Taking ACTION

                   

 Chapter 23

Taking ACTION

CONSTRUCTION  STAGE  3:  BUILDING the SUPERSTRUCTURE

SAL MODEL STAGE 3: TAKING ACTION

 

"The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help. The moment we commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen people, events, and circumstances will rise up and assist us."

—William James

"A person's business is to work—to surmount difficulties, to endure hardship, to solve problems, to overcome the inertia of his own nature: to turn chaos into cosmos by the aid of system—[to act]—this is to live!" (1)

—Elbert Hubbard

Once a firm foundation has been laid, builders can begin the process of erecting the superstructure itself—one floor at a time.

Doing so requires all kinds of different ACTION—gradual, steady, continual, and ultimately never-ending ACTION.  

Action is absolutely indispensable to any and all progress in construction or in life. Even with the very best laid goals and plans, the truth is the nothing moves until YOU move; nothing goes until YOU go; and nothing happens until YOU start happening.   

SAL Mantra

Nothing moves until YOU move.

Nothing goes until YOU go.

Nothing happens until YOU start happening.

CONSTRUCTION  STAGE  3:  BUILDING the SUPERSTRUCTURE

• Punctually showing up to the work site
• Concrete, steel, wood, glass, brick, mortar, and drywall
• Plumbing, electrical wiring, insulation, and HVAC.
• Carpet, painting, woodwork, and interior decorating
• Landscaping  

Having developed an integrity-based character, you are now prepared to begin building the kind of life you designed in your SAL Constitution. As you adhere to these blueprints and appropriately amend them as you grow and mature, you'll notice your life coming together in highly attractive and wonderfully satisfying and fulfilling ways.  

SAL MODEL STAGE 3: TAKING ACTION

• Self-discipline
• Self-ACTION in public
• Self-ACTION in private
• World-altering strategies (1)
• Self-Rewards and Natural Rewards (2)

YOUR POWER as a self-action leader lies in taking ACTION in the present moment.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882

In the words Emerson: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift—that's why they call it the present." (4) 

 "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift—that's why they call it the present."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

This statement cleverly and memorably captures the importance and value of each and every "TODAY" throughout your life. After all, today is really the only day you'll ever have.

So carpe diem...

     SEIZE it!  

As a kid growing up in Monticello, Utah, I spent countless hours at my Aunt Nedra's home playing with my cousins. Aunt Nedra was an amazing cook and I was further blessed to partake of many delicious meals in her kitchen.

On the wall of Aunt Nedra's kitchen—just to the right of the bar stools—hung a plaque with a silhouette of President Thomas Jefferson and his famous self-designed, Roman-columned home, after which my hometown was named.

Thomas Jefferson
1743-1826

Written on the plaque were Jefferson's Ten Rules of Life. One of these ten rules read: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."

—Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson understood the Power of the Present. His penchant and passion for ACTION led to his becoming an extraordinarily accomplished person—a true outlier in the history of the United States and World.  

All self-action leaders would do well to take his advice to heart within a framework of their own unique intellect, talents, and circumstances.  

Thomas Carlyle
1795-1881

Don't wait until tomorrow to start pursuing your dreams; begin the painstaking process of patiently painting your life's masterpiece TODAY! In the incisive and inspiring words of another great man named "Thomas," in this case the great Scottish Philosopher, Thomas Carlyle: Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. 

"Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance,

but to do what lies clearly at hand."

—Thomas Carlyle

The following poem was shared earlier in this text in BOOK the FIRST, Chapter 9: Know Thyself. It bears repeating here.

The Power of the Present

Beyond the haze of what we face,

There lies the track on which we'll race;

But what we often soon forget—

It's also 'neath our current pace.

We always look beyond the mists.

Squint through the fog toward future lists,

And rarely opt to seize the day,

There here and now's so often missed!

For what we fail to contemplate,

The present's where we carve our fate,

And future's bliss's only secured,

By mast'ring what's now on our plate.

But when we grasp onto what's ours,

That's how we'll break our prison bars,

And rise in ways we'd never thought,

To mighty deeds and distant stars.

O man, no longer cast your view,

On things that aren't in front of you,

Do your best now, and trust in faith,

That all things in their time shall find YOU.  

 —JRJ

"Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance,

but to do what lies clearly at hand."

—Thomas Carlyle

As a self-action leader, YOURS is the opportunity of a lifetime to take full advantage of the power of your own present and take ACTION—today, tomorrow, and forever into the future on a never-ending quest to become all you are capable of becoming and to rise to the highest levels of the SAL Hierarchy over time.

What are you waiting for?

Get moving and take ACTION!

Because in the words of Carl Rogers: "What you are to be you are now becoming."  

"What you are to be you are now becoming."

—Carl Rogers

 

SAL Master Challenge

EXERCISE  #21

What is something you have been procrastinating? 

Complete this task TODAY, or before the end of the week.

I have completed the SAL Master Challenge EXERCISE #21

Your initials:__________         AP initials:__________

 

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 461st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 255th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 460 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

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Current Events, Cultural, Philosophical, & Miscellaneous Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

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

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

If you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to bookmark this blog to access a new FREE article every Wednesday.

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Chapter 23 Notes

1.  Hubbard, E. (1946). An American Bible. Edited by Alice Hubbard. New York, NY: Wm. H. Wise & Co., Inc. Page 141. Note: the original quote used "man" instead of person and did not include the bracketed word "act." 

2.  Neck, C. P., & Manz, C. C. (2010). Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence (Fifth Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Pages 15-16, 27-30, and 38-51.

See also: Neck, C.P., Manz, C.C., and Houghton, J.D. (2017). Self-Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Personal Excellence. Los Angeles: SAGE. Pages 33-37. 

3. Neck, C.P., Manz, C.C., and Houghton, J.D. (2017). Self-Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Personal Excellence. Los Angeles: SAGE. Pages 49-52 and 65-72. 

4.  This quote by Emerson has multiple author attributions.  

Enormous power exists in principles, practices,

policies, procedures, laws, and by-laws that are built

atop a firm foundation of a written CONSTITUTION

that is clear, fair, just, firm, and principle-centered.

Have you ever wondered why corporations, schools, churches, miscellaneous organizations—and (ironically) even local, state, and federal governments—fail to tap more fully into the philosophical and practical wisdom contained in the United States' Declaration of Independence and Constitution?

At Freedom Focused, we think about it all the time! 

In fact, we are sorta fixated on this question—and in searching out every relevant answer thereto.

After all, these two documents have probably influenced and improved our world more than any other two documents in the history of our planet.

Knowing, however, that we cannot control other people or organizations—we can only control ourselves—we spend most of our time striving to "be the change we wish to see in the world" (Gandhi). 

Gandhi and his Wife, Kasturba

"YOU must be the change you wish to see in the world."

—Mohandas Gandhi

As such, it is our unique opportunity to perform in the present that which so many others have failed to see or do in the past. 

Rest assured, we will not squander this incredible opportunity, but will make the very most of it to our dying day—for our own blessing and the everlasting benefit of others who will eventually follow in our (and the founding Fathers) footsteps.      

Having completed our 22-article series of "LIFE RULES," today's post begins a new series of Self-Action Leadership (SAL) themed articles.

This new series introduces the Freedom Focused Declaration of Independence, which, like the United States' Declaration of Independence, is a single document and will be presented in TODAY'S post.

Following this post, the next dozen-or-so posts will introduce the Freedom Focused Constitution, which is also inspired by the United States' Constitution. The Freedom Focused Constitution has 13 separate articles that range from our organizational values and standards to our corporate rules and by-laws.  

These groundbreaking corporate documents contain the Policies and Procedures of Freedom Focused as an organization. But instead of a boring, dry, and commonplace P&P manual—which you are apt to find in most corporate human resource departments and can drone on for hundreds of insipid pages—the founders of Freedom Focused have put forth something much more interesting and scintillating by incorporating thematic templates inspired by (arguably) the two most significant political and governing documents that have ever graced Planet Earth; namely, The United States' Declaration of Independence and Constitution.     

These forthcoming blog posts, including today's article, will be some of the most important blog posts we ever publish at Freedom Focused. 

Why? 

Because they outline and articulate very specifically what we are all about at Freedom Focused. After carefully reviewing the articles in this series, YOU will have a pretty clear idea of who we are, what we value and aim to accomplish, and how we intend to go about it. 

Throughout the annals of American history, TWO (2) documents stand majestic, preeminent, and supreme above all others:

The United States Declaration of Independence and

Constitution. 

These two remarkable and awe-inspiring works changed the course not only of American history, but world history as well.

From their immediate influence on revolutions throughout Europe and South America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century—a period of time that has since become known as the AGE of REVOLUTION—to its longer-term impact on the entire world—to wit: in the year 2022, you can count on one hand the number of nations who do not have written constitutions—the legacy of these two extraordinary works is incomparable in the annals of world history.

Most people, regardless of their ideological persuasion or political affiliation, tend to agree that much good has arisen and much progress has been made because of these two documents. The combined liberty, freedom, power, prosperity, and moral influence of the United States has been almost unprecedented in world history, and it can all be traced back to the governing principles and championed philosophies and practices articulated and enumerated in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. 

Simply stated, democratic-republicanism as outlined and promoted in these two documents WORKS—in spite of the clearly mortal and woefully fallen world in which we presently find ourselves.

Winston Churchill
as a young Politician

It does not work perfectly, of course, but that is more a product of the flaws of individual men and women than it is due to any imperfection in the documents. As a Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, so cogently put it: "Democracy is the worst form of government on Earth, except all those other forms that have been tried from time-to-time."

 

"Democracy is the worst form of government on Earth,

except all those other forms that have been tried from time-to-time."

—Winston Churchill

Despite the obvious difficulties and flaws of democracy, it is indeed the best alternative in a fallen world full of men and women who are all-too-often motivated by selfishness, ego, chicanery, and greed—rather than selflessness, service, transparency, and virtue. Thus it is that another Prime Minister of Great Britain once proclaimed: "The American Constitution is the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."

William Ewart Gladstone
(1809-1898)
Four-time Prime Minister of Great Britain

"The American Constitution is the most wonderful work ever

struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."

—William Gladstone

Coming from a leader of the most powerful nation on Earth (at the time), and directed towards a people and land that once belonged to his own country's Crown, it's hard to overestimate what an extraordinary compliment this is.

Is it any wonder, then, that many throughout Christendom (including myself) will even go a step further than Gladstone to credit the hand of Providence Itself as playing an integral role in the inception, composition, and perpetuation of these two formidable works?

Given the unprecedented peace, prosperity, and success spawned by these two august documents, it is a matter of surpassing wonder to me that private (and, ironically, public) organizations around the nation and world have failed to more fully tap into the power, potential, and genius contained in these mighty works. 

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen
United States of America—approved July 4, 1776.

Freedom Focused aims to rectify this glaring organizational omission. We do so by not only incorporating principles, philosophies, and practices of these works into our own corporate policies, procedures, and culture, but by crafting and composing OUR OWN Declaration of Independence and Constitution that serve as the organization's ultimate authority, from which all power and influence are ultimately derived—including mine as Founder and CEO.

Today's post shares the Freedom Focused Declaration of Independence.

As a preface thereto, it also provides a brief back-history to the United States Declaration of Independence, including how that original document serves as a thematic template and philosophical guide to our own.  

The United States' Declaration of Independence was commissioned by the Second Continental Congress representing the British-held Thirteen Colonies in June of 1776—14 months after the American Revolution was triggered by the famous "Shot heard round the world" at the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Conflict had been brewing between England and her North American Colonies for over a decade before this first battle exploded across the Massachusetts countryside. The source of the Colonist's discontent was rooted in taxes and other measures levied by the British Parliament against the will of the Colonies—and by the Crown's refusal to allow official colonial representation in London, a state of affairs that birthed the famous phrase, no taxation without representation, throughout the Colonies.   

Continental Congress's "Committee of Five"
working on the Declaration of Independence

On June 11, 1776, a Committee of Five members of Congress was selected to outline and draft the Declaration of Independence. The members of this committee included: 

• John Adams of Massachusetts
• Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania
• Thomas Jefferson of Virginia
• Robert Livingston of New York
• Roger Sherman of Connecticut.

This committee tapped Thomas Jefferson—known for his skill as a writer—to compose the initial draft. Adams, Franklin, Livingston and Sherman then worked together with Jefferson to polish and prepare a Final Draft to present to the full Congress.

On July 4, 1776—a date that has become synonymous with American Independence—Congress approved the final draft. It was then published throughout the Colonies and sent abroad to King George III and Parliament in Great Britain. 

Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Fifty-six (56) statesmen, ranging in age from 26 (Edward Rutledge) to 70 (Benjamin Franklin), representing all 13 original Colonies (from New Hampshire in the North to Georgia in the South) signed the document. These brave men showed enormous courage in affixing their names thereto. They understood that failure in the war of Independence would likely lead to each one of them dangling from the end of an English hangman's noose.

The document itself was indicative of the depth and height of intelligence, skill, talent, and vision possessed by the fledgling nation's intrepid leaders. Much more than a mere profession of political separation, Jefferson and his colleagues worked carefully and methodically to ensure the document contained a thoughtful, compelling, articulate, spirited, and BOLD case for the logic and rectitude of their extraordinary undertaking. And their endeavor was indeed audacious! They were, in essence, thrusting a gargantuan stick in the eye of the most powerful nation on Earth (at the time). Such a move required a bottomless container of courage—and had to be backed up with an unswerving resolve to subsequently engage in a messy and bloody guerrilla war of attrition against the most powerful Army and Navy in the world (at the time).

Fictional artistic rendering of Congress approving the Declaration of
Independence as shown on the back of the US $2 dollar bill

In the Declaration's opening paragraphs, Jefferson and his colleagues make a case for the rectitude of their intentions by appealing to the self-evident certitude of Natural Law. This power play audaciously implied that the workings of the Universe itself were in harmony with the Colonist's intentions. They further affirmed the absolute existential equality of human beings everywhere. While they themselves were not yet fully committed to this lofty tenet (evinced by the lingering practice of slavery), their statement of this FACT planted an important seed in the minds of Americans everywhere—a seed that future generations would continue to cultivate in an effort to increasingly animate and personify, as illustrated by the Union victory in the Civil War and other victories in battles for civil rights in the twentieth century and beyond.  

Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old
when he wrote the Declaration of Independence

The main body of the Declaration of Independence is dedicated to enumerating specific grievances the Colonies held against the British crown and its parliamentary body. This list of grievances articulated the "WHY" behind the Colonist's desire and drive for independence.  

The document then eloquently concludes with a steely statement of immovable resolve whereby the signers offer up their whole souls—including their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor"—upon the altar of independence to which they voluntarily affixed themselves.

This Declaration accomplished much more than sever political and governing ties with the Mother Country. It further served as a vision and mission statement for not only the war that would follow, but for generations yet unborn who would carry the work onward into the nineteenth, twentieth, and eventually the twenty-first century. It was unlike any document that had ever preceded it, and because its signers possessed the character, grit, and resolve required to see their vision through to completion, the world was never the same because of its composition and publication. 

At Freedom Focused, we have a similar goal in mind in drafting our own Declaration of Independence. We seek not merely to free ourselves from the mediocrity and unscrupulousness that has so often plagued organizations in the present and past. In a larger sense, we seek to change the very culture of organizations themselves—and by extension, culture itself—throughout the United States and World. 

Freedom Focused is founded on and inspired by the legacy of the
 Founding Fathers and Mothers of the United States of America

Like the founding Fathers and Mothers of the United States, our aim is to change the culture of our nation and world, PERIOD. And we are prepared to unapologetically give our all in backing up our aim with concrete, consistent, and unrelenting action.

In doing so, we recognize the audacity of our intentions. We would be hard pressed to get any more ambitious than to attempt to qualitatively alter the culture of an entire continent and planet. Nevertheless, that is our single-minded, ultimate goal. As long as we are permitted to live in this world, we will enthusiastically and proactively pursue this grand, overriding objective.

To all of America—and the rest of the world—we therefore proclaim our intentions boldly, nobly, and independently, as follows...  

Freedom Focused Corporate

Declaration of Independence

Established in the Year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Five

When in the course of corporate events, it becomes necessary for an organization to rise above the mediocre, the mean, and even the monumental, in order to form a new company that rises to superior and unprecedented heights within and beyond a designated industry. Not for the purpose of self-promotion or organizational aggrandizement, and not even primarily for profit; but because the moral foundation and functional effectuality of educational institutions, the well-being and prosperity of society, and the preservation of authentic, virtuous, compassionate, and just cultures depends upon it—and because its builders possess the liberty, knowledge, desire, power, freedom, and will to construct it. 

In the spirit of the freedom focused Founding Fathers and Mothers of The United States of America, we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created with an innate existential worth, value, and equality. We further declare that all human beings are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, privileges, and potential powers, and that among these are life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, growth, and the potential acquisition of limitless personal, relational, and professional achievements, contributions, satisfactions, fulfillments, and FREEDOMS attainable through disciplined hard work when undertaken on the altar of principle-centered pursuits that are synergized with the graceful mercies, enabling powers, and serendipitous grace of Providence. 

In an unrelenting quest to acquire the growth, freedom, prosperity, and inner peace we believe our Creator desires and intends for us to individually and collectively attain, and with an undeviating reliance on our own Providence-suffused efforts and merits, we hereby declare our independence from the polluted ideologies of pre-structuralist and post-structuralist (postmodernist) philosophical extremes that stifle human liberty, shackle the spirit, mind, and heart of humankind, and relegate the reality of right and wrong to the foolhardy files of philological fiction. 

In words of humility and soberness, we declare that Truth—with a capital 'T'—exists as an omnipotent and omnipresent reality and force throughout our shared physical world as well as our unique, individual metaphysical "worlds" (i.e. our lives and experiences). This force is irrevocably independent of the natural inclinations, arbitrary desires, ever-changing and cycling styles and fashions, and whimsical caprice of mercurial man. As corollary to this great verity, we acknowledge the eternal existence and clear divisibility of a real right and wrong and the veracious moral principles that articulate this distinct dichotomy. We further acknowledge that absolute consequences—determined by Universal Laws of physics and metaphysics—always accompany human thoughts, speech, and actions, and that the full weight of their preeminent power lies beyond any assumed authority of men or women to arbitrarily adjudicate or despotically determine. 

As Agents of Freedom Focused, we declare our inexhaustible intention to seek after Truth and then do what is right to the best of our imperfect knowledge and flawed capacities with a clear recognition that human pride, selfishness, and vice left unchecked brings about the predictable downfall and ruin of individual lives, relationships of all kinds, organizational entities, and collective populaces that constitute the body politic.

We further declare our independence from the enslaving pride, greed, corruption, and lust that has so marred individual leaders and organizational cultures throughout our nation and world's public and private sectors in recent generations—and throughout the history of our singularly remarkable, yet perennially troubled planet. In evincing the particulars of this widespread contemporary and historical malaise, let the following citations of individual and corporate unscrupulousness be candidly enumerated to a morally inebriated world:

• Lust for, and coveting of, authority, power, material possessions—or anything else rightfully belonging to another. 

• Arrogant pride and rapacity, which leads to:
• Overinflated executive egos, salaries, and lack of respect for subordinates
• Mid-level managerial egos and unnecessary inter-organizational politicking
• Employee egos, one-upsmanship, and lack of respect for supervisors
• Underinflated salaries of non-executive and non-managerial positions

• 

  Freedom Focused Declares its Independence from all kinds
  of Dishonest, Manipulative, and Unscrupulous Behavior

  Idleness, laziness, apathy, bad attitudes, and mediocrity

• Deceit, manipulation, and untrustworthiness in all their venomous manifestations

• Inconstancy, disloyalty, and lack of organizational, community, and national patriotism

• Negativity, gossip, backbiting, and revenge

• The formation of faction cliques and the jejune juvenility and damage engendered thereby

• Blame, reactivity, and victimhood

• Excessive/unnecessary bureaucracy, politicking, and litigation

• The inefficient and ineffective use and waste of time, energy, and resources

• Low standards, dim vision, and lackluster results

• The dearth of meritocracy, including the formation and perpetuation of unjustified positions of tenure at all levels of the organization

Freedom Focused has arisen in an age of illusion, deception, and disillusionment for the purpose of transcending these aforementioned organizational ills that have become culturally endemic in the Western World and beyond. As token of our declared independence from these crippling vanities and destructive vices, we hereby hoist the flag of personal and professional goodness, responsibility, honor, and will atop the flagpole of truth, conscience, order, discipline, duty, and beauty in a never-ending quest after personal and professional growth and freedom. 

As admittedly flawed human beings, we acknowledge that even our best intentions and efforts will ultimately fall short of perfectly personifying the stirringly high virtues, standards, and ideals set forth in this declaration—as well as those championed in the Freedom Focused Corporate Constitution (FFCC). Despite this humbling recognition, we enthusiastically assert that our potential for improvement, growth, and freedom is inhibited to whatever degree we aim for anything less than perfection. To truly progress, one must aim—however imperfectly—at perfect IDEALS. Thus, we hereby establish the ideals set forth in this Declaration and its concomitant Constitution, which are as perfect as we can presently ascertain.

As Agents and Executives of Freedom Focused Corporation, and appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, we do, in the name of Truth and Universal Law, and by the authority of the good people of this corporation, solemnly publish and declare our commitment to strive endlessly to overcome any and all conquerable individual and corporate deficiencies that both damage or dam the long-term success, vitality, and potential of individuals and organizations everywhere.

With all the knowledge, power, creativity, and will of our minds, hearts, and spirits, we seek after this freedom, which is not a right, but an earned privilege to those willing to pay the price in time, effort, and self-sacrifice in obedience to True Principles rooted in Universal Laws. In support of this declaration, and with a firm reliance on both the assistance and grace of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our past experiences, present careers, and future visions and loyalties—laying it all up willingly on the altar of our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

Like John Hancock before me, I've positioned my signature front, center, large, and BOLD—so that King George III (aka: whoever reads this document) "will be able to clearly see it without having to get their reading glasses" (such was the reasoning Hancock gave for signing his name in such a large, elegant, and grandiose fashion on the U.S. Declaration). 

John Hancock's Famous Signature atop
the U.S. Declaration of Independence

At present, this Declaration of Independence has only one signature: the autograph of Dr. JJ. That will change over time as others join me in the great work we are undertaking at Freedom Focused.

In the future, every AGENT (executive, manager, trainer, or builder) ever employed by Freedom Focused on a full-time basis, will have the opportunity to affix their own signature to an online Declaration of Independence database of signatories. 

In addition, all future Executive Officers will have the opportunity of personally signing (by hand) the official document which will be drawn up by a professional calligrapher when the time comes for the second signatory to autograph the document.

Although I presently am alone—at least officially speaking—in the great work of Self-Action Leadership and Freedom, the day will come when the FF Declaration of Independence will have 56 (or more) official executive signatures—just like the U.S. Declaration of Independence. More importantly, it will have thousands, tens of thousands, and perhaps even hundreds of thousands of additional AGENT signatures on its online database. Of this fact I am confident—if not certain—and humbly supplicate and implore the eternal Hand and omnipotent aid of Providence in our ongoing efforts to make this dream a reality.

Next week we will begin sharing
the Freedom Focused Constitution

Lastly, I express my appreciation to the current subscribers to the Freedom Focused Blog. At Freedom Focused, we consider blog subscribers to be "HONORARY SIGNERS" of our corporate Declaration of Independence and Constitution. We currently have 192 subscribers (honorary signers).

Someday, we will have millions... and you'll be able to tell your friends, kids, and grandkids that YOU were one of the first 200! 

If YOU like what you've been reading in these blog articles and would like to contribute to the cause of Self-Action Leadership and Freedom, the best contribution you can make is to encourage your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to sign up to receive these weekly emails.

If you currently know someone who would like to subscribe, just have them email us at freedomfocused@gmail.com and type the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line or email body.  

A thousand thanks for the interest and support of YOU, my ever-valued READERS!

God bless you and yours—now and always.  

—Dr. JJ

May 11, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 265th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 264 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

Index of Life Rules

Now that our extended, 22-PART series of "LIFE RULES" is complete, I wanted to provide readers with a quick INDEX of all these blog posts for personal ready reference (or sharing) in the future.

To access any of the previously published "Life Rules" posts, just click on a link below...

RULES for MARRIAGE

RULES for WORK: Freedom Focused Corporate Rules

RULES for LIFE by America's Founding Fathers and Mothers

RULES for LIFE: Other Examples

RULES for PARENTING

RULES for PARENTING Teenagers    (Dr. Christopher P. Neck Guest Column)

THOMAS JEFFERSON'S 10 RULES

Dr. JJ's 13 Rules for Life

Dr. JJ's Rule #1: Self-Change

Dr. JJ's Rule #2: Good, evil, and Absolute Truth

Dr. JJ's Rule #3: The Golden Mean

Dr. JJ's Rule #4: Learn from Small Mistakes

Dr. JJ's Rule #5: Never Insult or Contend

Dr. JJ's Rule #6: Find Your True Voice and Help Others Find Theirs

Dr. JJ's Rule #7: Accentuate the Positive & Eliminate the Negative

Dr. JJ's Rule #8: The Only Real Failure is to Quit

Dr. JJ's Rule #9: Triumph & Disaster

Dr. JJ's Rule #10: Be a Creator, not a Critic

Dr. JJ's Rule #11: Be Grateful

Dr. JJ's Rule #12: The Wise Use of Time & Money

Dr. JJ's Rule #13: I Can't Do it Alone

Dr. JJ's 13 Rules: A Review

—Dr. JJ

May 6, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 264th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 263 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    

RULES for LIFE by America's Founding Fathers and Mothers

Statue of Thomas Jefferson in the
Jefferson Memorial, Washington D.C.

For several months now, we have been discussing the topic of "RULES for LIFE." I began this series of posts by sharing Ten Rules for Living by Thomas Jefferson: one of America's most famous and venerated Founding Leaders.

Click HERE to review Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules. 

I followed that post up by sharing examples of "Life Rules" from others, including myself. More recently, my friend and colleague—Dr. Chris Neck—and I have expanded this theme to the topic of PARENTING.

Click HERE to review Dr. JJ's posts on parenting young children.

Click HERE to review Dr. CN's post on parenting teenagers. 

This week's post continues this theme of "Life Rules" by sharing a collection of thought-provoking and inspiring quotes from famous American leaders from the past and present—but mostly from the past. 

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Left to right: Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln

Freedom Focused cherishes the memory of the Founding Fathers and Mothers of the United States of America. These men and women were imperfect individuals whose legacies have been marred in the minds of some by the sins and stains of past eras in which they lived.

Nevertheless, these imperfections and unpalatable past realities do not change the noble and august words, deeds, and examples put forth by these extraordinary men and women—people that Freedom Focused will ever hold up as worthy of our respect, admiration, study, and emulation.

Sadly, we live in a poisonous era of presentism when persons in both the past and present are often judged not by their greatest accomplishments and noblest aims, but by their worst impulses and most regrettable missteps. This pattern of thinking, speaking, and judging is a sure-fire recipe for negativity, disunity, incivility, discord, hatred, and even violence.

Winston Churchill, who understood better than most the value of heritage and tradition, once wisely cautioned against the pitfalls of presentism. Said he: If the present tries to sit in judgment of the past, it will lose the future (1). 

"If the present tries to sit in judgment of the past, it will lose the future." 

—Sir Winston Churchill

In an effort to counter this quarrelsome culture of endless enmity and character crucifixions, Freedom Focused encourages men and women everywhere to practice patterning our judgements of others after a manner once suggested by a great religious teacher, even Jesus of Nazareth, who, when he was queried whether an adulteress should be put to death for her sins, replied simply—yet oh, so cogently—"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

This is not to say we should turn a blind eye to immorality, criminality, or evil (past or present); it is merely an appeal to adjust the focus of our minds and hearts more fully on the best (and future possibility) that lies within a person (or nation), rather than incessantly replaying an individual's (or country's) past foibles and sins. While self-action leaders always learn from the past, they are never fixated on looking backward. Instead, they are focused ever forward in a continual effort to effectively and productively think, speak, and act in the present in order to create an even better future.  

Since I was just a little boy, I have carefully studied and been inspired and mentored by the examples and anecdotes gifted to us by the legacies of the remarkably talented, generous, and principle-centered leaders that built, maintained, saved, and perpetuated our imperfect, yet still gradually improving Union of States.   

This admiration is, in part, why we at Freedom Focused incorporate principles and practices hewn out of the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution into the drafting of similar documents aimed at building and enhancing the Self-Action Leadership (SAL)-capacity of individuals and organizations everywhere.

Simply stated, I am who and what I am today because of the lessons I've learned and the legacies I've observed from the leaders (both men and women, and both black and white) quoted below. My character, personality, and philosophy for living is an aggregate of these stirring statements. I hope readers will find the following words of wisdom as enlightening, compelling, persuasive, and inspiring as I do—as well as all of us at Freedom Focused. 

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

1732-1826

"Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone." 

"If conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world is of little value."

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

"To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do."

"Move or die is the language of our Maker in the constitution of our bodies."

"The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know. ... Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough." 

—John Adams (1732-1826), 2nd President of the United States

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

Abigail Adams
1744-1818

"Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought after with ardor and diligence."

"I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic."

"We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond to them."

"If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women."

"Wisdom and penetration are the fruit of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure. Great necessities call out great virtues." 

—Abigail Adams (1744-1818), First Lady of the United States

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

Thomas Jefferson
1743-1826

"If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done."

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money."

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; and that His justice cannot sleep forever."

Thomas Jefferson on the US $2.00 bill

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

"Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far." 

"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as reason for withdrawing from a friend."

"He who knows best knows how little he knows."

—Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), 3rd President of the United States

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

George Washington
1732-1799

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

"To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."

"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."

"It is far better to be alone, than in bad company."

Washington Monument in D.C.

"Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

"The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon."

"It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being."

—George Washington (1732-1799, 1st President of the United States

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

Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of."

"Love your enemies, for they will tell you your faults."

"He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas."

"Well done is better than well said."

Benjamin Franklin on the US $100 bill

"A right heart exceeds all."

"He that would live in peace and at ease, Must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees."

"What's more valuable than gold?

Diamonds.  Than Diamonds?  Virtue."

"A true friend is the best possession."

—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Signer of the Declaration of Independence & Constitution

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

"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary."

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

"The essence of government is power, and power, lodged as it must be, in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse."

"The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived."

"It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood."

—James Madison (1751-1836), 4th President of the United States

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

Sam Houston
General, President, Senator, Governor

"Do right and risk the consequences."

"Govern wisely — and as little as possible."

"I am aware that in presenting myself as an advocate of the [Native Americans] and their rights, I shall stand very much alone."

"Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision!"

"We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: none is at hand. We must act now or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father's name."

Sam Houston Museum w/ my favorite Texan, Frank McLane.
Huntsville, Texas; April 13, 2019

"Let me tell [The Southern States] what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives you may win Southern independence, but I doubt it. The North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche."

"To be a good man, an affectionate husband, a kind parent, ... a true patriot, and to leave my family and the world a spotless reputation, comprise all the objects of my earthly ambition!"

—Sam Houston (1786-1863), General (Army of Texas), President of the Republic of Texas, Governor of the State of Texas

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

Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865

"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg." 

"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." 

"I will prepare and someday my chance will come."

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

Statue of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

"My dream is of a place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of Earth." 

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan  — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace for ourselves and for all nations."

"All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction is to be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."   

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

Frederick Douglass
1818-1895

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

"I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs."

"One and God make a majority."

"The soul that is within me no man can degrade."

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own ridicule."

"The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous."

"A gentleman will not insult me, an no man not a gentleman can insult me."

—Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), Early Civil Rights Leader

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

General/President U.S. Grant
1822-1885

"I have never advocated war except as a means for peace."

"Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this book we are indebted for all the progress made in ... civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future."

"Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate." 

President U.S. Grant on the US $50.00 bill

"Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions."

"Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back until the thing intended was accomplished."

"Let us have peace."

—Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), Full General of the U.S. Army and 18th President of the United States

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

1803-1882

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

"Be silly. Be honest. Be kind."

"Hitch your wagon to a star."

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."

"To be great is to be misunderstood."

"You become what you think about all day long."

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"One of the most beautiful compensations in life is that no person can help another without helping themselves."

"Knowledge is the antidote to fear."

"Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods."

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life."

"Every person I meet is in some way my superior — in that I learn of them."

"Character is higher than intellect."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Scholar, Philosopher, Essayist, Poet

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

Henry David Thoreau
1817-1862

"It's not what you look at that matters; it's what you see."

"Rather than love, than money, than fame; give me truth."

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."

Sketch of Thoreau's Cabin near Walden Pond

"Things do not change; we change."

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."

"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."

"Life your beliefs and you can turn the world around."

—Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Philosopher, Essayist, Friend of Emerson's

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

Theodore Roosevelt
1858-1919

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

"I am part of everything that I have read."

"To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

"Never throughout history has a person who has lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering."

"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with other people."

"With self-discipline, almost anything is possible."

"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." 

"Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive."

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

"The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything."

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

—Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States.

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

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."

"I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues."

"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."

Franklin with his wife, Eleanor

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships — the ability of peoples, of all kinds, to live together in the same world in peace."

"Confidence ... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."

—Franklin Roosevelt (1884-1945), 32nd President of the United States.

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

Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1948

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

"You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude." 

"No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful."

"Life is what you make it. Always has been, and always will be."

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself."

Eleanor with her husband, Franklin

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1948), First Lady of the United States.

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

Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929-1968

"We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude."

"Life's most persistent and pressing question is: what am I doing for others." 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Never succumb to the temptation to bitterness."

"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), Civil Rights Leader

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

Ronald Reagan
1911-2004

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."

"Trust, but verify."

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

"There are no easy answered, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what is morally right."

"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away."

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a close resemblance to the first."

"They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong." 

—Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States.

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

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition."

—Martha Washington (1731-1802), First Lady of the United States

"There ain't no ticks like poly-ticks. Bloodsuckers all."

"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas."

"Remember these words when I am dead. First, be sure you're right; then go ahead."

—Davy Crockett (1786-1836), Soldier, Frontiersman, Soldier

"I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his honor and that of his Country; Victory or death."

—William Barrett Travis (1809-1836), Soldier, Army Lieutenant Colonel

"Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."

—Helen Keller (1880-1968), Political activist, disability rights advocate, author and lecturer

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent, hinder, or control, the firm resolve of a determined soul."

—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919), Poet

"Be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

—Judy Garland (1922-1969), Hollywood Actor

"I'm a big believer that eventually everything comes back to you. You get back what you give out." 

—Nancy Reagan (1911-2004), First Lady of the United States.

"Love and hope can conquer hate." 

"The best judge of whether or not a country is going to develop is how it treats its women."

—Barack Obama (1961-Present), 44th President of the United States.

"Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals."

—Michelle Obama (1964-Present), First Lady of the United States

"There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born."

—Oprah Winfrey (1954-Present), Billionaire Media Mogul

NOTE: This article is the 20th in a series of 22 articles on the subject of LIFE RULES.

Click HERE to access quick links to the other 21 articles.   

—Dr. JJ

April 20, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 261st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 260 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. Mansfield, S. Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill. Nashville, TN: Cumberland House. Pages 190-193.