Chapter 11
Emancipation through the Light of SAL
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| Like LINCOLN, SAL is a great EMANCIPATOR |
As an emancipator, SAL is also a great light because it has the power to illuminate your journey to Existential Growth, freedom, happiness, success, and inner peace.
This chapter introduces a real-life story to illustrate the extent of SAL's capacity to liberate YOU from whatever shackles are presently binding you down either personally or professionally.
This story is not about fame, fortune, fabulously good luck, or overnight success—although it is very much a SUCCESS STORY. This tale is about an imperfect, and in many ways an ordinary, human being who accomplished extraordinary things through Serendipity and the conscious exercise of diligent, disciplined, dedicated, persistent, and patient SAL over a period of nearly four decades.
Most importantly and tellingly, this tale is TRUE.
The story is about a man in his mid-forties. (1)
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| Dr. JJ Circa 1984 |
Over the past four decades, this man has visited all 50 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces, nine counties of Great Britain, and 10 different countries around the world. In his 44 years of living he has moved 44 times and lived at 45 different street addresses in seven U.S. states and two provinces of Canada spanning five separate time zones throughout North America. His life has been full of adventure, challenge, opportunity, personal growth, variety, failure, and success.
Over the course of his teenage and adult life, this man has learned to effectively manage obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the comorbid depression that accompanies it after suffering from their insidious symptoms for over 30 years.
As a little boy, he began writing in a personal diary at age seven (7). He has continued to produce a variety of journaling records up until the present day, penning many thousands of pages in the process. (2)
As a young man, he earned his Eagle Scout award, won a team and individual State Championship in cross-country (high school) and an All-American citation in track & field (college).
He earned a 4-year bachelor's degree in English, completed it in only 27 months time (2.25 years). Later, he earned a doctoral degree in education with a 4.049 grade-point average. This better-than-perfect GPA was made possible by his earning straight A's in addition to a couple of A-plusses. This academic performance was a big improvement from the pedestrian 3.2 GPA he earned in his undergraduate studies, and it was a huge improvement from the average 2.9 GPA he earned in high school, where he struggled mightily with math and science (he took algebra 1 three years in a row). He was also rejected by the university to which he initially applied and attended a State College in lieu of his original choice of schools.
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| Dr JJ with his Bride 8/8/8 |
Today, he is happily married to his wife of 18 years—a woman he describes as "better than the woman of his dreams." Together, they are the parents of three healthy, happy, intelligent, talented, and adorable kids (two boys and a girl) who are the joy of their days and the peace of their nights (peaceful because they are asleep!).
Financially, this man and his wife went from being $80,000 in debt in 2008 to being debt-free by 2012. Today they are financially secure and well on their way to financial independence. They paid cash for his graduate education tuition, live within their means, enjoy a comfortable, upper-middle class lifestyle, have ample funds set aside for a rainy day, and have established a continually growing nest egg for their future (including retirement).
After being placed in the average reading group in first grade and being frightened to speak in public, this man has published seven (7) books and spoken publicly to over 20,000 people in hundreds of audiences all over North America and the United Kingdom.
This man, who once so desperately needed help with his own SAL journey, has since helped tens of thousands of people with theirs all over the English-speaking world.
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| Dr. JJ I've come a LONG way since sporting my muddy Steve Lindsley jersy 40 years ago! (see picture above of Dr. JJ at age five) |
Indeed, this text is not merely based on a true story; it is a true story! This tale carefully and conscientiously recounts how SAL and Serendipity absolutely transformed nearly every area of my life and character over the course of nearly four decades.
Simply stated, SAL works—my own life is testament to this fact; and that is why I am so passionate about the subject, because I know that it will work for YOU in your life and career just as it has for me. After all, there is nothing inherently special about me; but everything is special about SAL principles, practices, and the Serendipity that accompanies both. The truth of the matter is that YOU are at liberty to choose to embrace these principles, practices, and their concomitant Serendipity as much or as little as you want.
Indeed, the best part of this story is that there is nothing innately special about little ole' me. But fortunately, for YOU and everyone else who decides to embrace SAL, its principles and practices are "no respecter of persons." This means if you are willing to learn and apply them, your life and career will change for the better—just as my life and career has changed for the better. But you must be willing to ACT to bring about those positive changes in your life. Self-leadership alone is useless without the all-important "ACTION" part of the equation—hence, the need for Self-ACTION-Leadership.
In the inspired words of the late Jim Rohn, a business philosopher and one of the most witty, charming, and inspiring speakers I've ever come across: For things to change, YOU must change.
—Jim Rohn
The reason my story has turned out the way it has is not because other people, things, or my external circumstances changed; nor was it because I got lucky. Many people waste much of their lives waiting around for their circumstances, luck, and/or other people to change. I know this is true because I was once one of them.
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| Don't wait for your ship to come in; it never will! Instead, sail out to meet your ship! |
Do you live your life amongst this vast multitude that lounges on the beaches of life waiting for your ship to come in? I've been guilty of frequenting this crowd. I've also thrown my share of pity parties over the years. Often convinced my problems were a result of my circumstances or the people around me, I eagerly embraced opportunities to physically relocate in hopes that my life would improve once I was in a different location, physically speaking. Naïvely hoping a change in my address and outer surroundings would magically make me happy and fulfilled on the inside led me to feel predictably disappointed and perpetually frustrated.
Over time, I learned the great truth that no matter where I was, or who and what was around me, nothing would ever really change until I changed—and that is when the magic began to transform my outer world by virtue of my inner transformations. As Plutarch (the ancient Greek philosopher and historian) and Otto Rank (twentieth century Austrian psychoanalyst) have noted: What you achieve inwardly changes your outer reality.
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| Plutarch A.D. 46-119 |
"What you achieve inwardly changes your outer reality."
—Plutarch and Otto Rank
Once I began to make internal changes to my thoughts, speech, actions, and attitude, my outer circumstances began to improve as well. The harder I worked on myself, the more pleasant, prosperous, and desirable my life became. It took enormous amounts of time, effort, focus, and endurance, and the growing pains of the process were real and sometimes excruciating; but, it was all worth it.
Over time, I learned—not merely through principle, but through actual experience—that other people, things, and circumstances rarely change of their own volition; but that I could choose to change of my own volition. I discovered further that other people do not have to determine my destiny unless I let them. Instead, I have the power to determine my own destiny—today, tomorrow, and always—by the decisions I choose to make each minute, hour, and day of my life.
SAL is a LIGHT
Life in this world is filled with problems, and no one is exempt.
Everyone has problems!
No one gets out of this life without facing significant challenges, obstacles, and other adversities. The truth is that if you know someone who doesn't have any problems, you simply don't know that person well enough. Personal problems and challenges come in many different sizes and packages. Something that is easy for you may be agonizingly difficult for me, and vice versa.
In writing this Life Leadership textbook, I do not presume to understand the substance and depth of the personal and professional challenges and difficulties that YOU face. Nor do I claim to have all the answers to solve them. What I do claim is that you can eventually find specific answers to your personal and professional problems if you are willing to study and then apply SAL principles & practices and then open yourself up to the capricious and unpredictable—yet unspeakably wonderful—blessings of Serendipity.
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| Life is full of difficult voyages on stormy seas. SAL is a LIGHTHOUSE that will help us to bring our ship into safe harbor. |
Light has the power to not only uncover what your problems really are, but also to illuminate the solutions thereto. Light (SAL) is your guide to the mountaintop of your potential both personally and professionally.
If you are trying to hide from your problems or veil them from others, then light will seem like a terrible nuisance whose blinding effects will be painful and annoying. But if you seek to know what your problems really are, and possess a real intent to solve them, then light is a great illuminator, disinfectant, and the ultimate liberator. This is because light is truth, and vice versa. I should warn you, however, that both light and truth can initially cause excruciating pain—whether you proactively seek it out or not.
Why?
Because it can be very painful to see yourself as you really are: warts and all!
But it is the only way to change, grow, improve, and achieve.
In life, everyone is exposed to varying intensities of this metaphorical light; however, not everyone responds to it in the same ways. In the end, there are really only two kinds of people in the world: those who cowardly hold on to their blindfolds to ease the pain, and those who courageously cast away their blindfolds to face the pain, and thereby receive the keys to unlocking the shackles that bind and/or blind them. In the words of a clever couplet formulated by fitness guru, Jerzy Gregorek: Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.
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| "Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life." —Jerzy Gregorek |
—Jerzy Gregorek
Those who timidly (or stubbornly) keep their blindfolds on feel less pain in the short run. Those who willingly and courageously discard their blindfolds feel less pain in the long run. Either way, you cannot avoid all pain in life. By choosing to follow the footsteps of self-action leaders who seek after the light of True Principles rooted in Universal Law, you steer clear of the avoidable pain that follows those who wallow and waste away in their own self-imposed prison cells of darkness. Then, as you persist in seeing the light, your eyes will become increasingly accustomed to it and grow stronger as a result. This, in turn, will lead you to the most authentic and lasting forms of pleasure, satisfaction, happiness, success, fulfillment, joy, growth, freedom, and inner peace.
What kind of person do you want to be?
What kind of person will you choose to be?
Isn't it wonderful that you get a choice in the matter?
Light is similar to courage in the sense that following its pathway is both exhilarating and, in the long run, easier than following the pathways of darkness or fear. As Eleanor Roosevelt once put it: Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down."
"Courage is more exhilarating than fear,
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Darkness is used for hiding, avoiding, pretending, and decaying or atrophying. Light is for seeing, doing, being, growing, improving, and becoming! What do you really want most, and what will you choose to embrace in your life and career?
Light?
Or darkness?
In conclusion, consider a certain caveat about light...
Light doesn't remove obstacles from your path.
But it does help you see them more clearly!
It will still be up to YOU to exert the time, effort, determination, persistence, and patience to eventually realize your glorious potential.
Are you up to the challenge?
If so, then read on!
- Who are the people who increase the LIGHT in your life or career?
- Who are the people who increase the darkness in your life or career?
- What is ONE thing that you could do beginning today to increase the LIGHT and decrease the darkness in your life or career?
—Dr. JJ
Author's Note: This is the 378th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 189th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 377 FF Blog Articles
Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES
Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS
Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection
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Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.
Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks
Chapter 11 Notes
1. Dr. JJ was in his mid-forties during the writing and publication of this edition (seventh) of the SAL textbook.
2. Includes personal diaries, notes, lists, and letters.
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