Universal Laws and True Principles

 

Chapter 4

Universal Laws and True Principles 

You are Free to Choose

Before going on, let's reiterate a vital point. If you do not want to change, you don't have to. And if you don't want to do what is right, you are free to do what is wrong. 

The purpose of this Life Leadership textbook is not to try and coerce you to think, say, or do anything against your will. Quite to the contrary, there are few people or organizations on Earth that will respect your personal agency (freedom to choose) more than me and Freedom Focused. 

Our purpose is not to tell you what to do or how to do it—that is your job. Our purpose is simply to teach you about the reality of Universal Laws and the True Principles and natural consequences that accompany them so that you might be empowered with as much accurate information as possible as you embark upon a lifetime of decision-making processes.  

Universal Laws govern everything in the Universe

Universal Laws are defined as: Natural laws that define reality and govern all naturally occurring forces throughout the Universe (physical laws) as well as all long-term consequences of individual and organizational decisions (metaphysical laws).  

UNIVERSAL LAWS

Natural laws that define reality and govern all naturally occurring forces throughout the Universe (physical laws), as well as all long-term consequences of individual and organizational decisions (metaphysical laws).   

Universal Laws frame the way things really are in life, the world, and the Universe. Universal Laws exist and operate omnipotently within the realms of their expansive domain. And they do so whether we know it, like it, or want them to—or not. Human beings—you and I—are completely powerless to alter Universal Laws.

They play an absolutely sovereign role in our lives.

We can learn about them and make choices in opposition to their edicts; but we cannot change, avoid, consult, or negotiate with them. They are universal, unchanging, and irrevocable. We can choose whether or not we will respect them, but the long-term consequences of our choices are out of our hands and governed by Universal Laws.

Self-action leaders seek out knowledge about Universal Laws in order to better understand how they operate. This educational process involves discovering corresponding True Principles of personal conduct that, when adhered to, will allow Universal Laws to produce positive and constructive consequences in our lives instead of negative and destructive ones.

True Principles refer to: Fundamental truths that guide human beings to think, speak, and act in ways that lead to their long-term growth, happiness, success, fulfillment, and inner peace.

TRUE  PRINCIPLES

Fundamental truths that guide human beings to think, speak, and act in ways that lead to their long-term growth, happiness, success, fulfillment, and inner peace.  

Universal Laws are SOVEREIGN

Bottom line: Universal Laws are sovereign—period.

Negative long-term consequences wreak havoc whenever and wherever human beings defy them. Conversely, happiness, prosperity, and even greatness ensues when human beings understand, respect, and abide by their concomitant True Principles. 

Collectively speaking, mankind's natural condition is to perennially disregard and flout Universal Laws. Individually speaking, however, we as individuals can choose a different, better, and higher way. 

There are many individuals throughout history who have chosen to learn about, honor, and adhere to True Principles that spring forth from Universal Laws. In fact, there are many such persons who presently inhabit our planet. These persons experience perpetual (not to be confused with omnipresent) happiness, success, fulfillment, and inner peace throughout their lives regardless of the challenges, difficulties, obstacles, or tragedies they may face along the way. 

Such individuals continually change, grow, prosper, and leave a lasting legacy of greatness that burns ever brighter with the passage of time. Along the way, these persons make many meaningful contributions to others and the environment in which they reside. They literally leave the world a better place than they found it. None of these folks are perfect; but as authentic self-action leaders they personify character and integrity and provide the rest of us with sterling examples of human goodness and possibility. It is from such people that we derive much inspiration to develop similar virtues within ourselves. 

In the end, there are really only two kinds of people in the world: those who humbly bow before Universal Laws and True Principles; and those who try and get Universal Laws and True Principles to bow to them. And when all is said and done, all that will be left standing will be the Law and those who chose to bow.

SAL Mantra

In the end, there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who bow before Universal Law, and those who try and get Universal Law to bow to them. And after all is said and done,

all that will remain standing will be the LAW and those who chose to bow.

Universal Laws—and the consequences they engender—don't care about YOU, me, or anyone else; much less what any of us think about, say, or do. They are no respecter of persons and do not play favorites. They simply do their job—and in the long-run, they always do their job consistently and thoroughly. 

Universal Laws completely follow through—always. 

Gravity is an example of a Universal Law

An example of a Universal Law is the Law of Gravity. This law decrees that negative consequences will occur if you choose to jump off a cliff without proper equipment (e.g. parachute, hang glider, repelling gear, etc.). 

Gravity does not care who you are. 

It will carry out its functions every time for every person regardless of one's background, nationality, race, sex, culture, or socioeconomic status. We are completely powerless before its omnipotent edicts and consequences. We can choose to respect and abide by the Universal Laws, or we can choose to disregard and flout them; but in the end, the consequences will be what they will be—and we must make our choices accordingly. 

My uncle, Hryum W. Smith, was fascinated by and enthralled with the concept of Natural Law, which is synonymous with Universal Laws. 

He once wrote the following on this subject:

"[Universal] Laws have consistent, predictable consequences. They exist whether or not we recognize them. And they exert their effects on us without our consent or awareness. ... If we internalize [them] ... we can significantly increase our personal productivity and happiness. ... If you apply them, you will find inner peace, perhaps the most desirable gift you can obtain in this life."  (1)

American philosopher, Elbert Hubbard, put it this way: [People] are under the domain of Natural Law as much as bees. [We] succeed only by working with other[s] ... and for other[s].  (2)

"We are under the domain of [Universal] Laws as much as bees. We succeed only by working with others and for others."

—Elbert Hubbard

In the long run, natural consequences will determine all of our destinies based on what we choose to think about, say, and do throughout the course of our lives. In the end, we are all powerless to alter the omnipotent consequences of Universal Laws. 

Our liberty and power resides in our freedom to choose. After we have made a choice, consequences rooted in Universal Laws begin a process of taking over to determine the long-term results of our choices. 

This is why it is so important to make RIGHT choices and avoid WRONG ones. Human beings disrespect Universal Laws at their peril. And as their name implies, Universal Laws are, well—universal. That means they don't apply to just some people some of the time. They are equally applicable to everyone, everywhere—all of the time.

"But JJ," I hear you say...  "I know people who get away with all kinds of bad behavior; sometimes they are even rewarded for it. It seems to me that there are endless 'exceptions to the rule' of what you are saying about Universal Laws." 

That is an excellent point!

There are seemingly endless exceptions to this rule. 

However, the reason for these exceptions is because, as my Uncle Hyrum so cogently pointed out: Results take time to measure.  (3)  The reality is that seeming 'exceptions to the rule' do not stand the test of time. In the end, the proverbial "hens" always "come home to roost." In the long-run, what goes around really does end up coming back around; we all ultimately reap more-or-less precisely what we sow.

It is true that people do seemingly get away with a lot in the short-run; sometimes they may even literally get away with murder! But given enough time, consequences always end up having their full-sway eventually. 

In the memorable parlance of Abraham Lincoln: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. But you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.  

Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865

"You can fool some of the people all of the time

and all of the people some of the time.

But you cannot fool all of the

people all of the time."

—Abraham Lincoln

An overriding purpose of this Life Leadership textbook is to outline those True Principles rooted in Universal Laws that, if understood and honored, will lead YOU to achieve growth, happiness, achievement, fulfilment, and inner peace in your life and career in the long-run.

Below are three examples of Universal Laws in action in real life. Accompanying these laws are some of the True Principles that, if respected, pave a pathway for you to succeed in a given undertaking. 

• If you want oranges, you must plant orange seeds, not apple seeds. Moreover, you must plant the seed in the right place at the right time and provide it with the right care and nutrients (e.g. sunlight, water, fertilizer, etc.) if you are going to eventually have a supply of fresh oranges to eat and juice.

• If you want to be consistently healthy, fit, and energetic, you have to get off the couch, exercise regularly, monitor your diet for nutritional purposes, and abstain from substances destined to harm you over time (e.g. alcohol, tobacco, harmful drugs). 

• If you want healthy, mutually satisfying relationships that stand the test of time, you are going to need more than good looks and money. You must dedicate the time required to cultivate, nurture, and perpetuate those relationships. You must also develop key character traits aimed at becoming a kind, honest, empathetic, forgiving, listening, and service-oriented person of integrity.  

True Principles understood and applied will, in the long-run, create predictably positive results in your life just as surely as they have in mine and anyone else's who has diligently practiced them. 

REMEMBER: Universal Laws and True Principles are no respecter of persons. 

They are what they are and anyone who abides by their incontrovertible and irrevocable decrees will receive naturally occurring and justly allotted positive consequences over time. Likewise, those who disregard and flout them will receive naturally occurring and justly allotted negative consequences over time. 

It is worth reiterating here that there is nothing inherently special about me or anyone else in this world. But everything is special about Universal Laws and the True Principles that accompany them. 

If you are willing to learn about and then abide by them, your life will be commensurately blessing in the long-run. If, on the other hand, you choose to ignore and defy them, your life will be predictably troubled in the long-run. 

Of these great truths I am absolutely certain.  

        Now that YOU know these truths, how will you choose to lead and live your life moving forward?

Where do True Principles Come From?

A key purpose of this Life Leadership textbook is to outline and explain a comprehensive list of Universal Laws and True Principles aimed at guiding you toward growth, progress, success, happiness, fulfillment, and inner peace in your life. Such an audacious undertaking bears noting where these stated principles come from, meaning from where they originate. 

I certainly cannot claim to be their inventor, or even their discoverer for that matter. 

Nay, my only rightful claim is that of ascertainer, discerner, organizer, and articulator. 

The Universe and everything in it operates according
to Universal Laws and True Principles

All of the Universal Laws and True Principles presented in this textbook are rooted in the collective wisdom literature and historical records produced by mankind's sagest historians, philosophers, psychologists, pedagogues, scientists, poets, writers, prophets, theologians, and other leaders. These Laws and Principles have been further corroborated in the crucibles (and the transcendence of those crucibles) of my own life—and the lives of countless others throughout history. 

In learning about and then discerning these Laws and Principles, I have delved deeply into the pages of history, philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, science, literature (including poetry), and scripture. Without this veritable treasure trove of history and wisdom literature, and minus the countless favors of Serendipity along the way, I could have never accomplished my objective. 

For no human being in any generation could ever hope to discern all pertinent truths related to Existential Growth and progress all by oneself—no matter how gifted and intelligent. The wisest among all peoples throughout history have been favored beneficiaries of all those who came before and then left their knowledge and wisdom behind for others to discover and follow. 

In the famous words of the English Poet, John Donne, no man is an island.

Or as the famous historians, Will and Ariel Durrant, once put it:

Mount Vesuvius (background), Ruins of Pompeii (foreground)

History teaches us that conservatism must serve
as a counterbalance to liberalism, and vice-versa

"Intellect is ... a vital force in history, but it can also be a dissolvent and destructive power. Out of every hundred new ideas ninety-nine or more will probably be inferior to the traditional responses which they propose to replace. No one [person], however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history.

"So the conservative who resists change is as valuable as the radical who proposes it—perhaps as much more valuable as roots are more vital than grafts. It is good that new ideas should be heard, for the sake of the few that can be used; but it is also good that new ideas should be compelled to go through the mill of objection, opposition, and contumely; this is the trial heat which innovations must survive before being allowed to enter the human race. It is good that the old should resist the young, and that the young should prod the old; out of this tension, as out of the strife of the sexes and the classes, comes a creative tensile strength, a stimulated development, a secret and basic unity and movement of the whole."  (4)

I therefore express my sincere and soul-felt gratitude to the men and women—and Serendipity—for making possible a work that, in the end, is less of an original contribution and more of a unique synthesis of the combined contributions of many of mankind's choicest minds, hearts, and spirits. 

I have undertaken this work in an effort to further illuminate the brilliance and light that echoes forth majestically from the artistic renderings of their creative, scientific, and visceral genius that has passed down to us throughout the ages.  

Natural Laws of Acquisition

Everything has a price; if not in money, then in
time, effort, sacrifice, endurance, patience, etc.

Everything in life that can be earned comes with a price tag set by Universal Laws. At Freedom Focused, we refer to these price tags as: Natural Laws of Acquisition, or NLAs for short. NLAs are defined as: prices set by Universal Laws that must be paid to acquire any physical or metaphysical accoutrement or accomplishment.  

NATURAL  LAWS  OF  ACQUISITION 

Everything in life that can be earned comes with a price tag set by Universal Laws.

At Freedom Focused, we refer to these price tags as, Natural Laws of Acquisition, or NLAs for short. 

NLA's are defined as: prices set by Universal Laws that must be paid to acquire any physical or metaphysical accoutrement or accomplishment. 

NATURAL LAWS OF ACQUISITION

"Prices set by Universal Laws that must be paid to acquire

any physical or metaphysical accoutrement or accomplishment."

Whether it is graduating with honors, winning a race, getting a promotion at work, losing weight, building a meaningful relationship, or earning growth in any area of your life, a price in time, effort, sacrifice, and sometimes money must be paid for the acquisition of anything of worth. 

In order to maximize their achievements and growth, self-action leaders learn everything they can (as fast as they can) about Universal Laws and then do their best to obey the True Principles and edicts that follow therefrom.

Unfortunately, many people too often misconstrue Universal Laws and True Principles as being akin to a bunch of austere rules that hem you in and crimp your style. This is a very shortsighted perception to hold. 

In the words of Cecil B. DeMille, the director of the famous Academy Award-winning movie, the Ten Commandments: We are too inclined to think of law as something merely restrictive

—something hemming us in. We sometimes think of law as the opposite of liberty. But that is a false conception. [The law] is meant to govern and it is also meant to educate.  (5)

"We are too inclined to think of law as something merely restrictive—something hemming us in. We sometimes think of law as the opposite of liberty. But that is a false conception. [The law] is meant to govern and it is also meant to educate."

—Cecil B. DeMille

Consistently respecting Universal Laws leads to personal and professional achievement and growth. It also leads to freedom; but that does not make it easy to do. Our natural desires and inclinations are sometimes oriented to disregard, or even flout the rules of law entirely. 

Fortunately, the rewards of growth far outweigh the price of earning them—as difficult and high as the price may seem when you are in the protracted midst of paying it. 

Universal Laws and True Principles apply to more than just earning growth. They also apply to maintaining it. Indeed, maintenance is just as important as initial (and continued) growth.

One of my own life's greatest anxieties stems from a fear that I will someday allow success and/or temptation to seduce me into choosing thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes that are not in harmony with the very principles that created my happiness and success in the first place. 

In fact, I sometimes picture myself having to stand before family, friends, and others to apologize for embarrassing and hurtful behaviors that explicitly contradict the SAL principles and practices I champion in this textbook. 

It is not a pretty picture, and one I zealously desire and strive to avoid ever painting. 

History is littered with preachers (religious and secular) who have hypocritically disregarded the very doctrines they've declared. I ardently seek to be an exception to this tragic pattern, which has ensnared so many people throughout history, including some of the world's otherwise greatest men and women. 

Nevertheless, a deep anxiety resides in my heart from the recognition that I am not exempt from the seductive precariousness of life's endless allurements and temptations; nor have I completely conquered my remaining capacity for capitulation. I am painfully aware of my own potential for hypocrisy, and there are times when it terrifies me. 

No one is perfect.

        I certainly am not!

Nevertheless, I ardently believe that adhering to SAL principles and practices can empower all of us to learn from minor errors in order to avoid major blunders. They can also help us overcome whatever mistakes (minor and/or major) we do make, as well as the sins (minor and/or major) we choose to commit. 

It is worth noting here that there is a difference between a MISTAKE and a SIN. The difference lies in the nature of our intentions. Mistakes are innocent errors that accompany a learning curve. Sins are errors committed consciously in violation of known moral laws. 

Mistakes and Sins are not the same thing

MISTAKE

An innocent error that accompanies a learning curve.

SIN

A consciously committed error in violation of a known moral law.

Self-Action Leadership is designed to help you to avoid costly errors and gross iniquity by learning from small mistakes and petty sins.

SAL Mantra

Avoid costly errors and gross iniquity by learning from small mistakes and petty sins.

Choices, Consequences, and College English

When I think about my liberty to choose and the irrevocable consequences of choices decreed by Universal Laws, I am reminded of an experience I had with my first college English teacher. At the beginning of the term, our teacher said the following to us students: 

"You can take my criticism and shove it, but the results will be what they will be." 

This big-hearted, colorful professor, who was by far my favorite college teacher, made this flippant comment somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and I audibly chuckled when he said it. Nevertheless, his remark contained an important lesson for anyone enrolled in his classes, and my fellow students and I all caught his drift loud and clear. 

In this analogy, the professor represents Universal Laws. 

As the teacher, he would instruct us in true principles of English prose composition. While we were free to reject his instruction and advice, we were not free to arbitrarily select the grade he would give us at the end of the term—which was dependent on our effort and performance in his class. 

Yes, you are free to choose to change, or, you may choose to remain as you are. You are also free to think about, say, and do as you do—or not—as you desire. 

But always remember that all choices carry commensurate consequences in the long-run. This is just the way things are—whether you know it, like it, or care about it, or not. And never forget that most consequences in life don't immediately follow a decision; they come weeks, months, years—and sometimes even decades, generations, or even centuries later.  

Therefore...

        Choose wisely!  

In Your Journal

• What is an example of a Universal Law and its accompanying True Principle that you are good at respecting?

• What are the positive consequences of respecting that particular law and principle?

• What is an example of a Universal Law and its accompanying True Principle that you tend to disregard and/or flout?

• What are the negative consequences of disregarding and/or flouting this law and principle?

• Think of a long-term goal that is very important to you in your personal life or professional career. What "price" has Natural Laws of Acquisition set for the achievement of this goal?

• How willing and prepared are you to pay the price to achieve this goal?   

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 370th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 182nd consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

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Chapter 4 Notes

1. Smith, H.W. (1994). The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Books. Page 14-15.   

2. Hubbard, E. (1946). An American Bible. Edited by Alice Hubbard. New York, NY: Wm. H. Wise & Co., Inc. Page 141.

3. Smith, H.W. (1994). The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Books. Page 145.   

4. Durant, W. & Durant, A. (1996). The Lessons of History. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. Pages 35-36. 

5. This quote was part of a speech given by DeMille at a 1957 Commencement Address at Brigham Young University. 

The Price of CHANGE

 

Chapter 3

The Price of CHANGE 

YES...

        Change is possible!

Advertisements are full of
false statements aimed
at alluring you
to buy.

                That is the good news. 

But authentic personal or professional change always comes with a price. Remember what my dad taught me when I was a boy: Nothing in life worth having comes fast or easy. Positive change is always worth pursuing and achieving, but there is always a cost involved. These costs are measured in time, effort, sacrifice, and to an extent—discomfort, and sometimes even pain.

There is no other way!

Bookstores, libraries, television, and the Internet are littered with literature and advertisements promising dramatic changes and other results with little or no effort on your part. Salespeople, marketers, and politicians are especially clever and seductive in their persuasive ploys.

        Buy our product and you'll see immediate and dramatic results!

                Purchase our service and your problems will magically vanish!

                        Vote for me and all of your dreams will come true!

Weight loss plans are infamously alluring. "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days without getting out of your Lazy Boy," they preposterously purport. My older sister, Jody, is not a professional fitness trainer or nutritional guru; yet she once set forth the clearest and surest solution I've ever heard for losing weight and staying in shape.

Her formula: Eat healthy and exercise regularly!

This perennially unpopular, yet perpetually profound method will never become a best-selling book, service, or product; but deep down, we all know it is the ultimate solution to the age-old problem of weight gain.  

This Life Leadership textbook makes no pretension of quick fixes, nor does it guarantee easy answers to personal problems and change efforts. In fact, the only thing I can absolutely ensure is that reading, studying, and applying it will most likely prove both challenging and time-consuming.

This being the case, why in the world would you try to tackle this tome?

The answer is simple, but not easy; and the answer is this: Because a lot of people, including YOU, desire change badly enough that they are willing to do whatever it takes to change, grow, improve, and succeed. 

Ironically, the hardest way in the short-run is usually the easiest way in the long-run, and vice-versa. In the words of the fitness guru, Jerzy Gregorek: Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.

"Hard choices, easy life.  Easy choices, hard life."

—Jerzy Gregorek

Truth often is paradoxical, and this is a classic example of this great truth. 

I have discovered the truth of this principle time-and-time-again throughout my life and career. As an old adage wisely points out: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

—Benjamin Franklin

Countless other self-action leaders have likewise discovered the value and veracity of this timeless truism. In the words of Henry Miller: In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest.

"In this age, which believes that there is a short cut for everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest."

—Henry Miller

Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1962

Eleanor Roosevelt said something similar as it relates to our willingness to be courageous in doing what is right. Said she: Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier.

"Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier."

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Simple Truths vs. Easy Solutions

There is a difference between a simple truth and an easy solution in the same sense that there is a difference between theory and practice. This Life Leadership textbook is chock full of simple truths (theory) to solving life's deepest difficulties, defeats, discouragements, and dilemmas. But it cannot provide you with easy answers (practice) to such things because easy answers to perplexing problems don't exist. 

Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling snake oil.

Because YOU are a smart person, understanding the PRINCIPLES outlined in this book may be a fairly simple exercise for you. On the other hand, effectively applying the accompanying PRACTICES consistently over time may be the hardest thing you've ever done. 

I therefore caution you: don't let the intellectual simplicity of the concepts fool you into thinking that persistently putting them into practice will prove easy or convenient.

Like most truths, the principles contained in these books are paradoxical because they are true, and true because they are paradoxical. They are as simple as they are difficult, and as difficult as they are simple.

It is as simple—and as difficult—as that!

With such recurring declarations of difficulty, why in the world would you want to keep reading this textbook? The answer to this potentially discouraging question is simple, and it is this: Because if you are willing to pay the price and perpetually personify the process, the results are astoundingly worth whatever effort or sacrifice may be required. 

I know this is true because I've experienced plentiful portions of pomp and victory on the other side of my own life's variety of vicissitudes. 

A lifelong journey of personal and professional growth is not easy for anyone who undertakes it. It has not been easy for me; and it will not be easy for you. In the candidly compassionate commentary of our pal, M. Scott Peck, M.D.: "Even when we truly understand [SAL], the journey of [personal change and growth] is still so lonely and difficult that we often become discouraged."  (1)

That is the bad news. 

The greatest GROWTH of all is the
growth that occurs amidst difficulty

The good news is that growth and change are always possible and no matter how challenging it may be to achieve it, it is always worth whatever expenditure of time, effort, and sacrifice is required. That means that no matter who you are, where you live, or what your present circumstances may be, a better, happier, and more successful and fulfilling future always lies ahead of you if you are willing to travel the authentic course that leads thereto.

Comprehending these possibilities can be incredibly motivating.

Furthermore, positive and productive personal change and growth is only the beginning. Relationship change, family change, organizational change, community change, national change, and even global change is always an outgrowth of personal change. Individual growth and progress always precede collective growth and progress.

That's just the way things are.  

Thus, change in all arenas of life—and the world—can be ignited by the fires of personal change. This is because all macro changes are preceded by micro changes. Change always begins with the ONE; it begins with you and it begins with me.  

So...

   If you have a sincere and authentic desire to:

        Overcome a bad habit,
            Gain confidence,
                Establish or regain your mental health and hygiene,
                    Strengthen and shore up you integrity,
                        Develop greater emotional intelligence and resiliency,
                            Turn a weakness into a strength,
                                    Earn personal growth,
                                        Transform a relationship,
                                            Reorient an unwanted natural inclination...

Acquire new knowledge and skills,
    Become a person you like and respect,
        Influence others in positive and productive ways,
            Make a difference for good in the lives of those you live and work,
                Leave a meaningful and lasting legacy for your posterity,
                    Become great in the eyes of those you most admire and respect,

Live,

    Love,

        Win,

            And take charge of your life,

Then YOU can!

But only if you want to change more than you desire to remain as you are.

For change will

Not be easy,

Come quickly,

Or prove painless.

It will take time,

Demand your very best efforts,

The help of others where needed,

And the blessed aid of Serendipity.

But...

Change is always possible if change is what you most want.
    So, don't let anyone steal your self-sovereignty.
        This is YOUR life to win or lose...
            YOU CHOOSE!

Because...

You have the power.

How?

    Why?  

Because...

    YOU

        Are

            SOVEREIGN.  

The True Meaning of Courage

Courage means different things to different people. At Freedom Focused, we define courage as: doing what is right when doing so is difficult, inconvenient, unpleasant, or unpopular.

COURAGE

Doing what is right when doing so is difficult,

inconvenient, unpleasant, or unpopular. 

Great quantities of courage are required to earn personal growth and change. The most courageous—and enlightened—actions involve exercising your determination and will to either do what is right (especially when it is personally difficult and/or socially unfashionable to do so) and to abstain from engaging in natural inclinations that are wrong (i.e. harmful). And the harder it is to do or not do a thing, the more courageous and noble your actions are—and the greater your reward in the long run.

In the wise and clever words of Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Wayne, respectively: He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life; and courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.

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

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

—John Wayne

In Your Journal

1. Reflect upon a time in your life or career when you acted courageously.  Then, think of a time in your life or career when you acted cowardly.

2. What was different about the time you acted courageously?

3.  What is something you could do to act courageously more consistently in your life and career moving forward?

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 369th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 181st consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 368 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

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

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Chapter 3 Notes

1).  Peck, M.S. (1978). The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth. New York, NY: Touchstone. Page 311.

A Formula for CHANGE

Chapter 2

A Formula for CHANGE 

Enemies of Personal Change

There are many enemies of personal change. These enemies seek to inhibit your liberty to choose the pathway that will lead to your greatest long-term potential for growth, happiness, progress, success, and inner peace. 

The onslaught of these enemies attacks you in a variety of ways from all different directions. You have probably heard the voices of these enemies many times throughout your life. The echo of their refrains include statements such as:

"I was born this way and can never hope to change."

        "It's the fault of my genes or memes, which I am powerless to change." 

                "Changing would crimp my individuality and style and make me just one of the herd." 

                        "This is just the way I am and I (and everyone else) should just accept it." 

                "Even if changing was possible, it'd be too hard and not worth my effort." 

        "Possible or not, I don't want to change." 

"I simply can't change, even if I wanted to." 

My Battles with Change

My life has been, and continues to be, a battle with change. 

These battles started early. For example, I sucked my left index finger until I was TEN YEARS OLD! I can remember as a third grader how embarrassed I was that I struggled with this puerile practice and gross habit. I even developed various rituals to hide my finger for fear of any peering eyes of my peers. I did not want them to see the visible consequences of my childish addiction.  

During the summer prior to my 10th birthday (in between third and fourth grades), I began to ponder on the oddity and immaturity of a ten-year-old addicted to sucking his finger. 

Such shame-ridden musings led me to carefully consider the implications of breaking my absurdly prolonged habit—and the future forebodings (social and otherwise) of failing to do so. In the process of this reflective introspection, I concluded it was time to take the high road and choose to quit. 

Thus, I resolved that on August 21st, 1989 (my tenth birthday), I would stop sucking my finger. Mustering up all the conviction, courage, resolve, and will power I possessed, I began my quest to quit.

Doing so was very difficult. For the first several months, I was tempted daily or even hourly—sometimes terribly so—to return to my bad habit. 

On two occasions, the temptation proved too great for my will to resist, and I relapsed briefly. After each of these "slips" I picked myself up and tried again. I was absolutely determined to succeed, and eventually succeeded in my quest. 

It took a long time before the urge to suck my finger left me entirely; but the cravings did diminish gradually over time. After several years, my desire to suck my finger finally abated completely. Today, in my mid-40s, the thought of sucking my finger is disgusting and repulsive to me. In regards to this particular issue and bad habit, I have succeeded in completely changing. However, to this very day, my left index finger remains slightly smoother (more worn or weathered) than my right index finger—a minor, but irreversible lingering consequence and reminder of my decision to engage in that particular bad habit for all those years of my childhood. 

If only finger sucking was my life's only addiction, bad habit, or vice! 

In the years since I succeeded in overcoming my finger sucking, I have dealt with an array of additional addictions, bad habits, mental and emotional illnesses, vices, and other shortcomings. Over time, I have made significant progress in achieving positive change and progress in dealing with many of these issues.

It would be nice if I could proclaim that I have completely triumphed over all of them; but the truth is that the struggle goes on; that is the bad news. The good news is that I have come a long way, and the successes of my past and present provide me with hope for an ever brighter future as I remain patient with myself and persistent in my willingness to never give up striving to improve.  

At best, life is still a deeply challenging and frequently frustrating journey. It would be convenient if we could just snap our fingers and will ourselves to authentic personal changes overnight. 

But it doesn't work like that, of course! 

I have been working on some areas of change for years, decades, or even my entire life. Some areas I have mastered; others I have not. Hopefully, through SAL and Serendipity I will master as many of them as possible before my time in this world expires. 

As difficult as change can be, I will never give up trying to become the kind of person I most want to be. This requires that I continue to rise each time I fall; and unfortunately, I fall much more often than I would like. Nevertheless, this self-awareness of my human frailty and imperfections will never stop me from trying.

I believe there is something noble in attempting to improve and change—because even if you fall short, you become something greater than you were before by virtue of having made an effort. And if you never give up trying, you will eventually succeed—often completely, just like I did with my finger-sucking habit. 

When you do succeed, it may seem like a miracle.

And in a very real sense, it is a miracle! 

There is nothing quite so beautiful, attractive, and magnificent as the miracle of change that occurs when a human being becomes something better and greater than they were prior to making the effort.  

If you are anything like me—i.e. a human being—you were born with and presently carry a bag full of your own blemishes and blunders. In the past, you may have tried very hard and been very clever at hiding them from others, and perhaps even from yourself as well. 

But deep down somewhere in the dusty recesses of your mind, heart, and soul, you know they exist, and that they are inhibiting your personal, relational, and professional potential and success.

Even deeper down inside, you also know that many of these issues are not merely the result of genetic, mimetic, historical, or social influences alone; they are also heavily influenced and exacerbated by your own poor choices.

Deeper still, perhaps so deep it resides only in your subconscious mind, you know that you are not helpless to change. You are simply like most of us most of the time—undesiring, and especially unwilling, to do the hard work that change demands. 

The good news is that you don't have to be slaves to your emotions, your genetic code, your mimetic influences, your bad habits, or your past mistakes. You possess the keys to transcend these and other negative forces that are currently working against you or holding you down. 

Simply stated: YOU don't have to be a victim anymore.

        You can choose to be a victor instead.  

Remember

A wise man once remarked that the word "Remember" is the most important word in the English language. G.K. Chesterton—a British writer and philosopher—made a similar comment when he remarked that: We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed. 

"We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed."

—G. K. Chesterton

This quote is particularly apropos in regards to adult learners. 

This Life Leadership textbook is designed to remind as much as it is to instruct. It aims to review vital truths of which you may already be aware, but to which you are not currently adhering. It is crafted to inspire you to do what only YOU can choose to do: set in motion the process of authentic personal change. 

If change is possible for me, then change is possible for YOU.

        Of this I am absolutely certain. 

At any point in time throughout your life's journey, excessive effort spent bemoaning missed opportunities of the past is time poorly spent. You cannot change what happened yesterday, last year, or decades ago. 

But, you can choose at any moment—in an instant—to begin the process of positive change moving forward. In truth, right now is the only moment you will ever have. That makes it the most important and valuable moment in your life—every day of your life.

What are YOU going to do with this priceless gift of the present?

"Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery;

TODAY is a gift—that's why they call it the PRESENT."

—Multiple author attributions

A Formula for Authentic Change

How is authentic change accomplished?

Through six simple—but not easy—developmental stages or processes.  

1.  DESIRE

2.  UNDERSTANDING

3.  HUMILITY

4.  WORK

5.  PATIENCE

6.  SERENDIPITY

Process 1.  Desire

The first process involves developing a desire to change that is stronger than the desire not to change. There is only so much I can do to help you with this process. Either you desire to change, or you don't. 

If you do, then these books will be very helpful to you. 

If you don't, then your progress will be limited until you do desire it. 

The question then begs: what can I do to obtain a desire for something I am not presently motivated to do, but that I know would benefit me?

Answers to this question will vary from person-to-person. I cannot speak for others, but I can tell you what has helped me in the past.  

FIRST, I have found that prayer is beneficial. Why? Because I have received many answers to specific prayers with regards to my personal change desires and efforts; I therefore recommend it to you. What do you have to lose to put sincere prayer to the test?

If you choose not to believe in a Deity and would prefer not to pray, then perhaps you might practice something secularly similar to prayer. For example, you might meditate, practice yoga, learn more about the subject of spiritual intelligence, or even try sending out a metaphysical plea into the ether of the Universe. 

Albert Einstein
1879-1955

As strange as some of these activities might sound to those unfamiliar with them, what do you have to lose to try something new—especially if your past efforts have failed to bring the results you seek? As Albert Einstein is purported to have at least apocryphally remarked: Insanity is doing the same things over and over again while expecting different results.   

"Insanity is doing the same things over and over again while expecting different results."

—Albert Einstein

If you want a different output, you must be willing to invest in a different input; that is just a formulaic reality of mathematics and common sense. 

SECOND, I like to study a situation to acquaint myself with negative consequences that may occur if I don't develop a desire to do (or not do) something. I then focus on the bad things that will happen if I choose to engage something foolish or neglect something needful. For example, if there is something (or someone) who triggers temptation in you, try imagining that thing (or person) as a vicious crocodile or a venomous snake or spider. Or, in the case of an omitted action, try visualizing what you and your life will be like if you continue omitting an important action—and exaggerate the consequences in your imagination for greater emotional impact.  

THIRD, I like to consider how doing (or not doing) something might adversely impact my relationships with other people, especially those persons closest and most important to me such as my wife, family members, friends, close associates, and mentors or teachers. This is an especially powerful exercise for me personally because one of my greatest fears in life is being alone, single, and/or friendless. While I appreciate and enjoy healthy doses of solitude, I also have a deep need for companionship and fraternity. 

If I were to lose my wife, children, or true friends, I would be miserable. 

Knowing this motivates me to take great care to continually nurture my cherished and valued relationships to maximize the likelihood that I will enjoy these blessings in perpetuity. By continually reminding myself that certain behaviors will cause negative consequences to self, others, and my relationships dramatically altering my thoughts, speech, actions, and attitudes in a way that cultivates and nurtures those relationships. 

FOURTH, I like to observe and study those who already possess the desire I lack, but would like to have. I then strive to develop desired attributes and characteristics within my own character.   

FIFTH, I strive to be patient with myself in the same way that I strive to be patient with others. Desire is not something that can just be snapped into existence on demand. More often than not, it develops slowly over long periods of time as you undertake a variety of actions related to all five suggestions listed above. Sometimes, the passage of time may be the most important ingredient of all; so be patient with yourself and don't give up trying to develop the desires you don't naturally possess, but hope to develop. 

For me, desire often starts out as little more than a tiny seed that is virtually unrecognizable from its fruit; it is not yet desire, but merely a desire for the desire: like a shadow of a person or object. If I will then cultivate and nurture this shadow desire patiently over time, it usually will, in its own time, grow and mature into the full-fledged desire itself—or at least significant vestiges thereof—that I ultimately seek.  

Process 2.  Understanding

The second process is to gain an understanding of the principles and practices upon which authentic change is predicated. There is a lot I can do to help you with this process because outlining the principles and practices of personal change is the purpose of this Life Leadership Textbook.  

Process 3.  Humility

Process number three involves TWO (2) different aspects of humility.

The first is to humbly recognize and acknowledge when and where a change is needed in your thoughts, actions, attitudes, etc. The second is to humbly seek out help from others when you are unable to initiate a change on your own. 

Even my best personal efforts were insufficient to overcome many of the biggest challenges in my own life and career. As you come to learn more about my personal and professional backstory, you will see that I had a lot of help from others, including family members, friends, mentors and teachers, professional counselors and doctors, ecclesiastical leaders, and that Higher Power (God). This assistance was essential in finding success in my own change efforts.

For many people, HUMILITY is the most difficult step of all. Admitting you were wrong, flawed, and need help can be devastating to your ego and prove very painful mentally, emotionally, and socially. But no matter how difficult it may be, it is worth it to swallow your pride and humble yourself before facts and reality. 

Your ego can be a huge stumbling block that inhibits your freedom and diminishes your growth potential. 

Humility is the answer to keeping your ego in check.  

At Freedom Focused, we define humility as: an accurate recognition, submissive acknowledgment, and active acceptance of things as they really were, really are, and really will be. 

HUMILITY

An accurate recognition, submissive acknowledgment, and active acceptance 

of things as they really were, really are, and really will be.

Process 4.  Work

Process four requires that you exercise both the courage and willingness to work hard and otherwise put in the effort that authentic change demands. The extent of your courage and the strength of your will to labor diligently, remain focused, and persist until you succeed will largely determine your long-term results in virtually any undertaking, including any change effort. 

Process 5.  Patience

Process five requires that you develop patience. Authentic change rarely happens in a single moment or a few days or weeks. More often than not, an extended period of time is required. When I was just a boy, my father taught me a great truth. Said he: Nothing in life worth having comes fast or easy.

Hyrum Wayne Smith (left) & Rex Buckley Jensen (right)
working together as young missionaries in England.
Circa 1963

"Nothing in life worth having comes fast or easy."

—Rex Buckley Jensen

Dad was right.

My uncle, Hyrum W. Smith, taught a similarly powerful principle. Said he: Results take time to measure.  (1)

"Results take time to measure."

—Hyrum W. Smith

Uncle Hyrum was also right.

Holy scripture states that it is in our patience that we possess our souls.  Benjamin Franklin added: He who can have patience can have what he will.

Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790

"In your patience possess ye your souls."

—Luke 21:19  

"He who can have patience can have what he will."

—Benjamin Franklin  

While Franklin's words may seem to overstate the point, I love the nugget of truth contained in this maxim. As a person who has often felt impatient in both my life and career, these words of Franklin's have inspired me greatly to consciously practice and otherwise develop patience. 

Franklin's words are also a sobering reminder that if I fall short in any of the realistic goals I have set for my life or career, it means I am either unwilling to put in the required work or I am failing to exercise sufficient patience. 

Either way, that's on me! 

In other words, if I fail to achieve my life's important and realistic goals in the end, I have no one but myself to blame. 

As you practice being patient in your own life, it is important to remember that authentic patience is an active, not a passive exercise. Being actively patient means a lot more than just waiting around for something to happen. It involves being consistently and productively creative, flexible, and proactive over time with an eye always on the "ball" (goal) while at the same time not being overly fixated on or obsessed about it. 

It is a paradoxical process that requires a delicate and strategic balancing act between earnestly chasing down your dreams while simultaneously letting your dreams find you when the time is right.  (2)  

It also involves continually developing your talents and capacities all along the way. It means that you remain positive and productive even during those frustrating moments in your life or career when you have more time than opportunities. After all, you tend to create opportunities in the future by wisely utilizing time in the present.

"Nature does not hurry; yet everything is accomplished."

~ Lao Tzu

One leader put it this way:

"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"  (3)

As you practice patience in your life, you may find (as I have) that it is often the most challenging process in any undertaking or change initiative. Nevertheless, it is an absolutely essential ingredient to authentic change—or achieving anything else of lasting significance.

Lao Tzu
6th to 5th century BC

Just as a fruit, vegetable, tree, plant, animal, human being, couple, family, team, organization, community, state, nation, or world doesn't develop its full stature or maturation overnight, authentic changes usually require extended effort and focus over time to realize; there is no other way! 

As the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once put it: Nature does not hurry; yet everything is accomplished.

"Nature does not hurry; yet everything is accomplished."

—Lao Tzu  

Moreover, you usually can't choose how much time it will take to realize a given change or goal in your life. Your only choice lies in deciding whether or not you will pay the price and endure to the end or give up when the going gets rough—and the process often will be tough; authentic change is rarely easily achieved, nor do significant accomplishments materialize overnight.  

Process 6.  Serendipity

Process six is less of a process and more of a present. The gift I speak of is a metaphysical phenomenon called SERENDIPITY, defined previously in this text as: the felicitous aid of unseen forces. 

The dictionary defines serendipity as: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. (4) At Freedom Focused, we acknowledge those forces (known and unknown) that aid us felicitously in our lives.  

To fully realize change, you must develop the maturity to acknowledge, and the willingness to accept, the fact that you cannot accomplish everything all on your own. You often need help from other people and sources, and sometimes the source of that help—real though it is—will seem nebulous or otherwise unidentifiable.

Think about the last time you heard someone give credit to or otherwise thank "God," "Grace," "Mercy, the "Universe," their "Lucky Stars," their astrological sign, or just plain "Good Luck" for some inexplicable, yet palpable good fortune, instructive tutoring, or other blessing that came their way? When was the last time YOU did this yourself?

Serendipity is a term and concept used to generically describe these kinds of undeniable experiences made possible by forces and sources unrecognizable to the five senses that cannot be entirely accounted for or otherwise explained using logic, math, science, philosophy, or empirical data. 

The existence and occurrence of Serendipity is indisputable to anyone who has experienced it. Moreover, some individuals and groups harbor deep religious or spiritual convictions concerning its ontology and Source.

I, in fact, am one of them.  

In Your Journal

1. What addictions or bad habits do you struggle with?

2. Of all your addictions or bad habits, which ONE do you feel most prepared to begin tackling?

3. What is ONE thing you will do TODAY to begin the process of overcoming this addiction or bad habit?   

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 368th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 180th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 367 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.  

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 buy the SAL Textbooks    

Chapter 2 Notes

1).  Smith, H.W. (1994). The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Brooks. Page 145. 

2).  A concept I once learned from my older brother, Joe.

3).  Uchtdorf, D. (2010). From a public address entitled, Continue in Patience. 

4).  New Oxford American Dictionary. Electronic App version.