IV – Know

Questions to Ask Yourself

Thinking that you have an answer for everything may be evidence that you’re part of the problem.

Asking intelligent, probing questions is among the foundation characteristics of effective leadership. By observing current conditions and asking “what if…” and “why not…,” your thinking is expanded, your horizons are opened, and you generate better solutions to solve intricate challenges. That’s true both professionally as well as personally (self-assessment). Asking questions moves you out of the judgmental, status-quo realm into the learning, improvement realm.

The following is a partial list from ZeroHedge.com of suggested questions to ask yourself to assist you in creating a working inventory of mind, body, and equipment for living in dangerous or uncertain times. SemperVerus has added questions for soul development.

Soul

  • What am I doing to intentionally strengthen my soul?
  • Am I obeying the greatest commandment (love God) and the second greatest commandment (love people)?
  • Do I believe Jesus—whom historians have proven to actually have lived—was a liar, lunatic, or Lord? (see the SemperVerus Good News page)
  • What am I doing to regularly read and understand the Bible?
  • How often do I pray?
  • Are my prayers big enough? Are they others-focused?
  • How often do I meditate?
  • Am I quick to confess and repent of my sins?
  • What am I doing to feed my faith?
  • Am I being sensitive to daily count my blessings and show gratitude?
  • Do I live for a higher purpose than merely myself?
  • Am I being generous enough?
  • Am I quick to forgive?
  • Is my leadership vision spiritually oriented?
  • What books are on my reading list to spiritually grow?

The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety

An image of the four gun safety rules

Col. Jeff Cooper (1920–2006) was a US Marine, the creator of the modern technique of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. He introduced the concept of the mental alertness color code which indicates the degree of peril a person is willing to act upon and which facilitates a person to move from one level of mindset to another (situational awareness) to enable the person to properly handle a given situation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun ]

As a way of encouraging universal firearm safety, Col. Cooper also advocated a simple 4-point set of rules anyone can understand:

  1. EVERY gun is loaded until proven otherwise.
  2. Point the muzzle ONLY at what you want to destroy.
  3. Put your finger on the trigger ONLY when you’re ready to fire.
  4. KNOW your target and what’s behind and around it.

USA State Constitutions Providing for Armed Self-Defense

According to the National Archives, “the USA Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers hadn’t promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today’s Americans’ most valued freedoms.” One of those is the Second Amendment:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  THE BILL OF RIGHTS, AMENDMENT II

Get your free digital Guide to the Constitution from The Heritage Foundation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Important Judicial Decisions Regarding Self-Defense Law ]

See USCCA's interactive Concealed Carry Reciprocity Map & Gun Laws By State

Source: USCCA interactive Concealed Carry Reciprocity Map & Gun Laws By State

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law ]

Below is the right to keep and bear arms as expressed in each USA state’s constitution:

Leadership Lessons From the Allied Invasion of Normandy

Buy the book Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero through this affiliate link with AmazonThe book Agility: How to Navigate the Unknown and Seize Opportunity in a World of Disruption by Leo M. Tilman and Charles Jacoby (Missionday, 2019) includes a chapter examining what the World War II Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy demonstrates about the power and utility of organizational agility (and by extension, SemperVerus living). The authors define agility as “the organizational capacity to effectively detect, assess, and respond to environmental changes in ways that are purposeful, decisive, and grounded in the will to win.” Agile organizations possess both strategic and tactical strengths. The authors identify the three essential competencies that constitute the pillars of agility as

  • risk intelligence
  • decisiveness
  • execution dexterity.