The Role of Faith in Self-Action Leadership

"We all know that something is eternal. And it ain't houses and it ain't names, and it ain't earth, and it ain't even the stars ... Everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you'd be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There's something way deep down that's eternal about every human being."

—Thornton Wilder 

(From Act III of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Our Town)

I am a believer. 

Nay... that is too weak. Put more precisely, I am an ardent, enthusiastic, and passionate person of faith. I'm not asking you to be a believer—at least not in theological or religious terms. I'm merely letting you know that I am, and that I'm comfortable with being open about this fact—not in a preachy or proselytizing way, but in a self-confident, I'm-quite-comfortable-in-my-own-skin sort of way.  

It is interesting to me how popular it has become these days to not believe. 

And yet, despite any and all claims of atheism and agnosticism, do we not all; nay—must we not all—each and every day of our lives take various leaps of faith in order to get anything of value accomplished? And is it not true that the greater the achievement, the greater the leap of faith?

If this is true, then are not all of us persons of faith in one way or another, and to one extent or another, regardless of our views on the existence (or lack thereof) of a Higher Power or the eternal nature of the human soul?  

When I reflect on the greatest accomplishments in my life, every single one of them resulted from my willingness to exercise a TON of faith. Whether it was becoming a State Champion or All-American athlete, figuring out how to effectively manage mental illness, moving to the other side of the country and finding the love of my life, earning a doctoral degree, writing a book and getting it published, or starting a business from the ground up, every single significant achievement I have ever attained was realized by first taking a bold leap out into the darkness of life's great "unknowns" trusting that if I followed the rules, hearkened to my instincts and conscience, did my best, never gave up, and treated other people with respect and dignity along the way, I would eventually land on firm ground and find a sure pathway that would take me exactly where I wanted to go.

Let's face it... accomplishing anything of lasting value absolutely demands that we exercise FAITH in ourselves, FAITH in other people, FAITH in true principles and practices of thought, speech, and behavior, and FAITH in the serendipity inherent in the metaphysical concept of karma—in conjunction with the mathematical and scientific "Law of the Farm" (As ye sow; so shall ye reap).  

At Freedom Focused, we do not ask self-action leaders to become believers in God or religion, even though most of us are, and most of us do. We do, however, ask YOU to have faith in yourself, faith in other people, faith in the true principles and practices of human thought, speech, and behavior outlined in the Self-Action Leadership Theory and Model, and faith in karma and serendipity.

Those willing to exercise such faith eventually take flight in their personal and professional lives, the results of which include growth, success, satisfaction, fulfillment, rich and rewarding relationships, and inner peace—the greatest gifts in life.  

Those who are unwilling to exercise such faith ultimately founder, falter, and fail to rise to their full potential.

In the final analysis, the greatest human beings are always persons of faith. Such persons may not be religious or believe in God. In fact, some of them will even claim to be atheists or agnostics. But if they are accomplished and successful in the long-run, they are so for one reason and one reason alone: because they were willing to exercise great quantities of faith as described above. 

Are you a person of faith?

If not, then it's time to start exercising some, because FAITH is an absolute prerequisite to becoming an authentic and effective self-action leader. Why not let go of your fear and finally take that leap of faith in your life and career—you know... the leap that could empower you to truly take flight?   

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