A Key to Everything

 

Chapter 5

A Key to Everything

Of all the poems I have ever read on the subject of personal leadership, the most moving and influential may be Rudyard Kipling's masterpiece: If.

This timeless classic was penned in the late 19th century as a tribute to Dr. Leander Starr Jameson—a British physician and colonial politician, whose character, in Kipling's view, personified the virtues enshrined in the legendary poem, which further served as a prosodic presentation of fatherly advice to his son, John Kipling, who served as a Second Lieutenant in the British Army during World War I and was tragically killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915.  

In its time—and in subsequent generations—If was wildly popular with a variety of audiences. Over 130 years later, it continues to resonate with many readers the world over. 

Freedom Focused is now pleased to endorse this poem for a new century, and seek earnestly to uphold and exemplify the noble values and stirring ideals it espouses. We therefore encourage its pedagogical proliferation to students of all ages everywhere.  

IF—

IF YOU can keep your head when all about you

     Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

   But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

   Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated don't give way to hating,

   And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

   If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

   And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

   Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

   And stoop and build 'em up again with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

   And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

   And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

   To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

   Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!" 

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

   Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

   If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

   With sixty seconds worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

   And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son! (1)

—Rudyard Kipling

Self-Action Leadership—or SAL—has had an incredibly positive and productive influence and impact in my life. It has, in fact, been my life in many ways. Indeed, second only to my religious faith and my relationships, SAL is the most important thing to me.

It has also been, without any doubt or question, a KEY to my personal and professional FREEDOM, and will continue to be so until I draw my last breath in this world.   

In other words, I enjoy a remarkable degree of freedom in my life and career because of SAL and Serendipity; and it is wonderful!

Don't get the wrong idea; my life is not perfect. No one has a perfect life in this world. But, both my life and career are infinitely better than they would be without the tremendous aid of SAL.  

While SAL may not be the key to everything—we still need the help of other people, organizations, and the continuous assistance of Serendipity—SAL is unquestionably a key to everything in our lives and careers. In other words, there is always something that YOU can do to improve any given situation, even if all you can do is to adjust your attitude and thoughts. As such, I earnestly invite and enthusiastically encourage YOU to learn SAL, study SAL, and then live SAL to the best of your imperfect ability.

REMEMBER: You are not powerless in the face of your problems and difficulties—no matter how challenging or insurmountable they may seem in the moment. There is always something you can think about, say, or do to make any situation better. And Serendipity will always be there to back up, magnify, and expand every positive and productive action you take in the direction of improvement and change.  

If this book makes a positive difference in the life of only ONE person (me) it will have been worth the time, effort, and sacrifice I invested to write it. If it makes a difference in the lives of many other people, it will be worth even more—by a multiplied factor of each life it is able to reach, touch, change, empower, and bless.  

This comprehensive Life Leadership textbook has chronicled my own SAL journey. In so doing, it has highlighted the many and varied positive and productive results I have obtained through my diligent application and continual practice of SAL over the course of the past 40 years.

By this point, you are now well acquainted with what SAL has done for me and others. 

The question remains: what will SAL do for YOU?  

Moreover, what could it yet do for the people you care about and others within your sphere of influence?

For your own sake, and the sake of everyone else whose lives you will eventually touch and influence, I implore you with all the energy of my soul to make good choices, do the right things, and make a great life for yourself and those you love during the relatively brief span of time you will spend on this planet. 

As you go forth to make the most of your life and career—and otherwise make your own, unique mark on the world—I encourage you to be a positive member of your family and other groups of which you play a part. I also exhort you to be a good citizen of whatever country and community you call home and continually serve others wherever you are.  

There are over eight (8) BILLION people on Planet Earth, and YOU are but one of them.

Nevertheless, never forget that among those 8-plus billion, there is not another person exactly like YOU. That makes you singularly unique and truly one in a hundred billion—or however many persons have lived on planet Earth throughout its storied history.  

Always remember that of all these billions of human beings, YOU are the only one capable of consciously directing your own thoughts, speech, actions, attitudes, and beliefs. Never underestimate the power of this, your special and singular ability to directly impact the direction of your life and career. Likewise, never underestimate the potential you have for Existential Growth—as well as the capacity you carry to positively and productively influence others for good.  

Every human being is incomprehensibly precious; each living soul is incalculably priceless; and all lives matter beyond any of our abilities to fully comprehend. 

The question is and will always remain: 

    What will YOU choose to do with yours?  

— The Beginning —

In Your Journal

• Now that you have finished the entire SAL Life Leadership textbook, what are some of your thoughts and reflections on your journey so far?

• How will you continue to use the SAL Textbook moving forward in your life and career?  

• What three (3) people do you know who would benefit most from the SAL Textbook in their life or career right now? As names come to your mind, write them down, select a time to tell each person about your own experiences with this "Textbook and Journal for Life," and encourage them to get a copy of their own.  

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 510th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 294th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

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Chapter 5 Notes 

1.  Kipling, R. (1922). Rudyard Kipling’s Verse. Google Books edition. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page & Company. Pages 645-646.