A Special Weekend with my "ONE"

All my dreams came true on 8-8-08,
the day I married Lina Tucker.

At Freedom Focused, we believe in the importance and power of BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS that stand the test of time and provide joy, meaning, and satisfaction in our lives and careers. After all, is there really anything more valuable in the end than the relationships we build, cultivate, nurture, and share with other people?

To this question we answer explicitly and emphatically: NO!

As Dr. Stephen R. Covey once queried: "In the end, what else is there but relationships?"  

Covey's rhetorical question comes quartered, of course, with a compelling and self-evident, albeit implicit declarative echoing the same precise point.

Simply Stated: Of all the things in our lives, RELATIONSHIPS  MATTER  MOST!   

My wife, Lina, and I were married on August 8, 2008, a unique date more commonly known as just 8-8-08. In addition to our wedding anniversary, Lina's and my birthdays are in August and September, respectively. That's three pretty big days that all fall within a seven-week period in late summer and early fall. 

Fort Lauderdale Beach; Fort Lauderdale, FLORIDA
Site of Lina's and My 14th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

To celebrate these three events, and more especially our wedding anniversary, Lina and I are in the habit of scheduling a romantic weekend vacation getaway every year in August or September. This tradition is one of the highlights of the year for both of us and always serves to relax, refresh, and rejuvenate us both individually and as a married couple.  

This year, we celebrated on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, about an hour south of our home in Palm Beach Gardens. My wife's parents were kind enough to take our three kids for the weekend so we could enjoy this special time together—alone.  

Knowing how vital relationships are to our lives and careers, self-action leaders go to great lengths to study and practice the science and art of initiating, building, cultivating, nurturing, sustaining, and where necessary, troubleshooting relationships.

Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790

Relationships are so important to us, in fact, that we have developed an entire PRINCIPLE focused on relationship building and nurturance. This principle is based on a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin.

Said ole' Ben:     

"Be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, and enemy to none."

—Benjamin Franklin

I LOVE this quote by Benjamin Franklin. 

In fact, I love it so much that most of the relationship building principle I've developed as part of our Freedom Focused curriculum is embedded within the confines of this single quote.

In the SAL Textbook, Volume 2, principles and practices of relationship building are covered. On pages 27-33, I introduce FIVE (5) different LEVELS (or tiers) of relationships in our lives. Four of these five levels directly relate to and harmonize with Ben Franklin's quote about relationships, as follows...

LEVEL ONE (1) Relationship

The relationship you share with your Source

LEVEL TWO (2) Relationship

The relationship you share with your Significant Other  (The ONE)

LEVEL THREE (3) Relationship

The relationships you share with your Inner Circle  (The Few)

LEVEL FOUR (4) Relationship

The relationships you share with your Outer Circle  (The Many)

LEVEL FIVE (5) Relationship

The relationships you share with Everyone Else  (The All)

One of the most important lessons I've ever learned about relationship building is that I do not have the time or energy to have thousands, hundreds, or even dozens of close, intimate friendships or other relationships. Doing so is simply untenable in this life and world so clearly marked by finite quantities of time and energy.

However hard you may try to paddle against the wake of this reality, I believe you will always end up coming to the same basic conclusion I have discovered. No matter how many people you might know or associate with, you simply don't have the energy or time to develop truly authentic relationships with a lot of people. As such, you must make decisions that prioritize different relationships into different categories that require more (or less) of that finite time and energy.  

I do, however, have the time and energy to be "civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, and enemy to none," as Franklin so wisely suggests. I have discovered through disciplined practice that this is a near-perfect recipe for cultivating a variety of different relationships with different people on different levels—the sum of which adds up to a beautiful and enriching life and career filled with a wide variety of different meaningful and rewarding personal and professional friendship and other relationships.

The five levels of relationships listed above represent a prioritized list of relational importance and begins with your SOURCE. Let's take some time now to flesh out this concept in more detail...

LEVEL ONE: Your Source

What is our ultimate SOURCE as human beings?  

Scientifically speaking, we don't know for certain. Although human beings have a variety of different beliefs concerning this subject.

I am one who firmly believes in the existence of an intelligent Creator—God—the literal Father (spiritually) of all mankind (His children). I believe this because of countless experiences I have had studying scriptural evidence and by having my own, personal, faith-promoting, spiritual experiences over the course of nearly four decades.     

At Freedom Focused, we do not ask or require you to be a believer. But we do encourage you to avoid being theologically lazy. In other words, don't be apathetic about BELIEF. Instead, choose to be curious about different beliefs you observe and find all around you. Study a variety of different viewpoints regarding what different human beings believe their Source is. Put in the time; complete your homework; and do your due diligence on the subject. Then, make your own decisions about what to believe (or not) based on your diligent homework and honest search rather than whatever might be the easiest—or most popular—thing to do at any given point in time. Pursuing this course will fortify your integrity and give you greater confidence in whatever you decide to believe in (or not). 

Once you have discovered what you believe your true SOURCE is, it is essential to cultivate an active, living, and vibrant relationship with Him/Her/It/Etc. For believers, this pathway is pursued through activities like study, prayer, obedience, practice, worship, service, emulation, and evangelism. For non-believers, this pathway is pursued through activities like study, meditation, service, activism, and education.

With my "ONE" prior to a date earlier this

year. Lina and I usually go on at least a

couple formal dates per month where we

hire a babysitter to watch our kids. The goal?

To nurture our friendship, enliven our romance,

and sustain our sanity!

LEVEL TWO: Significant Other

The ONE

Second only to your SOURCE, your significant other is—or at least ideally should (eventually) be—the most important relationship in your life. 

According to Franklin, this person should not only be your best friend, but in a sense, your only friend. This might sound strange or even extreme, but I assure you its seeming strangeness or extremeness is only a matter of framing and semantics.

Obviously it is okay—and even important—to have good friendships outside of your marriage or other serious, romantic relationship. When Franklin encourages us to have only ONE friend, I think what he is trying to say is that our friendship with our significant other ought to be singularly special in comparison with any of our other human relationships.

In other words, this vital relationship with our ONE ought to transcend and ultimately trump all other friendships and associations in terms of its closeness, connectedness, intimacy, and transparency.  If we are to follow the counsel of Franklin, we must therefore spend more time and effort cultivating and nurturing this preeminent friendship than we do for any other human connection.

For those who are not currently in an intimate relationship, your ONE could be a parent, sibling, or friend who you determine is your BEST friend and closest confidante until the time comes when you do have the opportunity to be part of an intimate relationship—a goal we encourage all self-action leaders to aim for. 

And as my avid readers all know, this particular goal and aim in life is not always easily achieved. In fact, it was one of the most difficult and time-consuming things I ever accomplished. But having embraced, endured, and conquered the struggle, I know for myself that it is entirely worth the effort and sacrifice and persistence that is usually required to find success in this often tricky and elusive area of life.  

Click HERE to read about Dr. JJ's Rocky Road of Romance 

LEVEL THREE: Inner Circle 

The Few

After your relationship with your Significant Other or other BEST friend is in good working order, you can begin to develop a relatively small circle of close friends, family members, colleagues, associates, neighbors, etc.

Relationships on this level are not as close as the relationship with your Significant Other, but are closer—and more important—than relationships on levels four and five.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, these are the relatively "FEW" individuals with whom you are "FAMILIAR."  

Individuals in your Inner Circle should be those to whom you can easily communicate about difficult issues and problems. They may include those to whom you seek out for help, advice, counsel, and encouragement during times of difficulty or special need.   

It has been said that you become like the five people you

spend the most time with. In other words, you become like

those who make up your Inner Circle. As such, you would be

wise to choose and cultivate your Inner Circle very carefully!

How many people should be a part of your "Inner Circle?" That is a question that only YOU can answer. However, I would suggest that any number that goes beyond single digits is probably too many. In other words, you should ideally aim for an Inner Circle that consists of nine (9) people or less. There is, of course, an exception to every rule; but remember: as human beings, we have finite time and energy, so "less is more" and the "simpler the better" when it comes to your Inner Circle.    

To illustrate my point in this matter, consider that my own Inner Circle currently consists of only four-to-six (4-6) people. While I can see it someday expanding to as many as eight (8) or nine (9) persons, I highly doubt my Inner Circle will ever expand beyond single digits. 

Again, there is usually an exception to every rule. YOU are ultimately in charge of making your own personal and professional decisions. The insight provided above is meant to guide you, not bind you, to any specific formula in the matter.  

LEVEL FOUR: Outer Circle

The Many

Your Outer Circle differs from your Inner Circle in several important ways. First, your Outer Circle will usually be much larger than your Inner Circle. Whereas your Inner Circle should ideally be kept to single digits, your Outer Circle may include dozens, scores, or in some cases even hundreds or thousands of people. 

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, these are the "MANY" individuals with whom you are "SOCIABLE."  

These are the people you usually see on a regular basis and are friendly with, but you generally do not communicate with on an intimate level. They may also include individuals with whom you only see occasionally, but remain relatively close with due to a closeness you once enjoyed in your past (i.e. a good friend from high school or college or a previous job who lives on the other side of the state or country from you).

Conversations with members of your Outer Circle will typically be more informal and social compared with conversations with members of your Inner Circle. Despite this fact, members of your Outer Circle will inevitably span out across an intimacy spectrum. In other words, some members will be closer to your Inner Circle whereby others will be closer to Level 5 (Everyone).  

While members of your Outer Circle may still be viewed as "Friends" they are usually not the FIRST people you would call if you needed help with something personal or otherwise important. 

To illustrate this principle, my own Outer Circle is made up of several hundred people. Some of those people are nearer to my Inner Circle and some of those people are nearer to Level 5 (Everyone). The rest fall somewhere in between on a spectrum of intimacy. I strategically make decisions regarding relationships with my Outer Circle based on where each person falls along that generalized intimacy spectrum.  

LEVEL FIVE:

Everyone Else

The All

Everyone Else falls within a framework of a Level Five (5) relationship.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, this balance of humanity includes everyone on the Planet, at least theoretically speaking. On a more practical basis, it includes anyone with whom you associate with in any way that is not already on one of the other four levels. 

Examples of people you share a Level Five (5) relationship with include passersby, store clerks, service staff, receptionists, etc. It also includes people who may know of YOU (or that you know of), but you do not actually know them (and vice versa). This group can range from a few people to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people in the case of certain celebrities and others in high-profile positions.

Ironically, human beings are often prone to being the kindest and most thoughtful of those they care the least about (Level 5 Relationships). If you don't believe me on this point, just think about the last time you cursed out a stranger on the street or someone who was serving you in a restaurant or hotel compared to the last time you spoke unkindly to someone who lives in your own house.

A ha?    

     GOTCHA!

Why is it that we humans so often save our best for
strangers and our worst for those we claim to love the most?

I know this is true because in all the traveling I've done throughout my career, I am hard pressed to remember many instances when some stranger was rude to me out of the blue—or when I was rude to them. But I've had a number of tiffs within my own home and family life during the same time period... instances where I ended up having to apologize for my own unkind comments or behavior!

We humans are funny that way... we sometimes have the mixed-up tendency to be kind to strangers and unkind to our most beloved. This pattern does not, of course, make any rational sense; yet this cultural phenomenon is deeply ingrained within most of us, when, in truth, it really ought to be the other way around!

While self-action leaders aim to treat EVERYONE with kindness, dignity, and respect, they understand it is important to prioritize their relationships so they save their best efforts and kindest overtures for those who are actually the most important in their lives, rather than for those who are the least important.

Peace is more precious than diamonds...
and it begins with YOU and ME.

So... if you feel like you just gotta be mean or rude to someone, be mean or rude to a stranger rather than your wife or kid or neighbor or colleague or friend! I'm kidding, of course... it's best to be nice to everyone, but if you have to choose—well, you get my drift!  

Enemy to None

While not an official level, per se, Franklin's wonderful quote is also a stirring reminder to avoid making enemies in our lives and careers by striving to end conflict as a peacemaker.

Self-action leaders love PEACE. They therefore eschew unnecessary conflict like the plague. And when conflict is inevitable, they always aim for a peaceful resolution.

In the process, they do whatever is necessary to mend (or end) conflicts that may arise in their lives or careers. In time, they come to comprehend that it is almost impossible to have enemies if they are unwilling to fuel conflict from their own end of a relationship. They understand that in the end, it's just not worth it to have enemies.

LIFE is so much better when it is marked by peace and peacemaking!      

So, remember the advice of ole' Ben Franklin, and you'll be on your way to creating wonderfully positive and meaningful relationships throughout your life. In the end, could anything be more valuable than that?

"Be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, and enemy to none."

—Benjamin Franklin

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

FOOD for THOUGHT...

• When was the last time you escaped for a romantic weekend getaway with your Significant Other? 

• Do you currently have too many people in your Inner Circle? If so, what steps might you take to draw a clearer line between your Inner and Outer Circle?

• Are you currently dealing with any conflicts or enemies at home or at work? What can YOU change to help mend (or end) said conflict(s)?

• In what other ways might you utilize the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin's famous quote to organize your life around Freedom Focused's Five Levels of Relationships?  

 

—Dr. JJ

September 28, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 285th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 114th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 284 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

500th Anniversary of Magellan's Miracle

Gérard Depardieu
as Christopher Columbus

I remember as a young teenager in 1992 when the world celebrated the 500th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus's famous voyage from Spain to the West Indies. That year, a major Hollywood movie was released entitled 1492: Conquest of Paradise, starring Gérard Depardieu as Columbus.

Though less heralded in North America than in Europe—and perhaps particularly Spain and Portugal—another famous 500th Anniversary of a landmark sailing feat took place earlier this month on September 6th. It was the first circumnavigation of Planet Earth—accomplished in 1522 by European sailors led by Portuguese and Spanish Captains.  

This time, the explorer being celebrated was Fernão de Magalhães, or, as they say in Spanish, Fernando de Magallanes, or, as English speakers have anglicized it: Ferdinand Magellan.

It is worth noting these three different versions of the same name and person because they are all important to Magellan's truly EPIC story. First comes the Portuguese component of the tale: Magellan was born and raised in Portugal, thereby making him a Portuguese citizen.

Next is the Spanish part of the adventure: After his ambitious overtures were turned down multiple times by his own King Manuel in Portugal, the indomitable Magellan turned to King Charles I of Spain—a 19-year old monarch who had just barely ascended to the throne when Magellan sought (and received) his help financially and otherwise to embark upon his much dreamed about voyage.

As for the English part of the equation, the anglicization of Magellan's name is emblematic of the immense impact and influence his EPIC voyage had on the rest of the world, including the growing British Empire and later the United States. In short, the visionary courage of people like Ferdinand Magellan is what helped to create the incredibly interconnected and interdependent world in which we live today.   

Speaking of Magellan's dream...

          What exactly was his vision as a sailor? 

In actuality, Magellan did not set out to circumnavigate the planet. His goal, much like Columbus's original goal 28 years earlier, was to discover a Westward sea-path to the East Indies, where European sailors could get rich from the acquisition of rare spices unavailable in Europe, such as cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper—all of which could fetch an almost unfathomably high price in the 1500s.

Thanks to the recent discoveries of Columbus and others like him, Europeans were aware of the existence of North and South America by the 1500s. As such, sailors no longer sought a directly westward sea-path to India, as Columbus had originally set forth to do. Instead, Magellan sought to find a southern passageway at the bottom of South America that would lead from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Of the five (5) ships that began the journey, only
the Victoria completed the Circumnavigation

Magellan's epic journey began on September 20, 1519, when he and his crew of 239 men disembarked from Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the southwest coast of Spain, sailing southwest in five ships. Sadly, Magellan was not with his crew when they arrived back in Spain nearly three (3) years later having done the seemingly impossible and accomplishing far more than they originally set out to do. Rather, he was killed in the Battle of Mactan, fought against native Islanders in the Philippines on April 27, 1521—nineteen (19) months into the voyage.

Despite these seeming disconnects between his stated vision and his actual accomplishments, Magellan nevertheless got the lion share of the credit for the voyage's remarkable discoveries—and rightfully so—for it was Magellan's vision, determination, and persistence that ultimately made the journey possible. Furthermore, it was Magellan's indomitable courage that kept his men from turning back when the expedition seemed hopeless—which it often did. In fact, at one point along the way, one of the five ships (the San Antonio) actually did turn back to Spain the same way it had come. Three of the four other ships (the Santiago, the Conception, and the Trinidad), were eventually wrecked or abandoned before the circumnavigation was complete. Only one ship, the Victoria, under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the circumnavigation.  

Route of Magellan/Elcano Circumnavigation of the Globe
as shown on a map from the 1500s.

Among the voyage's many accomplishments were Magellan and his men's discovery of the Strait of Magellan, a name that persists to the present day. They also discovered a need for the establishment of an International Date Line. This discovery was made when, despite punctilious date-keeping efforts throughout the journey, their calendaring eventually fell one day behind all on its own, proving conclusively that you lose time when you sail west.

Magellan also named the mighty Pacific Ocean, yet another famous name that has stood the test of time. After successfully navigating through his famous eponymous strait, Magellan joined his men in being among the very first Westerners to ever see—not to mention seriously sail—the Pacific Ocean.

The gargantuan Pacific Ocean covers one-third of

the entire surface of the Earth. European sailors had no

idea how big it really was until Magellan's intrepid expedition.

In the early 1500s, Europeans knew very little about the Pacific Ocean. They were particularly ignorant of its enormous size. Magellan, for example, believed he could reach the East Indies in less than a week's sailing once he had found his sought-after strait at the southern tip of South America. To his dismay and the horror of his crew, 29 of whom died sailing the Pacific, they ended up sailing for nearly 100 days before finally reaching land on the island of Guam!

Imagine believing you are in for a journey of only a few days' time, only to end up at sea for over three months! During this longest haul, the crew was reduced to eating leather and rotten biscuits tainted by rat urine and drinking tainted water. 

Between their misunderstandings about the Earth's geography, the near-constant inter-crew squabbles (including several mutinies [or near mutinies] by his men), insufficient provisions, and conflicts with native peoples, the voyages were fraught from the beginning with abject difficulties and profound obstacles.

It was so challenging, in fact, that when the men finally returned to Spain on September 6, 1522—almost three years to the day from when the voyage began—only one of the five ships sailed into port and only 18 of the original 239 men were aboard. This 90%-plus attrition rate was the result of both desertion and death, which fatalities resulted from disease, starvation, battle, poisoning, and punishment for crime. It was, by some measurements, an unmitigated disaster and colossal tragedy.

But oh, what they accomplished! in addition to sailing 90,000 kilometers—15-times farther than Columbus sailed on his first voyage to the West Indies—they were the first Europeans to seriously explore the Pacific Ocean and the first human beings to circumnavigate the planet. Suffice it to say, there has never been a voyage quite like it—before or since.  

Magellan and Elcano, played by Rodrigo Santoro

& Álvaro Morte in Simon West's 2022 6-part

mini series about Spain's epic journey from 1519-1522

I recently watched a six-part mini-series on Magellan and his crew's EPIC voyage on Amazon Prime Video. The Spanish-language production is entitled: Sin Límites, which, translated into English means "Boundless." I watched the version with English voice-over talents in lieu of subtitles. It was a magnificent work that touched my heart deeply and inspired my soul as I became better educated about the extreme sacrifices these brave and audacious sailors were willing to make in an effort to accomplish things that had never been achieved before. I highly recommend it, with a caveat that it contains some material that is not suitable for children.

European Explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan were imperfect, but ultimately great men who have inspired countless others to dream big, dare nobly, and face their fears with action, endurance, and fortitude. 

These remarkable explorers have inspired me greatly in my own life and career. After all, I have been captaining the good-ship Freedom Focused for nearly 20 years now, and my shadow-crew and I still have not sighted land yet. But that is okay because I know the voyage I have undertaken is a worthy one, and I also know—or at least continue to believe with all the faith of my mind and heart—that land remains out there, and that if I will just keep sailing, will eventually find the New World I have been diligently and earnestly seeking to build these many years.

Along the seaways of my own life and career's circuitous and challenging voyages, I have found continual inspiration from the spirit and example of Christopher Columbus—and more recently, from Ferdinand Magellan—and others like him who faced their own deep, dark, and desperate trials at sea and beyond. Many of these noble explorers faced mutiny, potential starvation, or both before they ever "sighted land." Yet, somehow, someway, likely with the help of God Himself, both men eventually hit pay dirt because they were willing to risk everything to pursue their inspired dreams. And their remarkable accomplishments were catalytic in the onward march of progress and globalization that we enjoy today.   

Those of you who know me well, or who are avid readers of the Freedom Focused blog, are aware of the painful woes I faced in the arena of romance before eventually landing my beloved Lina as my wife. 

Click HERE to read about Dr. JJ's Rocky Road of Romance

Back in those days when things looked, felt, and seemed very bleak, a wise and trusted spiritual leader and counselor of mine pointed me to a poem about Christopher Columbus. The poem, entitled: Columbus, was written by a nineteenth century American poet—Cincinnatus Hiner Miller (1837-1913), more commonly known as Joaquin Miller—and eloquently articulates the courage Columbus had to exhibit in order to find success in an extraordinary journey bereft of accurate maps and other modern aids, which simply didn't exist in his day.  

The poem goes like this...

COLUMBUS

Behind him lay the gray Azores,
    Behind the Gates of Hercules;
Before him not the ghost of shores,
    Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: "Now must we pray,
    For lo! the very stars are gone.
Brave Adm'r'l, speak; what shall I say?"
    "Why, say: 'Sail on! sail on! and on!'"

"My men grow mutinous day by day;
    My men grow ghastly wan and weak."
The stout mate thought of home; a spray
    Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
"What shall I say, brave Adm'r'l, say,
    If we sight naught but seas at dawn?"
"Why, you shall say, at break of day:
    'Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!'"

They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow,
    Until at last the blanched mate said:
"Why, now not even God would know
    Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,
    For God from these dread seas is gone.
Now speak, brave Adm'r'l; speak and say"—
    He said: "Sail on! sail on! and on!"

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
    "This mad sea shows his teeth to-night;
He curls his lips, he lies in wait,
    With lifted teeth, as if to bite:
Brave adm'r'l, say but one good word;
    What shall we do when hope is gone?"
The words leapt like a leaping sword:
    "Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
    And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck—
    A light! a light! a light! a light!

It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
    It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
    Its grandest lesson: "On! sail on!" (1)

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

There are, of course, times when it is wise to reconsider your pathway and, as needed, to change course. But other times, if and/or when you are already on the right course, there is no better advice than to simply buckle down and SAIL ON!  

I hope that readers of this blog will find the examples of Columbus and Magellan—and others like them—to be as inspiring in your own life and career as I have in mine.  

—Dr. JJ

September 21, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 284th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 113th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 283 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

Notes:

1.  Cook, R.J. 1926. One Hundred and One Famous Poems. Chicago, IL: The Cable Company. Pages 37-38. 

God Save the Queen, Part 2

Queen Elizabeth's image has graced the currency of

hundreds of millions of citizens from dozens of nations

throughout the British Commonwealth since she

ascended the throne in 1952.

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God Save the Queen!

I recently turned 43 years old. 

And while I (hopefully) still have several decades left of living in this world, it's safe to say I am no longer a "Spring Chicken"! 

Time is a finite resource for all human beings.  How much

time do you have left in your life?  How do your choose

to spend your time?  Answers to this question are key 

ingredients in the creation of YOUR LIFE's STORY. 

Forty-three (43) years is a long time.

It is enough time to have attended 19 years of formal schooling, serve a two-year mission for my church, teach a year of high school English, get married and have three children, work for many years in a variety of different jobs, visit all 50 U.S. States and several foreign countries, publish several books and over 500 hundred articles across a variety of mediums, and do a million other things I won't bore you with here.  

Today's post, however, puts my relatively rinky-dink four decades of living and accomplishment into its proper perspective!

This article is about an unusually remarkable woman who lived to be 96 years old. This woman was a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. She was also a leader who visited over one hundred (100) different countries and attended to countless other formal acts and other tasks as she faithfully discharged the duties of one of the highest-profile offices on the planet for — wait for it... drumroll.....

Queen Victoria
Elizabeth II's Great-Grandmother
and the UK's second-longest serving monarch
 who reigned from 1837-1901 (63 years, 7 months)

My entire life... plus 27 additional years to boot!

This article is about Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the past 70 years—making her the longest-serving Royal in the history of her country and one of the longest serving monarchs in world history.  

To further frame this extraordinary achievement, consider the fact that my Dad—who turns 80 next year—was only eight (8) years old when Elizabeth ascended the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. 

When the previously unparalleled Queen Victoria passed away in 1901, after a reign of 63 years and seven months, could anyone have imagined that one of her great-granddaughters would someday surpass her record by almost seven (7) years?

Suffice it to say, her legacy is already legendary—the kind of accomplishment that few who have ever lived can compete with. 

Dr. JJ and Freedom Focused express our sincere condolences and best wishes to the Royal Family, the British Nation and Commonwealth, and to mourning admirers around the world on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II—the longest serving monarch in the aged and storied history of the United Kingdom, an extraordinary genealogy that spans 61 different monarchs over a period of 1,200 years!

For a descendent of white immigrants hailing from places like Utah and Texas, that's a long, Long, LONG time!  

Now that this regal and royal lady Belongs to the Ages, I know I stand in good company in feeling as though a part of our lives—however small—has changed forever, regardless of our individual national allegiances. It is as if something near and dear to us feels irreparably lost (at least temporarily so). That lifelong sense of comfort that "She is There" ... and probably always will be ... has been replaced by the reality we all must face eventually: that each and every one of us—including her Majesty, the Queen—is mortal.

It's kind of like losing a cherished Grandma or Grandpa that you never quite had the opportunity to meet, but felt as though you knew and loved him/her anyway.  

Despite being a proud citizen of my own country—The United States of America—it is no secret that I am an Anglophile... at least on the margins. My ancestry and education (both formal and informal) make it difficult not to be forever enamored by...

Among many other things, England
brought us the greatest Writer of all 
Time, even The Immortal Bard

"This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands;
This blessed plot,
     This earth,
          This realm,
               This England!"*

—William Shakespeare

*Gaunt, from Richard II, Act 2, Scene 1

The United Kingdom is a magical place... from the lush, green, and wooded landscapes blanketing its interior to its rocky, unique, and stunning seascapes that span its expansive coasts. Then there is its unique urban antiquity—whose tales hearken back a thousand or more years—bumping right up alongside some of the most modern and sleek architecture in the world. And one should never forget the cornucopia of British achievements by centuries-upon-centuries of acclaimed artists, entertainers, educators, doctors, scientists, thinkers, and writers.

Suffice it to say, the British Isles are a special locale I have always admired.

With my baby son, Tucker, on a cannon atop a castle.
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, September 2013.

Back in 2013, Lina and my baby son, Tucker, and I had the opportunity to travel all over the Island for two straight weeks as part of my seminar teaching work schedule. With courses scheduled in nine (9) different Counties we were able to criss-cross much of the Island during the fortnight we spent there. From the Greatest and most Famous City in the World (London) in the Southeast to Yate and Yeovil in the Southwest, and from Edinburgh in the north and Warwick in the center to Preston and Hull on the east and west coasts, I loved every minute of the time we spent there.

Like the Isles themselves, I have long admired Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. In particular, I venerate the Queen for the consistency of her conduct, the classiness of her character, the nobleness of her spirit, and the kindness of her heart.

In a worldwide cultural temperature that is as mercurial as it is diverse, Queen Elizabeth was ever anchored in old-fashioned (albeit non-prejudicial) convictions and age-old (albeit enlightened) traditions. Like an ancient Roman pillar—firm, undaunted, and unwavering—she stood regally and undaunted on the watchtower of humanity. In the service of her post, she stood ever as a beacon of Western Values in an undeviating effort to hold Western Civilization together amidst endless attacks on its ancient traditions, noble foundations, and moral values—the very things which have brought the West so much progress and success, speaking both individually and collectively, over the past 500 years.  

Ruth Smith Silver
1930-2015
My dear Aunt, just four (4) years
younger than Elizabeth II,
reminded me of The Queen.

How could you not like and admire this Lioness of a Woman and this Athena of Leaders, who, in her perpetual personification of Polaris, stood fixed and immovable in a nation and world filled-to-overflowing with shooting and falling stars?

One of my dear, cherished, and late Aunts (Ruth Smith Silver, 1930-2015) was dear and cherished to me in part because of personal qualities like polish, refinement, and class—all of which reminded me of her Majesty, the Queen.

Born in the same generation as Elizabeth II, Ruth Silver was just four years younger than the Queen. According to my Uncle Joe (Ruth's younger brother), she was enamored with Princess Elizabeth before she had even become Queen. Like her Majesty, Silver consistently exemplified and personified the virtues and values that made so many in her generation such stalwart exemplars after which younger generations (including my own) could confidently pattern our own lives and careers. Both highly educated women, Aunt Ruth and the Queen valued IDEALS, strove to achieve them, and stood ever firm in and true to their convictions. A   

I wish I had been blessed with the opportunity to meet and associate with Elizabeth II in the same way I was blessed to spend time with and learn from Aunt Ruth. Perhaps I will have an opportunity to meet some of her Majesty's posterity before I kick the bucket myself.     

Queen Elizabeth's likeness graces
a Canadian two-dollar coin.
Having lived in Canada for nearly four years,
I grew accustomed to seeing her image
on many of my coins and bills.

This is not the first time I have paid homage to Her Majesty through the Freedom Focused Blog. Avid readers may recall an article I published right before Christmas in 2020, entitled: God Save the Queen, which included a link to one of the Queen's elegant and inspiring Christmas Messages—a tradition that dated back to the early days of her reign in the late 1950s... 1957 to be exact. 

And now you know why I entitled this piece: "God Save the Queen, Part 2."

Click HERE to read: God Save the Queen, Part 1.

Click HERE to listen to the Queen's First Christmas Message in 1957.  

Make no mistake...

I am a proud American who has no regrets about my nation's decision to break with her Mother Country (Great Britain) nearly 250 years ago. I will always openly embrace democratic-republicanism and practically eschew the ideas, tenets, and practices of monarchy in this world.  

Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, Winston Churchill, King George
VI, and Princess Margaret wave to throngs of celebrants at
Buckingham Palace in London on V-E Day in Europe in 1945.

Nevertheless, as a student and lover of history — and more particularly of Sir Winston Churchill (a staunch monarchist) and the period surrounding the First and Second World Wars — I have a deep respect for and an abiding appreciation of the majesty, meaning, tradition, and value that encompasses the lingering monarchy in Great Britain.

And I probably always will.  

In 1947—five years before she ascended to the throne—Princess Elizabeth made the following pledge to citizens of the British Empire around the world when she was still in her early 20s:

"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

Queen Elizabeth as a young woman on the stamp
of one of the UK's many Commonwealth Nations.

Benjamin Franklin once suggested that we live in a world that is too-often filled with: "Big Talkers and Little Doers." I agree with ole' BF. And his statement is especially true of many modern politicians and other so-called "Public Servants" who focus far more of their attention and energy on their own self-interest than they do in the interest of the constituents they are supposed to serve. 

Queen Elizabeth was one of those rare individuals in possession of that golden kind of integrity which stands the Test of Time. Indeed, she was like a marvelous anthropomorphic machine that never ran out of gas, no matter how long the journey may take or how long the race may go—and we all know that her race lasted a very long time—70 years to be exact! And it lasted just shy of a century if you count the additional 24 years she spent on the planet preparing for her call to rule the largest commonwealth the world has ever known.

I also love the quote above because of the way in which Her Majesty (an ardent Christian believer) spreads an inclusive blanket over all of humanity by invoking our common spiritual heritage (in her words: "Our Great Imperial Family"). She actually does an excellent job of articulating the very message that we at Freedom Focused are trying to spread throughout the world; and the message is this: 

"No matter who we are or where we were born, our Creator has planted within ALL of us the seeds of ROYALTY and we want every single soul within the sound of our voice to embrace that remarkable, common heritage in a never-ending effort to become all they are capable of becoming through Self-Action Leadership and Serendipity."   

Our overriding message at Freedom Focused is simple, yet powerful:

We are all potential ROYALTY... just like Queen Elizabeth II. And there

are principles we can learn and practices we can apply to realize the

full measure of our creation, both personally and professionally.

The day the Queen died, I heard a story retold by a British radio pundit that is iconically emblematic of the character of Queen Elizabeth and her family. The anecdote at hand featured Elizabeth's mother—the Queen Mother (1900-2002)—who lived to be 101 years old! When someone tried to persuade Elizabeth, the Queen Consort, to take her daughters (Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret) away to Canada for safe keeping during the darkest hours of World War II, the elder Elizabeth replied, and I paraphrase according to my memory of the radio pundit's words:

"The girls (Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret) will not leave England unless I leave England, and I will not leave England unless their Father (the King) leaves England, and the King is not leaving England! We will stay here with our people and see the thing through, come what may."   

What a magnificent example of leadership at its very best and most courageous amidst the most difficult of national trials! And we know that it was precisely that kind of leadership by rare individuals like King George the Sixth, Elizabeth (Queen Consort), Prime Minister Churchill, President Roosevelt, and General Eisenhower that brought about an Allied victory over the evil forces of aggression in that terribly unprecedented conflict. 

That is the kind of character and leadership we seek to teach, develop, and build at Freedom Focused.   

Tucker (9), Kara (7), and Tyler (4), were all

born the same years as Prince George (2013),

Princess Charlotte (2015), and Prince Louis (2018)

On a personal side note...

My family and I actually have a few things in common with the rising generation of British Royalty.

Second-in-line to the new King (Charles III) is a man—Prince William—and his wife—Catherine, Princess of Wales (formerly the Duchess of Cambridge)—who are just a couple years younger than I am and a few years older than my wife, Lina. William and Kate also happen to have a son (age 9), a daughter (age 7), and another son (age 4).

Guess how old Lina's and my older son, middle daughter, and younger son are?

That's right... each one of our kids was born in the exact same year and within five months or less as each one of their children; even the gender order is the same! 

You've gotta admit... it's a pretty striking coincidence! And no, Lina and I did not pursue this course on purpose or plan it out to end up that way. We do not know William or Kate, nor do we have any direct connection to them. It's just one of those seemingly random things that happened to us that we find interesting and kinda cool—in light of the beautiful young family they are working hard to successfully raise.    

I love and cherish my Western, Southern,

and Yankee Roots. But that doesn't mean

I can't admire me some English Royals—

or anyone else outside my own milieu—

when they are found conductin' themselves

in a manner worthy of admiration...

or emulation!

Don't get the wrong idea; I'm not trying to make a case for any blueness in my own blood... although it is worth noting that a man can keep his hair without any royal titles, while even a Royal Prince and heir to the throne of the British Commonwealth has no guarantee of the continuation of his coiffure!

Nay... I'm quite content being a simple ole' American feller from the Lovely State of Florida who pledges humble allegiance to Old Glory as a common citizen.

In truth, my neck'll always be redder than my blood'll ever be blue! That's just an inextinguishable element of my Western 'n Southern upbringin' and heritage I'll always be proud of.

Part of my Marriage Proposal Plan included this
redneck sign intimating my royal intentions.
March 22, 2008; Atlanta, Georgia, USA

But I digress...

Suffice it to say, I do admire William and Catherine for the ways in which they are walking in the footsteps of their venerable mother and grandparents, and I hope they will continue to do so throughout their lives. If past behavior is any indication of future behavior, I believe they are up to the challenge!

Though Prince I am not, I will make the case that I, like Prince William, somehow managed to marry way-way-way UP to secure an unusually intelligent and gorgeous Queen-of-a-brunette as my wife.

Commoner though Lina may be in the eyes of a royalist, there is nothing common about her to me! And at Freedom Focused, we believe that that is the way every husband ought to view his ONE and ONLY... assuming she is faithful, kind, and true—attributes which Lina personify most royally.  

I proposed to my wife at the base of the KING & QUEEN

Towers in Atlanta, Georgia on March 22, 2008. If you scroll

to the bottom of the page, you'll notice these same towers

grace the cover of the SAL Textbook, Volume I. That was

done on purpose to remind readers of their own Royal

potential through Self-Action Leadership & Serendipity.

I'm telling you what, my friends... the smartest thing I ever did and the greatest thing I ever accomplished was figuring out how to bamboozle a lady as lovely as the Princess of Wales to marry little ole' redneck me! All hail Lina Marie... Princess of Palm Beach!  Though it may not be her official title, she'll always be REGAL and ROYAL in my eyes.     

There is no need in this blog to belabor a bunch of additional details about Queen Elizabeth's life and the highlights and achievements of her unparalleled 70-year reign. I'm sure you've heard plenty already from every news organization and high-profile person imaginable over the past six days.

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
One of the loveliest human beings
to ever grace Planet Earth

Nevertheless, we do sincerely desire to HONOR the life and legacy of this Lovely Lady who was such a pillar of strength and such a lion of freedom throughout her remarkable life that spanned nearly a century. 

Moreover, we wish to publicly express our GRATITUDE for her sterling example of rising above the often mean-spirited and ugly fray of politics throughout her reign—something that must have proven difficult at times. We admire this example and seek to emulate it in the non-partisan educational work we strive to apolitically accomplish here at Freedom Focused.  

THANK YOU, Queen Elizabeth, for showing your Nation, Commonwealth, the World-at-Large, Freedom Focused, and me personally what it means to personify wisdom, grace, conviction, and honor—and more importantly, how to do it throughout the course of such a very long life span in spite of the endless difficulties and distractions that came your way along the way.

In short, THANK YOU for being FREEDOM FOCUSED throughout your long and illustrious life!  

The world is a better place because you spent 96 years here; and the world will be an even better place if more of us commit to more closely embracing your example of polish, refinement, civility, and class.  

Statue of my favorite Englishman,
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill,
in front of Big Ben in London.

The Queen is Dead...

     And thus, in the famous words of Sir Winston Churchill:

Advance Britannia!

          Long Live the Cause of FREEDOM!

                    And God Save the King!*  

*Closing lines of Churchill's radio speech announcing the surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied Forces on May 8, 1945.

—Dr. JJ

September 14, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 283rd Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 112th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 282 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