The Power of a Sincere Apology

Sincere, authentic apologies are almost as uncommon
as forced, socially-influenced apologies are common.

The other day, I read an interesting article online about something that you almost never read about... someone extending a sincere APOLOGY for one's own negative actions in conjunction with an authentic acknowledgement of the damage those actions had caused others.  

Now I know what you are probably thinking right now. "Are you kidding, JJ?" People apologize every day for all sorts of things because politically correct supervisors and social media mobs threaten to cancel them if they don't cave to their demands.

Good point; I see what you mean.   

But that's not the kind of apology I'm talking about. I'm not referring to socially-driven, politically correct, forced apologies. I'm talking about apologies that authentically come from within and are motivated by genuine guilt engendered in the mind, heart, and soul of an offending party. THAT is the kind of apology that you almost never hear anything about in the news, and mainly because it is so rare!  

The offending party in this case was a woman who had trolled a number of high profile persons online. She had tweeted terrible things about them that had deeply hurt many people. At some point along the line, and in concert with being called out by some of those who had been the most saliently abused by her words, this woman had a "Come to Jesus" moment whereby she, like the Prodigal Son in the Good Book "Came to Herself" and realized with great clarity what a complete and cruel jerk she had been to so many over the course of several years' time.

Now... maybe this woman's apology is sincere and authentic; and maybe it is just effectively articulated in an effort to restore her own reputation and rebuild her own social status. I recognize this reality. Nevertheless, for the sake of this article, we are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume the purest of motives on her part.    

For about two weeks, this avid social media troll was uncharacteristically silent online. Then, she tweeted out one of the most sincere, heartfelt, and honest apologies I have ever heard or read. In doing so, she did not attempt in any way to rationalize or justify the minutest iota of her behavior. She did attempt to explain it, but in doing so, she exposed and then self-excoriated her own immaturities and insecurities in the process. In short, she simply told the truth: she had been an absolute monster to others, and she deeply regretted her actions. She followed her apology up with a sincere commitment to only publish positive messages about others in the future. That commitment was important because true restitution for wrongdoing requires a cessation of the sin. 

I do not personally know this person, and although she is obviously well-known enough to have been highlighted by a major news outlet, I had never heard of her before reading this apology of hers. Her actions, of course, will speak louder than her words moving forward. Nevertheless, I was sincerely touched by the authenticity, sincerity, and penitent nature of her apology. It seemed about as legit as you can get using words alone. As a result, I found my heart softening somewhat toward her—despite the mountain of mean-spirited things she had clearly done in the past. In my mind I found myself saying to myself: "Good for her! Everyone deserves another chance, especially if they are willing to humbly (and metaphorically) immerse themselves in sackcloth and ashes in a good-faith commitment to changing their behavior in the future." 

"None of us are perfect."

          "I know I am not!"

In fact, I have even offered up my share of apologies for my own flawed behavior in the past. I even used to have a bad habit of apologizing too much, an outgrowth of my OCD-influenced religious scrupulosity. Any thought, speech, or action can become imbalanced if we are not careful, informed, experienced, and wise. The problem with apologizing too much is that an apology—like gold or diamonds—begins to lose its value if it becomes overabundant. In other words, apologizing can start to appear inauthentic, insincere, or even self-serving (as in my own case with OCD) if you are always apologizing. 

Nevertheless, there are unquestionably times in life when all of us owe a sincere and authentic apology to an individual or group that we have hurt or let down. For me, the most common place I apologize is in my own home. As much as I value my wife and children, and as important as I believe the role of husband and father are, I am human just like everybody else. That means that sometimes I get frustrated, lose my cool, and then say or do things that are unkind. When that happens, I've found that the second best thing I can possibly do to remedy the situation is to acknowledge my own shortcoming and sincerely apologize. And the best thing I can do is, of course, to actually do better in the future. Actions always speak louder than words. Nevertheless, words are a form of action, and an authentic apology is therefore often a good place to start. 

Click HERE to buy a copy
of the SAL Textbook, Volume 2.  

A key component of Stage 2 of the SAL Model involves rectification. According to the SAL Textbook, Volume 2:

"Rectification involves recognizing and admitting when and where you erred, feeling and expressing genuine remorse for the damage your errors may have caused, doing your best to repair any damaged relationships (including apologizing to anyone who may have been hurt by your behavior), fixing or replacing anything that was damaged or lost (insofar as possible), committing to change—and then actually changing. In the case of legal infractions, you will also need to pay your debt to society according to the just demands of the law" (p. 122). 

Since none of us are perfect, we all have need to rectify our thoughts, speech, or actions when they are out of tune with Natural Law or otherwise harm other people or things. Sincerely apologizing to those we have hurt is a key component thereof.  

Is there anyone you have disrespected, mistreated, or hurt recently. If you are a human being like me, it probably won't take much effort to identify such a person, and chances are good you won't have to go outside your own inner family and/or work circle to identify a golden opportunity to apologize to them. I challenge you to do so. I promise you that doing so will, in almost every case imaginable, actually improve your relationship with that person. 

Sometimes we avoid apologizing because we fear it will make us look weak. In reality, it takes enormous inner strength, security, and confidence to sincerely apologize—and the other person knows it. As such, other people will almost universally respect and trust you more after you apologize than they did before your offense against them, especially if your offense was minor and your actions demonstrate a good-faith effort to do better in the future.  

What do you have to lose?  

          Try it today!

And then keep practicing it as needed for the rest of your life. Your life will be infinitely better if you will incorporate this one habit in your relationships with others.      

-Dr. JJ

June 30, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 218th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 217 FF Blog 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 learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

The Future of Character Education in America

Dr. Chris P. Neck
Associate Professor
Arizona State University

A colleague—Dr. Christopher P. Neck, Associate Professor of Management at Arizona State University—and I recently had a new scholarly article published in the Journal of Leadership and Management.

This paper outlines a bold vision for the future of LEADERSHIP, CHARACTER, and LIFE-SKILLS education in the United States and beyond. 

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen
Founder, CEO
Freedom Focused LLC

Paper Abstract

In a variety of ways—e.g. educationally, ideologically, administratively, culturally, and politically—the United States is more divided in 2020 than it has been since 1860. These fractures have negatively impacted everything from political discourse and cultural attitudes to workplace mores and familial relationships.

More recently, said fractures have spilled onto city streets and government spaces in the form of radical violence. While the reasons for these divisions are many and varied, they are—like most problems—ultimately impacted by (if not fundamentally rooted in) EDUCATION. 

This paper introduces a theoretical framework for educational, ideological, and administrative BALANCE in the twenty-first century. Its primary aim is the long-term development of leaders, managers, educators, parents, and citizens who are more educationally and ideologically balanced and, in-turn, more focused on and committed to their own personal and professional growth (and that of their colleagues and subordinates) than they are in political posturing or partisan promotional ploys. 

This balanced approach is called SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP, or SAL for short, and is a derivative of Self-Leadership (S-L) and Action Research (AR) Theory. SAL represents a common-sense, character-centric, and heuristic compromise that practical parties on all sides of the current socio-political divide may reasonably embrace and promote for the benefit of rising generations and anyone willing to accept its tenable tenets. 

The ultimate goal is for SAL curricula to become a unifying, pragmatic go-to tool for leaders and managers of all kinds—including politicians, administrators, educators, and parents—who seek to promote personal and professional growth in (as well as unity among) their constituents, colleagues, subordinates, students, and children.

With that little taste, would you like to read the entire article?  If so, then Click HERE and scroll down on the homepage to download a COPY of this ARTICLE.

This link will take you to the Freedom Focused website. Scroll down on the homepage to access all FOUR of the Self-Action Leadership supporting scholarly articles.

-Dr. JJ

June 23, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 217th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 216 FF Blog 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 learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

A Little Sunshine Goes a Long Way

Each day, my schedule is built around driving my kids to school in the morning and then picking them up again in the afternoon. It's a pretty basic task, and like most of the things we all do each day, it is not accompanied by much fanfare or other occurrences that are particularly memorable. But as is the case with virtually everything in life, there are almost always exceptions to the rule.

In the case of my two-a-day trips to my kids' elementary school, the exception to the rule is a lovely, friendly, cheerful, positive, and up-beat person named Pamela.

Pamela is a crossing guard. She does not make a lot of money; she does not have a powerful position or fancy title; she is not highly educated; she is never in the spotlight; and that is exactly the way she likes it!

In fact, truth be known, Pamela is not even her real name, and that is at her own request. She respectfully declined my invitation to interview her for this article. I had hopes of doing so in order to publish an official profile piece complete with her real name and some photos of her at work each day. But Pamela demurred, preferring to maintain "a low profile."

As a journalist, I was, at first, disappointed by her declination. In my view, it would have made the story a lot better to have her real name along with some pictures (always worth a thousand words) of Pamela in action. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how perfect it is that Pamela preferred to go unnamed and un-photographed for this article. Her desires in the matter prove that she does what she does NOT for attention, fame, or glory; but because it simply makes her—and others—happy. And that makes the SAL lesson inherent in her example even more powerful.    

So what exactly is it that Pamela does everyday that has had such a powerful impact and influence on me and so many others in the community? You'll hardly believe me when I tell you what she does.

She SMILES.

Yep.  She smiles.  And she doesn't just smile a little bit; she smiles BIG. I'm talking she puts the "mile" back into "Smile" in a way that few people on the planet can compete with. And as she smiles, she enthusiastically waves to each car as it passes by. And as she smiles and waves, her entire countenance lights up with a genuine and authentic joy and mirth that bursts forth as a ray of positive emanating light that is truly contagious. Consequently, nearly every person that passes her smiles big and waves enthusiastically back at her. 

The result of this infections cheerfulness and positivity is that nearly everyone who passes by Pamela has grown to absolutely LOVE her; and Pamela absolutely adores everyone who passes by her each morning and afternoon. It is a truly remarkable phenomenon that all self-action leaders can learn from.

And what is the lesson?

There are many, but perhaps the most fundamental and seminal one is that a single individual can have a great influence on other people—and they can do it without titles, positions, money, fame, formal education, pressure, leverage, or anything of an external nature. 

That is a lot of power and influence. And yet, it is the kind of power that every one of us can potentially wield—no matter who we are, or who we aren't.  

When I stopped to talk to Pamela and ask her if I could interview her for this article, she had nothing but positive things to say about her life and the world. She said things like, "You know, there's so much good in the world; we need to choose to avoid negativity and look for the good," and "It brings me so much joy to see everyone's happy faces everyday" and "there's so many reasons to be happy!" She also cited a sibling of hers who faces serious health problems, and spoke of how grateful she is to just be able to get outside and work everyday—something her sibling is unable to do.  

What an example!

Pamela will probably never be a high profile or highly influential person in our society and world, partly because she doesn't want to be, and partly because the world will never choose to give an obscure elementary school crossing guard that kind of attention.

But I am astonished at how highly influential Pamela has been on those with whom she comes into contact each day, and fascinated at how relatively few people ever figure out the secret that Pamela comprehends—that each of us possesses the potential power to powerfully influence those around us in incredibly meaningful and positive ways—every single day!

Unfortunately, the reason that Pamela's simple smile sticks out so saliently is because our society is full of people who choose to frown, fret, sneer, snub, smear, slander, scream, insult, and injure when they could choose to smile, wave, laugh, love, forgive, forget, let-go, and give others the benefit of the doubt.

But Pamela—and those relatively few folks like her—renew my hope that all is not lost. Indeed, all it really takes to start making the world a better place is to smile and wave, and then do it again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and never stop doing it—and then watch as our actions begin to, one-by-one, positively influence others around us.

Pamela is an inspiration to me—and everyone else who knows her. She's not a celebrity; she's not rich; she's not famous; she may not even be unusually gifted or talented. But she is good; she is kind; she is cheerful; and she understands the power of her own self-action leadership influence on others—and she righteously exercises that power and influence to the perpetual good of her community; and that makes Pamela powerful. And the amazing thing is that all of us can choose to follow her example in our own unique way every single day. Smiling big and waving may not specifically be your thing. But I know you are clever enough to discover something that is.

What are you waiting for?            

-Dr. JJ

June 16, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 216th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 215 FF Blog 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 learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

 

Freedom Focused Index of Blog Articles

To date, there have been 390 Articles published on Freedom Focused's Self-Action Leadership blog.

Click on any link below to access past Self-Action Leadership blogs published by Freedom Focused.

CHAPTER 2: Space Travel as Existential Metaphor...................................BLOG #391—May 29, 2024

CHAPTER 1: A Metaphysical Theory of Everything.................................BLOG #390—May 22, 2024

Tale of an Average IRONMAN.....................................................................BLOG #389—May 15, 2024

CHAPTER 7: SAL Life Variables................................................................BLOG #388—May 14, 2024

CHAPTER 6: SAL is Not Only About YOU.................................................BLOG #387—May 8, 2024

CHAPTER 5: A New and Fresh Concept of Competition.............................BLOG #386—May 1, 2024

CHAPTER 4: Existential Octathletes...........................................................BLOG #385—April 17, 2024

CHAPTER 3: What is Self-Action Leadership............................................BLOG #384—April 17, 2024

CHAPTER 2: Academic and Philosophical Roots of SAL..........................BLOG #383—April 10, 2024

CHAPTER 1: What is the SAL Philosophy?................................................BLOG #382—April 10, 2024

CHAPTER 13: The Power of Personal Experience...................................BLOG #381—March 27, 2024

SAL MASTER CHALLENGE Exercise #4................................................BLOG #380—March 20, 2024

CHAPTER 12: The Challenge & Quest to Become...................................BLOG #379—March 13, 2024

CHAPTER 11: Emancipation Through the Light of SAL..........................BLOG #378—March 6, 2024

CHAPTER 10: Ten Shackles of Personal Freedom...............................BLOG #377—February 29, 2024

CHAPTER 9: The Power of IDEALS.....................................................BLOG #376—February 28, 2024

SAL MASTER CHALLENGE Exercise #3............................................BLOG #375—February 21, 2024

CHAPTER 8: Ask Not..............................................................................BLOG #374—February 14, 2024

CHAPTER 7: The Age of Authenticism....................................................BLOG #373—February 7, 2024

CHAPTER 6: Freedom Focused...............................................................BLOG #372—January 31, 2024

CHAPTER 5: The Cause of Freedom.......................................................BLOG #371—January 24, 2024

CHAPTER 4: Universal Laws and True Principles................................BLOG #370—January 17, 2024

CHAPTER 3: The Price of Change...........................................................BLOG #369—January 10, 2024

CHAPTER 2: A Formula for Change.........................................................BLOG #368—January 3, 2024

CHAPTER 1: Freedom to Change and Grow.....................................BLOG #367— December 28, 2024

CHAPTER 9: Know Thyself.................................................................BLOG #366— December 21, 2024

SAL MASTER CHALLENGE Exercise #2.................................................BLOG #365— December 14, 2024

CHAPTER 8: The Power, Importance, and Beauty of Language......BLOG #364—December 13, 2023

CHAPTER 7: The Quest for Cultural Literacy.....................................BLOG #363—December 6, 2023

CHAPTER 6: The Essential Role of EDUCATION............................BLOG #362—November 30, 2023

SAL MASTER CHALLENGE Exercise #1..................................................BLOG #361—November 27, 2023

CHAPTER 5: The SAL Master Challenge...........................................BLOG #360—November 23, 2023

CHAPTER 4: Helping You to Help Yourself.......................................BLOG #359—November 15, 2023

CHAPTER 3: A Textbook for Life..........................................................BLOG #358—November 8, 2023

CHAPTER 2: The Times in which we Live.......................................... BLOG #357—November 1, 2023

CHAPTER 1: A Personal Letter from the Author..................................BLOG #356—October 25, 2023

Freedom Focused Upholds and Defends the U.S. Constitution..............BLOG #355—October 24, 2023

Life Lessons Learned from Doing Puzzles...............................................BLOG #354—October 23, 2023

Author's Note on the 7th Edition..............................................................BLOG #353—October 18, 2023

FOREWORD by Dr. Christopher P. Neck...............................................BLOG #352—October 11, 2023

SPECIAL TRIBUTES..................................................................................BLOG #351—October 4, 2023

Celebrating our 10-Year Anniversary and 350th Blog Post...............BLOG #350—September 28, 2023

DEDICATION and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................BLOG #349—September 27, 2023

BOOK REVIEW: The Fourth Turning is Here...................................BLOG #348—September 22, 2023

Far and Away to FREEDOM................................................................BLOG #347—September 21, 2023

PRAISE for the Self-Action Leadership TEXTBOOKS....................BLOG #346—September 20, 2023

TABLE of CONTENTS.........................................................................BLOG #345—September 13, 2023

Front & Back Covers of the SAL Textbooks..........................................BLOG #344—September 6, 2023

A Letter to America and the World on the Serial Publication of SAL................................................................................................................BLOG #343—August 30, 2023

Psalms of Life Chapter LINKS...................................................................BLOG #342—August 23, 2023

Return to the Rock.......................................................................................BLOG #341—August 21, 2023

Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection (FULL TEXT)..................................BLOG #340—August 16, 2023

Psalms of SAL................................................................................................BLOG #339—August 9, 2023

Psalms of Lina Marie.....................................................................................BLOG #338—August 2, 2023

POEMS of Love & Romance...........................................................................BLOG #337—July 26, 2023

SONNETS of Love & Romance......................................................................BLOG #336—July 19, 2023

100,000 Hits.......................................................................................................BLOG #335—July 18, 2023

The Fruits & Joys of SAL Modeling & Instruction.......................................BLOG #334—July 14, 2023

Psalms of Love & Romance.............................................................................BLOG #333—July 12, 2023

Soft Serve McDrama........................................................................................BLOG #332—July 10, 2023

Personal Odes......................................................................................................BLOG #331—July 5, 2023

Psalms of Mental Malaise................................................................................BLOG #330—June 28, 2023

Winston Churchill: A One Man Show............................................................BLOG #329—June 27, 2023

Theosophical Odes...........................................................................................BLOG #328—June 21, 2023

Novak Djokovic: The GOAT of Men's Tennis...............................................BLOG #327—June 17, 2023

Psalms of Life & Leadership...........................................................................BLOG #326—June 14, 2023

Early Poetic Attempts........................................................................................BLOG #325—June 7, 2023

Mentoring Psalmists........................................................................................BLOG #324—May 31, 2023

A Poetic Autoethnography..............................................................................BLOG #323—May 24, 2023

Be STRONG.....................................................................................................BLOG #322—May 17, 2023

In Memory, Dedication, and Chapter 1.........................................................BLOG #321—May 10, 2023

Ability is Nothing Without Opportunity..........................................................BLOG #320—May 9, 2023

Introducing Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection.............................................BLOG #319—May 3, 2023

The Blessings and Joys of Studying History.................................................BLOG #318—April 26, 2023

The Old Man and the Sea and Other Training Adventures........................BLOG #317—April 19, 2023

Trust & Heed Wise Counsel...........................................................................BLOG #316—April 12, 2023

From Whence Cometh JACK?........................................................................BLOG #315—April 5, 2023

Trust that Inner Voice of Warning..............................................................BLOG #314—March 29, 2023

The Riches of My Rural Roots.....................................................................BLOG #313—March 22, 2023

168 Hours.......................................................................................................BLOG #312—March 15, 2023

Life Lessons from Richard Cory & Miniver Cheevy...................................BLOG #311—March 8, 2023

SAL is ATTRACTIVE....................................................................................BLOG #310—March 1, 2023

New Year's Resolution UPDATE.............................................................BLOG #309—February 22, 2023

Can You Carry a Message to Garcia?.....................................................BLOG #308—February 15, 2023

Freedom Focused INDEX of POEMS.......................................................BLOG #307—February 8, 2023

Freedom Focused INDEX of QUOTES....................................................BLOG #306—February 1, 2023

A Beautiful Idea from a Wonderful Person..............................................BLOG #305—January 25, 2023

Dr. JJ's Autoethnographic Articles' INDEX.............................................BLOG #304—January 18, 2023

A Brief Pause that Changed American History.......................................BLOG #303—January 16, 2023

Current Events, Cultural, Philosophical, & Miscellaneous Articles' INDEX..........................................................................................................BLOG #302—January 11, 2023

Happy New Year from Freedom Focused... and Our 2023 Goals.............BLOG #301—January 4, 2023

History & Biography Articles' INDEX.................................................BLOG #300—December 28, 2022

Fitness, Health, & Wellness Articles' INDEX.......................................BLOG #299—December 21, 2022

Self-Action Leadership Articles' INDEX..............................................BLOG #298—December 15, 2022

Closing in on 300.....................................................................................BLOG #297—December 14, 2022

Remember to Give..................................................................................BLOG #296—December 12, 2022

A Civil War Miracle..................................................................................BLOG #295—December 7, 2022

You Tell on Yourself................................................................................BLOG #294—November 30, 2022

The Magnificent Ms. Marie...................................................................BLOG #293—November 23, 2022

The SAL Textbooks: A Book Review from a Wise Senior.................. BLOG #292—November 16, 2022

"Hell's Itch": A Life Lesson Learned.....................................................BLOG #291—November 9, 2022

Freedom Focused Corporate Constitution.............................................BLOG #290—November 2, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article XII: Projected Growth Trajectories

and Intended Revenue Streams.................................................................BLOG #289—October 26, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article XI: Long-Term Goals....................................BLOG #288—October 19, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article X: Corporate By-Laws and Operating Procedures...................................................................................................BLOG #287—October 12, 2022

Providing Service after Hurricane Ian.......................................................BLOG #286—October 5, 2022

A Special Weekend with My "One".....................................................BLOG #285—September 28, 2022

500th Anniversary of Magellan's Miracle............................................BLOG #284—September 21, 2022

God Save the Queen, Part 2...................................................................BLOG #283—September 14, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article IX: Statues of Authority,

Chains-of-Command, and Organizational Structures..........................BLOG #282—September 7, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article VIII: Agent Code of Conduct.........................BLOG #281—August 31, 2022

Dr. JJ's Psychotherapeutic Review after 7 Sessions.................................BLOG #280—August 24, 2022

Faith in Every Footstep: Walking in the Shadows of My Noble Ancestors.......................................................................................................BLOG #279—August 17, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article VII: Core Paradigms.......................................BLOG #278—August 10, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article VI: Corporate Values & Standards.................BLOG #277—August 3, 2022

Team USA Shines at Track World Championships.......................................BLOG #276—July 27, 2022

JJ Sings the Freedom Focused Corporate Anthem.......................................BLOG #275—July 20, 2022

Beautiful Art from a Box Office Bomb...........................................................BLOG #247—July 13, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article V: Corporate Pillars...............................................BLOG #273—July 6, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article IV Continued: Corporate ANTHEM.................BLOG #272—June 29, 2022

Dr. JJ Returns to Therapy.................................................................................BLOG #271—June 1, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article IV: Corporate Colors, Flag, Salute,

Oath of Office and Pledge of Allegiance.........................................................BLOG #270—June 15, 2022

The Undisputed GOAT in Men's Tennis..........................................................BLOG #269—June 8, 2022

TOP Flight Entertainment & Inspiration........................................................BLOG #268—June 1, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article III and Preamble.................................................BLOG #267—May 25, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article I: Corporate Vision & Mission...........................BLOG #266—May 18, 2022

Freedom Focused Corporate Declaration of Independence.........................BLOG #265—May 11, 2022

INDEX of Life Rules..........................................................................................BLOG #264—May 6, 2022

Marital Blisses & Misses....................................................................................BLOG #263—May 4, 2022

CONSTITUTION Article II: Corporate RULES........................................BLOG #262—April 27, 2022

RULES for LIFE by America's Founding Fathers and Mothers...............BLOG #261—April 20, 2022

Parenting Teenagers: A Lesson in Leadership

(Dr. Christopher P. Neck Guest Column)........................................................BLOG #260—April 13, 2022

Principles of Parenting from a Flawed Stay-at-Home Dad...........................BLOG #259—April 6, 2022

My Buddy Ty, Adventures in Parenting, and the Successes of Failure....BLOG #258—March 30, 2022

A 21st Century Winston Churchill..............................................................BLOG #257—March 23, 2022

Freedom Focused and FLORIDA Forever................................................ BLOG #256—March 16, 2022

Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine............................................BLOG #255—March 9, 2022

Rules for Life: Other Examples.....................................................................BLOG #254—March 2, 2022

Dr. JJ's 13 Rules: A Review......................................................................BLOG #253—February 23, 2022

Arizona State's W.P. Carey Business School Interviews Dr. Chris Neck about Self-Action Leadership.................................................................................................BLOG #252—February 16, 2022

Historical Events and the Growing Threat of Global Conflict...............BLOG #251—February 9, 2022

Celebrating Blog Post #250.......................................................................BLOG #250 —February 2, 2022

Dr. JJ's Rule #13: I Can't Do it Alone.......................................................BLOG #249—January 26, 2022

Who is Rich?................................................................................................BLOG #248—January 19, 2022

The Beauty of Excellence............................................................................BLOG #247—January 12, 2022

My ONE New Year's Resolution..................................................................BLOG #246—January 5, 2022

Dr. JJ's Rule #12: The Wise Use of Time & Money.............................BLOG #245—December 29, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #11: Be Grateful...............................................................BLOG #244—December 22, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #10: Be a Creator, not a Critic........................................BLOG #243—December 15, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #9: Triumph & Disaster.....................................................BLOG #242—December 8, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #8: The Only Real Failure is to Quit...............................BLOG #241 —December 1, 2021

400th Anniversary of the First Thanksgiving................BLOG #187 Republished—November 24, 2021

A Pre-Thanksgiving Reminder to GIVE.............................................BLOG #240 —November 19, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #7: Accentuate the Positive & Eliminate the Negative.............................................................................................BLOG #239—November 17, 2021

An Educational Message Everyone Can Embrace..............................BLOG #238—November 10, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #6: Find Your True Voice and Help Others Find Theirs.........................................................................................................BLOG #237—November 3, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #5: Never Insult or Contend...............................................BLOG #236—October 27, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #4: Learn from Small Mistakes..........................................BLOG #235—October 20, 2021

The Purpose of Life....................................................................................BLOG #234—October 13, 2021

Finding Fun, Fruit, and Freedom in Fantasy............................................BLOG #233—October 6, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #3: The Golden Mean.....................................................BLOG #232 —September 29, 2021

Dr. JJ's Rule #2: Good, evil, and Absolute Truth...............................BLOG #231—September 22, 2021 

Dr. JJ's Rule #1: Self-Change...............................................................BLOG #230—September 15, 2021

An Era of Unprecedented Athletic Greatness.....................................BLOG #229—September 13, 2021

CONSTITUTION Article XIII: Dr. JJ's 13 RULES for LIFE.............BLOG #228—September 8, 2021

Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules...................................................................BLOG #227—September 1, 2021

Broken Icee Machines and Other Preventable Grievances.....................BLOG #226—August 25, 2021

To the Love of My Life: A Husband's Tribute to His Wife......................BLOG #225—August 18, 2021

Fighting and Surrendering vs. YIELDING...............................................BLOG #224—August 11, 2021

Ideas for Practicing Patience........................................................................BLOG #223—August 4, 2021

Balancing Proactivity and Patience................................................................BLOG #222—July 28, 2021

Living in the Present.........................................................................................BLOG #221—July 21, 2021

The Role of Failure in Success.........................................................................BLOG #220—July 14, 2021

The Magic Space Between Stimulus and Response.........................................BLOG #219—July 7, 2021

The Power of a Sincere Apology.....................................................................BLOG #218—June 30, 2021

The Future of Character Education in America..........................................BLOG #217 —June 22, 2021

A Little Sunshine Goes a Long Ways.............................................................BLOG #216—June 16, 2021

Freedom Focused Index of Blog Articles.........................................................BLOG #215—June 9, 2021

A Proposed Antidote to Current Cultural and Educational Quagmires in the U.S.—and Beyond.................................................................................................................BLOG #214—June 2, 2021

Your Personal Creed........................................................................................BLOG #213—May 26, 2021

The Jason Lester Story....................................................................................BLOG #212—May 19, 2021

My Magical Muse.............................................................................................BLOG #211—May 12, 2021

Finding Unity through Common Sense and True Principles.........................BLOG #210—May 5, 2021

Breaking Personal Records............................................................................BLOG #209—April 28, 2021

Disciplining Your Disappointment................................................................BLOG #208—April 21, 2021

Taking Pride in Doing the Right Thing.........................................................BLOG #207—April 14, 2021

The Magic and Power of Synergy....................................................................BLOG #206—April 7, 2021

The Wonderful World of Books...................................................................BLOG #205—March 31, 2021

The Elusive yet Euphoric Rewards of Endurance.....................................BLOG #204—March 24, 2021

The Law of the Harvest................................................................................BLOG #203—March 17, 2021

SAL Definition of Success.............................................................................BLOG #202—March 10, 2021

Education, not Politics, will Save America....................................................BLOG #201—March 3 2021

Celebrating Blog Post #200......................................................................BLOG #200—February 24, 2021

Are You Worthy of Your Sufferings?......................................................BLOG #199—February 17, 2021

A Second Ring of Total Commitment......................................................BLOG #198—February 10, 2021

Life Lessons I've Learned from Gandhi...................................................BLOG #197—February 3, 2021

The Role of Faith in Self-Action Leadership............................................BLOG #196—January 27, 2021

A NextGen 7 Habits & Road Less Traveled.............................................BLOG #195—January 20, 2021

Sweet Southern Hospitality........................................................................BLOG #194—January 13, 2021

Not in Vain.....................................................................................................BLOG #193—January 6, 2021

The Benefits and Bliss of Simplicity......................................................BLOG #192—December 30, 2020

God Save the Queen................................................................................BLOG #191—December 23, 2020

Old Year's Resolutions............................................................................BLOG #190—December 16, 2020

Why I Started My Own Company, Part 3: A Quest to Build................BLOG #189—December 9, 2020

Why I Started My Own Company, Part 2: A Healthy Discontent........BLOG #188—December 2, 2020

Something Extra Special I am Thankful for in 2020...........................BLOG #187—November 25, 2020

Why I Started My Own Company, Part 1: Freedom..........................BLOG #186—November 23, 2020

Profiles in Courage, Part 2.....................................................................BLOG #185—November 18, 2020

Profiles in Courage, Part 1.....................................................................BLOG #184—November 11, 2020

The Job I Never Imagined I'd Have.......................................................BLOG #183—November 4, 2020

SAL vs. Politics: The Case for Optimism Beyond the 2020 Election.......BLOG #182—October 28, 2020

Life Lessons in Humility, Part 2................................................................BLOG #181—October 21, 2020

Movies and Life Life Leadership, Part 3: Life Lessons in Humility.......BLOG #180—October 14, 2020

Movies and Life Leadership, Part 2............................................................BLOG #179—October 7, 2020

Exciting Announcement!..............................................................................BLOG #178—October 3, 2020

Movies and Life Leadership, Part 1.....................................................BLOG #177—September 29, 2020

Life Lessons Learned from Dr. Seuss...................................................BLOG #176—September 24, 2020

Power Tales for a New Generation.......................................................BLOG #175—September 21, 2020

Miss America Endorses Self-Action Leadership.................................BLOG #174—September 14, 2020

Paying the Price to Become a Champion...............................................BLOG #173—September 7, 2020

What Sets SAL Apart from Everything Else?...........................................BLOG #172—August 31, 2020

The Role of Proactivity in Self-Action Leadership.......................................BLOG #171—June 30, 2020

The Making of a Champion..............................................................................BLOG #170—June 9, 2020

Humility in Leadership......................................................................................BLOG #169—June 5, 2020

Dutifully Doing the Dirty Work of SAL.........................................................BLOG #168—May 12, 2020

Cultivating the Spirit of Exploration.............................................................BLOG #167—May 31, 2020

Why I Founded Freedom Focused.................................................................BLOG #166—May 20, 2020

The Power of Picking up Trash.......................................................................BLOG #165—May 14, 2020

A Self-Action Leadership Revolution.........................................................BLOG #164—August 14, 2019

The Only Authentic Solution to the #METOO Malaise...............................BLOG #163—May 28, 2018

The Great Kindness Challenge................................................................BLOG #162—February 24, 2017

How I Became a Metaphysicist..................................................................BLOG #161—January 10, 2017

Restoring American Greatness Through Education............................BLOG #160—December 16, 2016

A Textbook to Turn the Tide...........................................................................BLOG #159—May 12, 2016

A Metaphysical Theory of Everything....................................................BLOG #158—November 3, 2016

SAVE the DATE: Freedom Focused Corporate Ribbon Cutting.........BLOG #157—November 2, 2016

12 New Freedom Focused Seminars.........................................................BLOG #156—October 11, 2016

A Class in Life...............................................................................................BLOG #155—October 6, 2016

Diary of a Stay-at-Home Dad......................................................................BLOG #154—October 4, 2016

Truth with a Capital "T".......................................................................BLOG #153—September 23, 2016

Life Leadership: The Textbook.............................................................BLOG #152—September 12, 2016

A Portrait of a Fully Flourished Age of Authenticism..............................BLOG #151—August 18, 2016

Freedom Focused Products & Services......................................................BLOG #150—August 18, 2016

The Only Real Solution to the Dallas ... and Minnesota Shootings..............BLOG #149—July 13, 2016

The Age of Authenticism: A Vision of the Future..........................................BLOG #148—May 26, 2016

What Does an Authenticist Look Like?.........................................................BLOG #147—May 18, 2016

Pre-Structuralism: The Equally Dangerous Far Side of Postmodernism...................................................................................................BLOG #146—May 9, 2016

An American Bible and the Dangers of Presentism........................................BLOG #145—May 2, 2016

Truth, Facts, and Predictions: A Freedom Focused Vision of the Future...............................................................................................................BLOG #144—April 30, 2016

Postmodernists vs. Authenticists: An Existential Comparison...................BLOG #143—April 19, 2016

The Universal Applicability and Appeal of Self-Action Leadership..........BLOG #142—April 11, 2016

Self-Action Leadership for Students.............................................................BLOG #141—April 11, 2016

Self-Action Leadership and Mental Health....................................................BLOG #140—April 6, 2016

SAL for Civic Leaders and Other High Profile Role Models....................BLOG #139—March 29, 2016

SAL Training for Parents and Families......................................................BLOG #138—March 22, 2016

SAL Training for Individuals.......................................................................BLOG #137—March 15, 2016

Existential Decathletes: The Professionals of the Future..........................BLOG #136—March 15, 2016

SAL Training for Educators...........................................................................BLOG #135—March 9, 2016

SAL Training for Business Professionals......................................................BLOG #134—March 2, 2016

The Practical Function of SAL Training..........................................................BLOG #133—February 22, 2016

Our Vision & Mission at Freedom Focused...........................................BLOG #132—February 15, 2016

The Paradox of War and How to Prepare for Coming Conflicts............BLOG #131—February 8, 2016

Preserving English Text while Texting.......................................................BLOG #130—January 27 2016

A New Year's Resolution that Pays ... and Strengthens America.............BLOG #129—January 5, 2016

Grammar & Writing Seminar Coming December 16...........................BLOG #128—December 8, 2015

A Personal Leadership Handbook for Millennials..............................BLOG #127—November 30, 2015

What are We Going to Do with the Troubled Millennial Generation?.............................................................................................BLOG #126—November 23, 2015

E-Communication Webinar Coming December 15.............................BLOG #125—November 19, 2015

A Sacred Day of Remembrance.............................................................BLOG #124—November 10, 2015

I'd Rather See a Sermon..........................................................................BLOG #123—November 6, 2015

A 21st Century 7 Habits of Highly Effective People................................BLOG #122—October 29, 2015

The REAL Problem Facing America........................................................BLOG #121—October 28, 2015

Timely Advice about Social Media Use ... Father of Time Management................................................................................................BLOG #120—October 22, 2015

30 Days of Real Life Campaign #30DRL.............................................BLOG #119—September 30, 2015

SAL Model Step 1: Self-Education.............................................................BLOG #118—August 31, 2015

Structural Change vs. Individual Change.................................................BLOG #117—August 25, 2015

Self-Action Leadership Model: A Construction Metaphor......................BLOG #116—August 17, 2015

How I Came to Develop Self-Action Leadership......................................BLOG #115—August 13, 2015

Two New Publications Now Available for FREE Download....................BLOG #114—August 10, 2015

Builders: The Self-Action Leadership Model..............................................BLOG #113—August 3, 2015

Freedom Focused GRAND Opening...............................................................BLOG #112—July 10, 2015

Liberty vs. Freedom............................................................................................BLOG #111—July 7, 2015

Addressing Problems of Our Age with Education in True Principles............BLOG #110—July 2, 2015

Drafting Your Own Declaration of Independence & Constitution..............BLOG #109—June 24, 2015

The Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave............................................BLOG #108—June 19, 2015

The Power in a Seed.........................................................................................BLOG #107—June 18, 2015

The Patriotism Principle..................................................................................BLOG #106—June 11, 2015

Case Study: The Essence of Inner Greatness on Display at Graduation......BLOG #105—June 4, 2015

The Role of Literature in Changing the World...............................................BLOG #104—June 2, 2015

SAL Seminar: The Light Within....................................................................BLOG #103—May 28, 2015

SAL Seminar: Existential Intelligence...........................................................BLOG #102—May 18, 2015

Why I Believe....................................................................................................BLOG #101—May 14, 2015

SAL Seminar: Aristotle's Golden Mean.........................................................BLOG #100—May 12, 2015

Get Dr. Jensen's New Book FREE: 2-Month Window.....................................BLOG #99—May 3, 2015

SAL Seminar: The AGE of AUTHENTICISM..............................................BLOG #98—April 30, 2015

The Perils of Postmodernism...........................................................................BLOG #97—April 22, 2015

SAL Seminar: Self-Action Leadership Explained.........................................BLOG #96—April 14, 2015

SAL Seminar: Self-Leadership..........................................................................BLOG #95—April 9, 2015

SAL Seminar: Dr. Jensen Introduces SAL Theory..........................................BLOG #94—April 6, 2015

The Most Important Educational Message of the 21st Century.....................BLOG #93—April 2, 2015

SAL Seminar: Dr. Jensen and Self-Leadership............................................BLOG #92—March 30, 2015

SAL Self-Action Leadership: Full Seminar..................................................BLOG #91—March 27, 2015

SAL Seminar Preview: A Self-Help Theory of Everything.........................BLOG #90—March 26, 2015

A Princess is Born: Kara Marie Jensen........................................................BLOG #89—March 24, 2015

Self-Action Leadership Theory (Part 3).......................................................BLOG #88—March 18, 2015

Self-Action Leadership Theory (Part 2).......................................................BLOG #87—March 16, 2015

The Self-Action Leadership Theory................................................................BLOG #86—March 9, 2015

Cleaning Up America ... Example from Costco..............................................BLOG #85—March 8, 2015

SAL Case Study: A First Generation American Goes to West Point: The Story of Pete Frometa.............................................................................................................BLOG # 84—March 6, 2015

Existential Gravity............................................................................................BLOG #83—March 3, 2015

SAL Lessons from a Half Marathon...............................................................BLOG #82—March 1, 2015

A Doctor of Education Shares His Personal Experiences with OCD, Part 3....................................................................................................................BLOG #81—February 27, 2015

A Doctor of Education Shares His Personal Experiences with OCD, Part 2....................................................................................................................BLOG #80—February 27, 2015

A Doctor of Education Shares His Personal Experiences with OCD, Anxiety, and Depression, Part 1....................................................................................................................BLOG #79—February 26, 2015

My Rocky Road of Romance.....................................................................BLOG #78—February 25, 2015

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (VI)..............................................BLOG #77—February 25, 2015

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (V)................................................BLOG #76—February 24, 2015

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (IV)..............................................BLOG #75—February 24, 2015

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (III)..............................................BLOG #74—February 23, 2015

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (II)...............................................BLOG #73—February 23, 2015

An Era-Shifting Speech on Education (I).................................................BLOG #72—February 19, 2015

SAL Case Study—Felicia's Story: The Unabridged Version......................BLOG #71—February 16, 2015

SAL Case Study: The Joe Jensen Story....................................................BLOG #70—February 15, 2015

Creating Your World from the Inside-Out...............................................BLOG #69—February 12, 2015

SAL Case Study: The Fred & Marlene Hawryluk Story..........................BLOG #68—February 5, 2015

SAL Case Study: The Charlie & Muriel Pierson Story.............................BLOG #67—February 3, 2015

Universal Laws..............................................................................................BLOG #66—February 2, 2015

SAL Case Study: The Jason Miner Story...................................................BLOG #65—February 1, 2015

My Career Crucibles....................................................................................BLOG #64—January 29, 2015

Choices & Consequences..............................................................................BLOG #63—January 22, 2015

Your World....................................................................................................BLOG #62—January 19, 2015

My Story........................................................................................................BLOG #61—January 19, 2015

The Power of Real-Life Stories....................................................................BLOG #60—January 14, 2015

The Final Frontier of Your Own Potential..................................................BLOG #59—January 13, 2015

Self-Action Leadership Variables................................................................BLOG #58—January 12, 2015

The Power of Personal Experience................................................................BLOG #57—January 9, 2015

The Self-Action Leadership Master Challenge............................................BLOG #56—January 5, 2015

Ushering in the Age of Authenticism.............................................................BLOG #55—January 4, 2015

Merry Christmas!.....................................................................................BLOG #54—December 22, 2014

The ONLY REAL Solution to America's Current Race Problems.......BLOG #53—December 21, 2014

A Moral Imperative..................................................................................BLOG #52—December 18, 2014

The Challenge and Quest to Become.......................................................BLOG #51—December 16, 2014

Emancipation through Self-Action Leadership.....................................BLOG #50—December 14, 2014

Things that Enslave, Part 4......................................................................BLOG #49—December 11, 2014

Things that Enslave, Part 3......................................................................BLOG #48—December 10, 2014

Things that Enslave, Part 2........................................................................BLOG #47—December 9, 2014

Things that Enslave, Part 1........................................................................BLOG #46—December 7, 2014

The Last Best Hope of Earth......................................................................BLOG #45—December 4, 2014

The Essential Role of Education................................................................BLOG #44—December 2, 2014

Ask Not......................................................................................................BLOG #43—November 30, 2014

Freedom Focused......................................................................................BLOG #42—November 27, 2014

The Cause of Freedom, Part 2.................................................................BLOG #41—November 25, 2014

The Cause of Freedom.............................................................................BLOG #40—November 23, 2014

The Age of Authenticism..........................................................................BLOG #39—November 21, 2014

It's Not Only About You...........................................................................BLOG #38—November 18, 2014

Silver Linings to My Marathon Woes.....................................................BLOG #37—November 17, 2014

The Price of Change.................................................................................BLOG #36—November 16, 2014

Right and Wrong Really do Exist...........................................................BLOG #35—November 13, 2014

A Formula for Authentic Change............................................................BLOG #34—November 11, 2014

Self-Action Leadership...............................................................................BLOG #33—November 9, 2014

Existential Growth......................................................................................BLOG #32—November 4, 2014

Don't Forget to Vote!..................................................................................BLOG #31—November 2, 2014

The Power to Change...................................................................................BLOG #30—October 30, 2014

The Importance and Power of Language...................................................BLOG #29—October 28, 2014

What's Different from Other Self-Help Reads?........................................BLOG #28—October 26, 2014

SAL Book: Final Prefacing Material..........................................................BLOG #27—October 24, 2014

Chapter 1 Starts on Monday!......................................................................BLOG #26—October 22, 2014

What the Experts are Saying About Dr. Jensen's New Book...................BLOG #25—October 22, 2014

Author'a Preface...........................................................................................BLOG #24—October 19, 2014

SAL Book: The Foreword & Afterword.....................................................BLOG #23—October 15, 2014

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants..........................................................BLOG #22—October 12, 2014

Something Worth Doing Before December 31st..........................................BLOG #21—October 8, 2014

The Blog Post I Hoped I Wouldn't Have to Write.......................................BLOG #20—October 7, 2014

If at First You Don't Succeed...................................................................BLOG #19—September 25, 2014

What Happens When I Fail?.........................................................................BLOG #18—March 17, 2014

Who is the Most Important Person in an Organization?..........................BLOG #17—February 4, 2014

Finding Freedom in INTRApersonal Competition....................................BLOG #16—January 20, 2014

The Satisfaction of Goal Achievement........................................................BLOG #15—January 14, 2014

Combatting "Insanity": My 2014 New Year's Resolution..........................BLOG #14—January 6, 2014

Resolutions that Stick: The SMARTIES Principle......................................BLOG #13—January 2, 2014

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013: Lessons in Inner Change............................BLOG #12—December 9, 2013

Getting "Lucky": Auburn and Ohio State...............................................BLOG #11—December 2, 2013

Reflecting on Two REALLY BIG Anniversaries ~ Kennedy & Lincoln..........................................................................................................LOG #10—November 21, 2013

From Orphan to Executive: Self-Action Leadership in Real Life.........BLOG #9—November 18, 2013

SAL in Real Life: Success from Chicago's South Side............................BLOG #8—November 11, 2013

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Speakers & Presenters.........................BLOG #7—November 1, 2013

Marathons and Mental Illness........................................................................BLOG #6—October 24 2013

Self-Action Research and Existential Growth.............................................BLOG #5—October 21, 2013

So What is Self-Action Leadership?.............................................................BLOG #4—October 15, 2013

OCD's Brother: Depression...........................................................................BLOG #3—October 11, 2013

OCD: Not Just a Quirky Personality Trait....................................................BLOG #2—October 8, 2013

Welcome to Freedom Focused.........................................................................BLOG #1—October 8, 2013

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

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