practices. Just as importantly, the prompts invited students to think critically about the whys as well as the whats to each question-prompt.   

Awards System

Another technique I employed in my classroom involved recognizing students for excellent or improved academic performances and attendance. By honoring high achievers and those who made improvements from previous grading periods, I was able to find ways to praise and encourage all of my students—not just the top academic performers.  

JJ's "Wall of Fame" sign that hung above his classroom award lists.

As part of my "Wall of Fame," I included lists of student achievers such as the "Gold," "Silver," and "Bronze" medalists for top performers, and "Top 10" or "Top 15" lists for attendance, academic performance, punctuality, and improvement. I also had a list for the "A-Team," which referred to those receiving A-grades during any given six-week grading period. 

I would then spend a portion of the first day of each new grading period announcing the new lists and giving out candy and other prizes to award recipients. Because of the diversity of the awards given, every student—even those with academic struggles, behavioral issues, or special education modifications—was capable of earning an award. As a result, the vast majority of my students ended up making at least one (or more) of my award lists during one (or more) grading periods. In other words, anyone who was willing to make an authentic effort earned an award and some form of accompanying recognition for that effort.    

Impact of the I Am Sovereign Mantra

Toward the end of the school year, I started to see the I Am Sovereign phrase or principle show up in the work of several of my students—completely unprompted by me. This was encouraging and provided tangible evidence that the SAL concept of self-sovereignty was sinking in for some—and perhaps many—of my students. (3)

Impact of the Awards Strategy

Aside from the benefits to the students, which I'll discuss shortly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the awards strategy myself. Observing my students receive tangible recognition for their performances and/or improvements—and noticing their obvious excitement and satisfaction for being recognized—also brought me great joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment as a teacher. 

Reflecting back on my own experiences in middle and high school, I remembered well how satisfying it was to be publicly recognized by teachers, administrators, coaches, or the local press. But, I had not anticipated that giving awards to others could equal—or even transcend—the joy of receiving them myself. 

Suffice it to say, the entire process was fun for everyone who participated. Honestly, it ended up being the highlight of the school year for me—and I believe that many of my students felt similarly. More importantly, it helped improve students' academic performances, attendance, and self-esteem.  

While some students would laugh at, act embarrassed by, or be genuinely surprised to make one of my achievement lists, I never sensed that anyone failed to appreciate and enjoy receiving the recognition. Indeed, there seemed to be near-universal student assent for the program. In addition, there was evidence that this recognition went a long way toward boosting the self-confidence and sense of worth of every student who was honored—and in one way or another, most students were honored at least once during the semester. This evidence came in part from improved grades by both individuals and class groups. 

For some students, this sense of accomplishment and pride was short lived and their names would not reappear on subsequent award lists. For others, a combination of personal satisfaction and public recognition motivated them to consistently work hard to maintain and/or improve upon their success and continue to make one or more of the lists throughout the remainder of the school year.  

During one particular grading period, I noticed a friendly rivalry spark up between two friends—both of whom wanted to win the gold medal for overall grade percentage that grading period. As this competition heated up, I observed back-and-forth comments in their respective journals. Only one of the students went on to win this particular award (of course), but the other student's efforts were not in vain. While she did not win one of the top three medals, she did make the "A-Team" that grading period, which was an improvement from some of her past grading periods. The other student—Jessie Nazario, my young Native American student and friend—won the gold and eventually went on to win the first-place plaque, which was awarded to the overall grade percentage champion for the entire semester.

While students routinely complained when given an instruction or assignment in class, I don't remember any such complaints, nor was there nearly as much cynical "teeth sucking" (4) on award's day. Based on all the feedback I received from students, it was clear that the system was mostly liked and appreciated.  

More Action Research

As the school year began drawing to a close, I conducted a survey to better understand the extent to which my efforts at teaching SAL and rewarding positive behavior were, or were not working.

It is important to note here that of the five (5) English classes I taught during the 2009-10 school year, one (1) of them was an advanced class, referred to as a "K-level" class. K-level classes were considered "Above level," similar to a pre-advanced placement (pre-AP) class.

The other four (4) classes were referred to as "L-level" classes, which were considered to be "On-level," or average classes. 

For a variety of reasons, there was a significant intellectual and behavioral divide between my K-level and L-level students—speaking collectively and not individually (e.g. Jesse Nazario, my overall top-scoring student, was actually an L-level student). When collecting the research data, I therefore separated the L-level questionnaires from the K-level questionnaires. 

K-level Student Questionnaire ANSWERS

  

Note: Seventeen (17) K-level students were anonymously surveyed from my one (1) K-level class. The following answers were submitted by these 17 students. Student answers are produced verbatim as they were written down, including errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This was done to preserve the authenticity of student responses. Rare exceptions to this practice exist where clarity necessitated a minor revision. The students were at liberty to answer (or not answer) each question. For undisclosed reasons, many students chose not to answer one or more of the questions on the survey. This is why different questions have a different number of responses, even though 17 total students responded to the survey in some way, shape, or form.    

 

QUESTION 1:  What did you like best about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

1.  It was a fun and memerable class. Always outgoing. you always gave us tips and encouragement.
2.  I liked that you tried to incorporate life lessons into your teaching.
3.  I like ... that we are rewarded for our hard effort.

QUESTION 2:  What will you remember most about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

1.  All the great things he's done for me. All of the kind words and motivational acts. He really helped me out this year! It's so nice to have a teacher, or SOMEONE to talk to when you have a problem and he helped me.
2.  I will remember his motivation and leadership skills speeches, helped me out alot.
3.  The neat/unique writing assignments.
4.  That you taught like a newbie

QUESTION 3:  What is the most important thing you learned this year from Mr. Jensen?

1.  Never give up, make the right choices, being sovereign.
2.  Do your best, but only 'your' best
3.  To keep going and pushing for your goal. 
4.  living life making good choices
5.  Motivation and everything else he teaches
6.  To have a good attitude and to not give up!!!
7.  I'm in charge of my life
8.  That I Am Sovereign

 QUESTION 4:  What does I Am Sovereign mean to you?

1.  Having good confidence and self-esteem in yourself.
2.  You are in charge of your life and your own decisions.
3.  I am in control.
4.  Being respectful to others, make better choices
5.  Try your very best in school and out of school on trying your best in everything you do.
6.  That you are in charge of yourself.
7.  It means that I am in control of my destiny.
8.  Motivate yourself
9.  That I have the potential and standard to be able to lead my life to a happy ending and live it to the fullest.
10.  I make my own decisions. I run my own life.
11.  Not much : /

QUESTION 5:  What are your opinion and thoughts on the whole I Am Sovereign poem/motto?

1.  I thinks it is very motivational experience, gives us support and life needed skills to help us become successful, very good idea.
2.  I think it's fine, but it can be shortened to a simpler motto. 
3.  It was influencing, but it was just another thing taught at school and most students wouldn't care much about it. 
4.  It's a really good poem, can help ppl in the future. 
5.  It's pretty lame, but I guess Mr. Jensen thinks it's useful. I don't memorize it by heart, but I remember some of the words to it. 
6.  It's okay.
7.  I think that it's a nice try but it didn't give a huge impact on me.
8.  To be frank, I didn't really pay much attention to it. I'm sorry! : (
9.  It's a good poem
10.  That it fills our mind with affirmations of how we can accomplish anything we can do, but it could be reused in a way where everyone can agree with it. 
11.  It is a ... nice poem, indeed. I am just sick of hearing about it. It seems to be incorporated in nearly every activity, whether he is reading it, or reffering to it.
12.  It is inspiring.  

QUESTION 5:  Has the phrase "I Am Sovereign" ever entered your mind to motivate you to work hard or make good choices when you were not in Mr. Jensen's class? (at home, after school, in another class, on the weekends, etc.)

YES:  6 Votes     NO:  8 votes     If YES, how many times?  47 Times  (total from all student responses)

QUESTION 6:  Please explain when and how remembering the I Am Sovereign phrase helped you. 

1.  Gave me confidence and made me feel successful in my life right now. 
2.  It motivated me to do better things in everything I do.
3.  It motivated me to do better. 
4.  It has helped me through my pain of how I cannot finish strongly, to [become] one of the most influential people in my team or in my group.  

QUESTION 7:  Have you ever told anyone else what I Am Sovereign means? If so, how many times (and why)?

YES: 1 Vote    NO: 16 Votes

L-level Student Questionnaire ANSWERS

Note: Forty-five (45) L-level students were anonymously surveyed from among my four (4) L-level classes. The following answers were submitted by these 45 students. Student answers are produced verbatim as they were written down, including errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This was done to preserve the authenticity of student responses. Rare exceptions to this practice exist where clarity necessitated a minor revision. The students were at liberty to answer (or not answer) each question. For undisclosed reasons, many students chose not to answer one or more of the questions on the survey. This is why different questions have a different number of responses, even though 45 total students responded to the survey in some way, shape, or form.   

 

QUESTION 1:  What did you like best about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

1.  Keeped room clean
2.  I learned alot of life lessons from him.
3.  The best thing is that you try to motivate us all the time.
4.  I liked the way you were able to relate old style language or any piece of literature to our lives as teenagers
5.  You give life lessons

QUESTION 2:  What will you remember most about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

1.  You never gave up on me when I did.
2.  His silly dances, and "sayings"
3.  "I am soveriegn" 
4.  His motivation, when we will get awarded for having good/bad grades. (Made me want to try harder)
5.  "I AM SOVEREGN" 
6.  The advice he has given me
7.  The awards

QUESTION 3:  What is the most important thing you learned this year from Mr. Jensen?

1.  I learned to be sovereign.
2.  How to be a better writer and to succeed in life and school and everything else.
3.  Suicide and all the advice he gave us (pregnancy, suicide, etc.)
4.  To be sovereign.
5.  I Am Sovereign.
6.  That I am Soveran.
7.  I am sovereign. 
8.  To push it to the limit
9.  To always try to reach a goal
10.  Being soverign. It has helped me to never give up.
11.  I can do whatever I want as long as I try hard,
12.  To never give up on my education. To just keep trying.
13.  When he told us not to give up, and never quit.
14.  That no matter the circumstances you should never give up.
15.  To be more serious about my life and future.
16.  That I AM soveregin. (smiley face)
17.  I am sovereign.
18.  To be Sovereiegn. 
19.  To be Sovereign.
20.  Sovereighnty
21.  Be Sovereigne
22.  Taking control of one's life
23.  Be yourself.
24.  Sovereign
25.  Never give up on yourself even if you think things are hopeless.

 QUESTION 4:  What does I Am Sovereign mean to you?

1.  Motivation
2.  You are in control.
3.  That I am in control of me and my decisions have the conclusions i chose.
4.  IDK What does that mean?
5.  You are in control of your life and not anything or anyone else. 
6.  Self goverend
7.  Staying confident and being a gentilmen
8.  I control the outcome of my life.
9.  To me it means that I control my life, and no one can control me.
10.  Willing to have faith and hope to never give up your dreams. Stay and remain strong; do what it takes to achieve your dreams things in life aren't free: work hard.
11.  Being my own boss
12.  To respect your self and do good things.
13.  I'm the ruler of my world.
14.  Never give up. Keep trying.
15.  That I can finish no matter whats in front of me.
16.  That I shouldn't give up on my dreams. 
17.  No matter what you never should give up. 
18.  To be succeful.
19.  I can do anything if I put in the effort. 
20.  I am in control of what I do.
21.  It means to me that you should never give up and keep going on.
22.  That i can do whatever is coming at me. i can finish whatever i start! I can do anything
23.  Basically... Im the pilot of my life.
24.  To never give up no matter what comes
25.  That I'm good.
26.  Never give up.
27.  I could do better thing than me, the one i have to defeat is myself.
28.  To never give up.
29.  To push your self. 
30.  That I can try.
31.  You are you no matter what everything is possible if u just believe. 
32.  To be loyal.
33.  To not give up. 
34.  It means alot to me. Hopefully someday there would be more sovereign pople out there.
35.  I am smart inteligent and won't do stupid stuff in the real world.
36.  Means I control what I'll do. 
37.  To respect every body and don't let my anger catch me and to succeed in school everyday and in life.
38.  I control my destiny. 

QUESTION 5:  What are your opinion and thoughts on the whole I Am Sovereign poem/motto?

1.  Its a good question for motivation.
2.  Its something that can be very motivational.
3.  It is a really motivating poem.
4.  Took to long to do.
5.  That you have ruff times at first but you get better at what you do.
6.  It is great and everyone should know it.
7.  I think it is very insiring. 
8.  I think it can give people hope and strenth when they seem they don't have control of their life. It's a motivational push in their life to get them started. 
9.  To respect your self and do good things.
10.  Its a good a encouring poem that motivates me.
11.  I feel it is a very good and motivative poem and I plan on getting a copy of it and put it on my wall.
12.  I think it's a beautiful poem.
13.  It was good but kind of repetitive
14.  When I hear that I get more motivated.
15.  Its a good motivator. Makes me want to never give up on anything in life. 
16.  It gives me the strength and power to keep fighting to the end. 
17.  It give me more motivation.
18.  I think it can help me in life
19.  I will live by it.
20.  Good or self confidence
21.  Its okay, never heard of it but that's fine with me.
22.  It should be a shorter poem. It could get annoying at times. 
23.  I liked it
24.  I think the poem/motto was well writn and had best strong vocabulary. People can bettr themselfs out following the motto. 
25.  They should show this to every 9th grader so they can get their mind straight for school and life. 
26.  I agree with it. 
27.  Yes because I know that I can do it and that I am sovereign. 
28.  I like it. Makes you feel powerful. 

QUESTION 5:  Has the phrase "I Am Sovereign" ever entered your mind to motivate you to work hard or make good choices when you were not in Mr. Jensen's class? (at home, after school, in another class, on the weekends, etc.)

YES:  31 Votes     NO:  7 votes      N/A:  3 Votes    If YES, how many times?  142 Times (total from all student responses)

QUESTION 6:  Please explain when and how remembering the I Am Sovereign phrase helped you. 

1.  I don't need to rely on others who do stuff for me. 
2.  Becuse I am being soverign and it help me by becoming a better person and not letting alot of thing get to me and succed in shool and life
3.  I was playing Modern Warfare 2 ith some people, and they didn't want me to use my assault rifles. Just sniping and quick scope. So I took my game elsewhere. 
4.  At home when I give advice to my cousin and family. 
5.  To study hard for my test in all class. 
6.  I was doing an assignment and some how (sovereign) popped up in my mind. I thought I was the smartest girl in the world. 
7.  It helped me when I was playing football with my friends. 
8.  It showed me that I can do it and never give up. 
9.  When ever I'm playing a sport or iam lazy or something i have to finish
10.  In basketball, Im not the best but I should never give up.
11.  Working out and Algebra
12.  When: whenever I feel like giving up on something big (basketball, home, other classes). How: keeps me going!
13.  It helps me to not give up, and never give up.
14.  I haven't read
15.  When I wanted to drop out because I thought school was hard and I thought about I am Sovereign phrase and I want to continue school. 
16.  When I was taking the Math TAKS test, because there was a point where I wanted to give up. 
17.  With all my projects I had to do at the end of the year. 
18.  When I struggle with math I always remember I a Soveregn.
19.  I was mad at my mother then I realized I was in control and it wasnt her fault.
20.  When I faild alot and had f's then brought it up. 
21.  I Didn't
22.  It has helped me stay away from drugs/alcohol and other bad influences.
23.  At the taks (TAKS) test
24.  Make better choices.

QUESTION 7:  Have you ever told anyone else what I Am Sovereign means? If so, how many times (and why)?

YES:  9 Votes    NO:  27 Votes     N/A:  5 Votes     Total # of Times Taught to Someone Else:  35 Times

Analysis of Survey Results

I was not surprised by some of the results of this action research project. 

What did not surprise me was that the results were mixed. In other words, some students obviously took to the I Am Sovereign personal leadership material more readily and enthusiastically than others, and the material clearly influenced some more than others. 

I entirely expected this.  

I also was not surprised by the significant amount of positive feedback I received about the material. Moreover, it felt great to know that teaching these concepts to my students really did lead to positive and productive results in the lives of students.  

I was surprised by some of the results of this action research project. 

What surprised me the most was my erroneous assumption that the I Am Sovereign material would be more influential and have more of an impact on my advanced, K-level students than it would on my more average, L-level students. I had believed going into the process that the K-level students would take to the material more readily because they were already smarter and more mature than my L-level students—speaking collectively and not individually. 

In reality, the data strongly suggests that the exact opposite is true!

Another element of my erroneous assumption was that students who already knew more about personal leadership principles and practices—and who heard more about them at home from their parents—would naturally be more interested in the subject.      

In actuality, it was the students who knew less about personal leadership principles and practices—and who heard less about them at home from their parents—who took to the topic and gravitated toward the subject with more innate interest and curiosity to discover and learn.    

A close scrutinization of the data illuminates some of these fascinating—and, I admit, unexpected—divergences. 

FIRST: 69 percent of L-level students answered affirmatively when queried whether the I Am Sovereign phrase had ever entered their mind outside of my classroom, compared to only 35 percent of the K-level students. 

SECOND: When asked to explain when and how remembering the I Am Sovereign phrase helped them, 56 percent of the L-level students shared a personal anecdote in answer to the question, whereas only 24 percent of K-level students did the same—less than half!

THIRD: While there was one question where a higher percentage of K-level students responded (94 percent) compared to only 80 percent of the L-level students, most of the K-level students responded "NO" to this particular question, which was: "Have you ever told anyone else what I Am Sovereign means? If so, how many (and) why?" 

In fact, all but one (1) of the 17 K-level students responded "NO" to this question, and the one (1) person who did answer "YES" chose not to quantify how many people he or she had shared the mantra with. As such, the per-student average for teaching someone else was zero (0) percent for K-level students. On the other hand, nine (9) out of the 45 L-level students (20 percent) answered "YES" to the same question.

Why do these and other, similar discrepancies exist between the K-level and L-level students?

While it may be impossible to provide a definitive collective answer to this question, I believe evidence exists to support two different hypotheses. 

HYPOTHESIS #1: In general, K-level students came from homes with parents who were much more supportive of, and involved in, their students' education than were parents of L-level students. Moreover, parents of K-level students tended to be better educated and more gainfully employed themselves. As a result, it is almost certain that the average K-level student received a lot more SAL-oriented parenting and training at home than L-level students.

HYPOTHESIS #2: Because of these differences in home environments, it is possible that K-level students were more apt to see themselves as being "above," "too cool," or "two smart" for the I Am Sovereign personal leadership material for the simple reason that they were likely already engaging in similar personal leadership-oriented education and discussions at home. Conversely, it is possible that L-level students approached the material with more humility, authenticity, and interest because the concepts—generally speaking—were simply newer and fresher ideas that they were not as likely to be hearing about regularly at home.  

Assuming that these two hypotheses are rooted in reality underscores the absolutely vital role parents play in the lives and educations of their students. This role is—and always should be—PRIMARY. 

It also underscores the incredibly important role that educators play in the lives and educations of their students. This role is—and always should be—SECONDARY or TERTIARY.

These hypotheses align in fascinating ways with another contrasting phenomenon I observed between my K-level and L-level students. While my K-level students were almost always smarter, better behaved, more mature and responsible, and more adult-like in their classroom bearing and behavior than my L-level students, I discovered over time that my L-level students were usually more authentic, teachable, lively, and interesting than my K-level students. 

In short, both my students and I tended to have more fun and enjoy class more in my L-level periods than in my K-level class. 

Why was this?  

Again, I cannot provide a perfectly accurate answer to this question. However, I believe that part of the reason for this contrasting classroom phenomenon arose from the fact that my K-level students were much more concerned about their grades than my L-level students. In other words, my K-level students were so focused on getting an "A" in my class, that they often forgot to enjoy the process of discovery and learning involved in earning that "A." 

My L-level students, on the other hand, were much less focused on their grade, which opened them up to being more present and curious in each new moment of educational discovery. This, in-turn, allowed them to be more authentic, humble, and teachable when approached with new material with which they were unfamiliar. And because they were unfamiliar with more than their K-level counterparts, they were ultimately learning more as well. As a result, they participated more actively in group discussions, were less concerned with what their peers might think about them for participating in those discussions, and were therefore more willing to embrace new learning opportunities of all kinds.

I found these observations to be incredibly interesting, enlightening, and surprising. Moreover, it was a powerful reminder to me personally of the importance of not letting my own educational progress from the past retard my pedagogical potential in the future.  

It is good to be smart, responsible, high achieving, and successful.  

But it is far better if we are also authentic, humble, teachable, and real.  

Conclusion

My experiences teaching and implementing SAL principles and practices into a ninth grade English classroom at a large public high school in Houston, Texas, during the 2009-10 school year underscore the importance and value of universally incorporating Pedagogies of Personal Leadership and Character Development  (PPLCD) in the classroom, home, community, and virtually everywhere else.

If your goal as a parent, educator, or citizen is to develop other citizens who are good, peaceful, and productive human beings who make the world a better place for their presence therein, you must continually teach, model, and reiterate the lessons that lead to that desirable end. 

There is no other way.  

Clearly, the data from this action research project illustrates that you don't need to be a superintendent, principal, teacher, coach, parent, or personal leadership expert to see the value in SAL-oriented instruction. Students themselves—from a very young age—can readily discern this value once it is brought to their attention and intentionally presented to them in positive and productive pedagogical patterns. 

Nevertheless, it remains up to leaders, managers, educators, and parents to ensure that their various charges—i.e. children, students, subordinates, et cetera—are appropriately, readily, and repeatedly exposed to the material until they become habituated self-learners (and leaders) for life.  

 

In Your Journal

• Compare and contrast the PPLCD teaching styles of Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, Kehl Arnson, Thresa Brooks, and Dr. JJ. If YOU were to be taught in a classroom setting by one of these four educators, which teacher would you prefer, and why? What style do you think would work best with YOUR personality and learning style? If your answer to this question is: "none of them," then what alternative style would you prefer or suggest, and why? 

• Which method would most closely resemble your own style if you were to become a teacher of PPLCD, and why?  

• Do you think it is important to align your own teaching style with your own personality instead of trying to copy another educator's style or approach? Why or why not?  

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 502nd Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 288th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

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Chapter 9 Notes 

1.  Jensen, J.R. (2005) I Am Sovereign: The Power of Personal Leadership. Charleston, SC: Booksurge Publishing LLC.

2.  This phrase is borrowed from the morning mantra that Principal Kehl Arnson made famous at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA, as recounted in BOOK THE SEVENTH, chapter 6.

3.  Anonymous examples of this student work can be reviewed in Dr. JJ's Doctoral Dissertation, see pages 1051-1055 of my doctoral dissertation (Volume 4, pages 141-145).

4.  Many of my students had developed a habit of “sucking their teeth” -- an act that involved the quick rubbing of the inside of their front lips against their incisors, which would make a brief, spitting-like noise -- to communicate a lack of motivation, disagreement, dislike, disgust, disdain, bad attitudes, etc. As a teacher, I found this habit to be both annoying and disrespectful. I had to practice patience with them for this habit, which was so ingrained in many of them as to become an involuntary response whenever they felt picked on or otherwise "put out" in any way.