Governing Values & Proactive Living: History’s Greatest Leaders

How to Be Proactive: Timeless Lessons from History on Leadership, Responsibility, and Personal Growth

Are you living intentionally — or simply reacting to everything life throws at you? In this episode, discover how history’s greatest leaders mastered personal responsibility, emotional control, and proactive decision-making to shape their destiny.

In this episode of the Franklin Planner Podcast, host George Wright III is joined by Franklin Planner board member John Harding and historian and podcast host Misty Howard for a powerful conversation on what it truly means to be proactive.

Rooted in Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the discussion explores how individuals can shift from reacting to circumstances to intentionally choosing their responses. The guests explain how language shapes mindset, why governing values create long-term stability, and how focusing on what you can control expands personal influence.

Misty brings history to life through compelling examples of Viktor Frankl, Abraham Lincoln, and Abraham Clark, demonstrating how courage, discipline, and principle-based living enable people to rise above extreme adversity. John connects these timeless lessons to practical application, emphasizing how daily habits and values-driven planning empower leadership at every stage of life.

Listeners will walk away with actionable insights to strengthen personal accountability, emotional control, and purpose-driven living.

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Episode Timeline

04:30 – Acting vs. Being Acted Upon

09:15 – Language Patterns and Personal Responsibility

15:40 – Viktor Frankl and Choosing Freedom in Adversity

25:10 – Abraham Lincoln and Emotional Discipline

34:20 – Governing Values and the Circle of Influence

42:45 – Abraham Clark and Loyalty to Principles

50:10 – Invictus Poem and Personal Ownership

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Episode Transcript

Welcoming Misty Howard – Historical Expert on Leadership & Timeless Principles

[00:00:00] George Wright III: Welcome back to the Franklin Planner Podcast. I’m George Wright III, your co-host here, joined with a couple of amazing guests, John Harding, owner and board member at Franklin Planner. John, how are you?

[00:00:11] John Harding: Great to be with you and Misty.

[00:00:14] George Wright III: Yeah, and we’re joined by our frequent guest, Misty Howard, who is a podcast host, has a ton of historical background we’d like to bring into some of these conversations, and we just love having you on the podcast. So thanks for being here, Misty.

[00:00:26] Misty Howard: Yeah, thanks for having me.

[00:00:28] George Wright III: We’re gonna have a conversation today about another timeless principle, we’re gonna bring in some historical context and things, but we’re gonna be talking about what it means to be proactive, because I think in today’s landscape and life it sometimes can be a difficult thing to keep as a core principle in your life. So, John, I want to kind of start out with you. Let’s get a little bit of a foundation here. What does it really mean to be proactive and what does that look like in everyday life?

[00:00:56] John Harding: That’s a great question. I love this subject. Productivity [00:01:00] is one of those ideas, people hear that word and we really give credit to Dr. Stephen R. Covey and the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. And this is Habit One, but let me just give you some of his super timeless ideas. “To be proactive is not merely to take initiative or to act, but at its steepest level,” Dr. Covey says proactivity is about “recognizing that as human beings, we are responsible. We have the ability to choose our response, rather than be acted upon. We can act.” And really, George and Misty with your history, I think we’d like to dig into some examples of people who did not allow their circumstances to determine their destiny, rather, they focused on values and the power actually that each of us have to create our best lives.

[00:01:56] George Wright III: Yeah, because at a super high level pro– being proactive is something that expands into a lot of areas and it’s definitely been a timeless principle. So Misty, what are some of your thoughts?

[00:02:05] Misty Howard: I would say that this is one of the most misunderstood principles, and it’s one of those that when you learn it, it changes your whole perspective on life. And if you examine history and you look at the most effective people, this is always one of their qualities. They are willing to take responsibility for their own actions, for their own circumstances, and not blame it on everybody else. And I think that that is what empowers us to change who we are and what we can become is when we realize “I actually have the power to control my circumstances by controlling my reaction to them.”

Act or Be Acted Upon: The Power of Choice and Perspective

[00:02:42] George Wright III: Yeah. So it, it really brings up this whole idea of, in your life, you either are going to act or be acted upon, and you do have, you have the ability and the empowerment to be able to do that. Right, John, give me some of your thoughts on this.

[00:02:56] John Harding: Yeah, I, I think you, I’d like to invite our listeners, uh, to [00:03:00] just think of people you know around you. You can probably think of some really good examples. Misty’s going to take us to some really powerful examples, but think of it this way: two people can face the same set of events and respond entirely different, and yet the events are the same. And, the

[00:03:21] George Wright III: John John, isn’t it interesting? ’cause you and I went to the red carpet Premier of Ben Kjar the other night, and then he’s a great example, right, of someone who decided how he was gonna act, right?

[00:03:32] John Harding: Right with a facial difference and lots of challenging circumstances physically. He’s this world class wrestler, but more important, his paradigm. So that’s the difference is how we see the circumstance. How you see it, how you envision it, and that’s the power each of us have. We have the ability to look at our situation and really, you know, if something can happen to us, we [00:04:00] actually have the ability to stop, think about it, and determine our response.

[00:04:05] George Wright III: Yeah, this idea of being, you know, Misty of “act or be acted upon”, I mean, I know this plays out a ton in historical examples, and maybe you have some ideas of where you can kind of parallel that, but gimme some of your thoughts on this idea of being proactive in your life and either choosing to act or be acted upon.

[00:04:23] Misty Howard: While John was talking, I was actually thinking about how often we see this in media. We see these character arcs that writers create and usually the hero and the villain both go through tragedies and difficulties that they face. It’s just about how they respond to it. You have the villain that’s like, “Oh, I had all these horrible things happen to me, and thus I am justified in doing bad things.” And then you have the hero on the other side that goes through challenges, but then responds saying, “I’m gonna let this make me into a better person and learn from it. And I will not let these circumstances [00:05:00] determine who I become.” And that’s, it’s crazy that that is a really thin line between good and bad.

George Wright III: Right.

[00:05:06] Misty Howard: And historically this is so common too. Some of the worst people have gone through really hard things and some of the best people, actually, pretty much all the amazing people in history have been through great challenges.

[00:05:18] George Wright III: Yeah, and it’s, and it’s back to the perspective, John, you talked about, because it is how you see a situation, but it’s also, I think, important to understand how you view your ability to be proactive or have that  empowerment in your life. ‘Cause if you see a situation a certain way, you’re gonna act a certain way. And also, if you don’t believe that you can influence your life and be proactive, you are gonna have a different filter to put on as well, right? You’re a victim and you don’t know where you’re gonna go with this. So that awareness and that identity that you have around it, that’s a pretty important thing, wouldn’t you say?

[00:05:53] John Harding: George, let me, I love what you said. Let me give you some examples of language and maybe this will help when Misty shares some [00:06:00] history, that we can hear this story of how to think, how to see it, and how to move forward. So proactive people really take ownership for their lives. In contrast to that, here’s some maybe people that might say things when they demonstrate I’m being acted upon. So think of this: “I yelled because I was tired. I can’t change because this is how I am. They made me feel this way.” That’s kind of that less proactive, you know, less acted upon. But in contrast, think of these things, and you might remember saying some of these, but it’s okay because it’s tempting to feel acted upon. But here’s the proactive people who really reclaim authorship of their life: “I choose my response. I am not my mood. I am not my habits. I am not my past”. And habits are so powerful, but they are not [00:07:00] destiny, and this is what proactivity looks like. It’s really taking ownership and we have that ability. Everyone has that ability. We just have to see it.

Viktor Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning: The Last Human Freedom in Auschwitz

[00:07:10] George Wright III: And sometimes I think we don’t realize, like you said, we’re not victims of circumstance, but the proactivity will help you to completely change your life. And Misty, it’s a, it’s a great, one of the great ways to really nail down the impact that this can have is to look at history, right? So we talked ahead of time before the podcast, we had several really good examples. But one of the best examples I think, of inspiration and proactivity is this example of Viktor Frankl. And I wanted you to kind of talk a little bit about that because many people are familiar, but if they’re not ex, explain to ’em, you know, who Viktor Frankl is and let’s talk a little bit about that, ’cause it is examples in history that help us to understand the power of being proactive and how you react in your life.

[00:07:55] Misty Howard: Yeah, for sure. The benefit of looking back at history is that we get to see the whole picture, where in our lives we don’t see everything, we just see where we’re at. So yeah, Viktor Frankl is, what an amazing example he is. He was a neurologist and a psychologist from Austria. His specialty, uh, he lived in the early 20th century and his specialty was helping people to find meaning in life. Especially for those who were at the end of their rope. So he dealt a lot with people with suicidal tendencies and things like that to help them find a reason to keep going. And he found himself, during World War II, as a captive of the Nazi regime. And he was in a concentration camp. And it’s interesting ’cause he’s coming from this psychological background, very deep in Freud type of, um, psychology, meaning that you are determined by your, your upbringing, uh, your circumstances, outward forces have pretty much programmed you in a certain way and you will act out that programming and there’s no [00:09:00] varying from it. So he’s coming from some of that. And then when he actually experiences the concentration camps, and I think most people are at least a little bit acquainted with the details of The Holocaust during World War II. What a horrific, horrific period that was. And people lost their human dignity, they lost their freedom, and he actually lost a lot of his family members. He lost his wife, his mother and father. I think the only surviving member of his family was his sister. And when he was in the middle of this awful experience he had a moment where he was sitting in a room naked, having absolutely no control over his circumstances. And this is where he said that he discovered the last of human freedoms, which was his ability to respond, how, um, his ability to respond to his circumstances between that stimuli and response, he had a choice and he decided he was not going to let it defeat him. [00:10:00] He started exercising his uniquely human capacities to imagine his life beyond the concentration camps. He said that he would visualize himself teaching his students the lessons that he was learning in the midst of his suffering and torture. And that really enabled him to become a great force for good, not just after the concentration camps, but while he was there. He became an inspiration to his fellow prisoners. Some of the guards even were inspired by his inner freedom that he had, that they could not break him even though they could control the physical elements of his experience.

[00:10:36] George Wright III: You know what’s interesting, Misty is one of the things you said, and I, I hadn’t thought about it from this aspect. Here’s a guy that had a background in psychology. So you would think he’d already be knowing these things, but isn’t it in like some of the most difficult circumstances in your life, and I say this for our listeners because they might be dealing with something, they might be going through it and thinking that is like the hardest time to have some kind of [00:11:00] epiphany and wake up and thought, right?

But some of the greatest lessons in life, especially historical figures, have happened in the challenges. Napoleon Hill talks a lot about what had happened when he had lost his ranch and had all these issues happen during the Great Depression, and came across these ideas that he could move forward with. I think that it’s in the struggle that that awareness came. That’s pretty unique to me. I think that’s pretty huge.

[00:11:24] Misty Howard: Yeah, and that it’s actually his development of what he would be really known for, which is Logotherapy, helping people to take on responsibilities and to face challenges, with that type of inner freedom, by determining their own circumstances and not letting their circumstances determine them. That really was his thing. In fact, if you study his life, a lot of those principles that Stephen R. Covey pulls from in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, these are ideas that were pioneered in a lot of ways by Viktor Frankl, and so he, he was actually able to do something amazing from something that was so horrible.

[00:11:59] George Wright III: Yeah, it’s [00:12:00] one of the reasons why, and I was gonna ask either one of you to comment on this, but some people, you know, they need us to kind of lead ’em a little bit. How do you pull these lessons and these amazing things back to someone that right now wants to apply some of these principles outside of the real, just high level, be proactive? Because I think there’s a lot to be learned just in the depth of despair and, and over overcoming challenges that Viktor Frankl had. But what do you guys think about how people can now apply these principles in their day to day, especially with this idea of they have control of their circumstances, not their circumstances, but how they react to their circumstances.

Proactive vs Reactive Language: How Words Shape Our Reality

[00:12:37] John Harding: George, let me throw this in and then Misty I’d invite you to add. I think it’s, it’s so clear that everybody, it seems almost like this in life, is faced with all kinds of crazy things that surprise you. There’s some good things, there’s some challenging things. And I think Misty, you referred to it, and George, you did too.

It didn’t mean when Viktor Frankl [00:13:00] realized that “if I focus on what I have control of, I have some power. I’m based on principles and values and I’m not giving power away to things I don’t need to.” But think of this, no matter what happens around us, if we see this clearly, this power within us to focus on what we can control, it totally changes how we choose to respond.

I think a way to apply it, George, you ask, is to just, again, think of what people say. Think of what you say is think of what you hear reactive people say “That’s just the way I am.” As I mentioned before, “they made me angry. I can’t because my boss, my spouse, my illness.” Proactive people say, “I choose a different response. I’m responsible for my actions and I can influence this.” And as you focus on what you know, you can control, I’m not sure what Viktor Frankl called it, but Stephen Covey was really the first to say, I didn’t invent these [00:14:00] principles. These are timeless principles, unchangeable. That Viktor Frankl discovered.

I think Stephen Covey’s genius was, George, he did try and make it practical, so he talked about focusing on this, what he called Circle of Influence, what I can change. But many people that are reactive, focus on this bigger circle, all kinds of things that you can’t control.

[00:14:25] George Wright III: Yeah, but you actually made a really good comment about language ’cause that is probably one of the– it really should be one of the simplest first steps for individuals. Are they a proactive language or are they using reactive language? And so I think that’s really huge to bring out. And I did wanna make one other comment, Misty, ’cause I wanted your perspective on this.

Viktor Frankl obviously is well known for the man’s search for meaning, right? So if somebody wants to really identify how being proactive is gonna change their life, I mean, at the end of the day, we’re all really just looking for meaning. And if you feel empowered to make changes [00:15:00] in your life, um, that can directly result in meaning. And so this idea that I don’t, was that the ta, was that the name of the book? Man’s Search For Meaning that was written by Viktor Frankl? I can’t remember.

[00:15:11] Misty Howard: Yes, yeah, he did have a book with that title.

[00:15:14] George Wright III: So what was your thoughts on language? Like what, you know, the idea of being proactive with proactive language versus reactive language.

[00:15:20] Misty Howard: I would say that we use reactive language unconsciously all the time. We just go out the door like, oh, I have to do this. I have absolutely no choice in the matter, we make it sound like things just happen to us constantly, that we don’t have a choice to do anything. And not that that’s terrible. It’s kind of just, in our vernacular, right? We just use those terms really loosely. But if you can even shift to say, “I’m choosing to do this today because I’ve weighed the consequences and this is the consequence that I want.” and I think that society is so… Well, one of the examples that Stephen R. Covey gives is about a man [00:16:00] who says that he’s fallen out of love with his wife and he says, “I just, it just happened to me. I don’t feel it anymore.” And he takes absolutely no responsibility for his feelings. It makes it sound like, oh, I was, it was like a disease, you know? It just came and left and it’s gone and I can’t do anything about it, which is completely wrong. And when we focus so much on the things we can’t control, it’s very, mentally unhealthy. And people who have that habit tend to want to change everything outside of themselves. They want their spouse to be better, they want their circumstances to be better. And Viktor Frankl, one of my favorite quotes from him is he said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to, to change ourselves.” I think that’s–

[00:16:46] George Wright III: Yeah, I love that. I love that. Well, it’s the way he thinks. Go ahead.

[00:16:50] John Harding: I’d like to just throw in here. You know, people say that our language reflects our thought and, you know, you can see what people are thinking. [00:17:00] It is interesting how powerful words are, and that is something we have complete control over. The words we say actually also influence our thoughts. So this I have to, I can’t, if only versus I choose to, I’ll find a way. When people change their language, something they have full control over, and have the vision of what really they can create in their own life, it begins to change their thinking and their thinking begins to then change more proactively their action and also the way you feel.

Abraham Lincoln – From Log Cabin to President: Proactivity Through Governing Values

[00:17:37] George Wright III: Yeah, for sure. Your emotions and you know, look, I think we all have to accept the fact that it’s gonna take a little bit of self restraint and discipline to organize your thoughts and your language and things to become more proactive. And, I can’t think of probably a better example of discipline, restraint, proactivity than someone like Abraham Lincoln, which was another person we wanted to kind of talk about. So Misty, give us some of the perspective and [00:18:00] background around Abraham Lincoln and how he personifies this idea of being proactive.

[00:18:05] Misty Howard: Yeah, absolutely. Abraham Lincoln. There’s so many examples I could pull from. Countless. His whole life is an example of proactivity. But just kind of giving you a couple, first his upbringing. I think a lot of people know that he’s a great classic American tale, where he comes from nothing. He was born in a Kentucky cabin with a dirt floor, and had really very little…monetary, I guess I, I don’t know the best way to phrase that is. His family were in really poor circumstances, like terribly poor, and he had in the first part of his life up into his twenties, he had only about a year’s worth of education. And yet he was so determined to make something of himself.

You have to keep in mind that Abraham Lincoln comes from a line of farmers. His dad’s a farmer. His grandfather was a farmer. They’re [00:19:00] frontiersmen. They have braved the west and are trying to forge their way, which includes a lot of difficult circumstances. They did not live well and his father… Abraham Lincoln does not have a lot of fond descriptions of his father. His father was a hard man, forged by a, a hard and harsh world. And Abraham Lincoln, though he did not want to tread that same path that his dad did, and he knew that education was the only way for him to become something better. This is very similar. I mean, last time we talked about Benjamin Franklin, and interestingly, one of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite books was The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

[00:19:42] George Wright III: Oh wow.

[00:19:43] Misty Howard: And so you see a lot of that same inspiration that transfers

[00:19:46] John Harding: This is good company to be in.

[00:19:48] Misty Howard: Right?

[00:19:49] George Wright III: For sure. For sure.

[00:19:51] Misty Howard: Yeah, it’s–

[00:19:53] George Wright III: Well they operated from timeless principles and they operated from a foundation. And it kind of brings us a little bit to this [00:20:00] discussion of governing values because your values are another area that affect, besides your perspective and your filter on the world and your language and things like that. Governing values are a, a key principle as well. And, John, I’m kind of, I wanted to kind of ask you, why are governing values so essential to proactivity? Like what, what do they really contribute to this whole conversation?

[00:20:23] John Harding: It is like the foundation, the core, and think of governing values also as principles. Think of the concept of kind of, I like to think of your heart, but your heart and mind. Proactive people live from the inside out, meaning they determine what they value, what their goals are, who matters to them, what matters to them. That does take a little planning, that takes a belief that you can do that, but that’s what allows you when all of these external forces, everyone else’s agenda, the weather, everything comes at you, that you truly have the [00:21:00] ability to get this power. So values are those things that you choose. You lead your life. You create your life. I do think it’s super cool to have Misty here and in essence invite these big winners from history that were proactive, that were value and principle-based. Kind of to join us, Abraham Lincoln, Victor Frankl, 

[00:21:25] George Wright III: Yeah. Benjamin Franklin. 

[00:21:27] John Harding: We truly have the benefit of people that have lived their lives and died that we can invite to join us. They were very principle-based and very value-based. And that didn’t mean by the way that they were spared from pain, right? That they, but they were spared from a lot more pain and they had–

[00:21:46] George Wright III: Well, and they weren’t just good at reacting to situations, right? And I like what you said, John, because the most proactive people are not just trying to figure out how to have better language or to [00:22:00] view bad circumstances a different way. You had said it’s from inside out, right. So if you can establish your values, your governing values, that will drive your behavior and your language and your filter and your perspective, what are your thoughts on that, Misty?

[00:22:13] Misty Howard: Well, kind of going back to this idea of developing your values. He had an amazing mother. Who wanted him to succeed. And even though his father was not as supportive of him in that area, his mother who had no education herself thought that he could achieve something better because he had the drive to do it. And she died when he was only nine years old. And so he didn’t have that influence for very long, but his stepmother really stepped in with that same– and she brought books with her and encouraged him to read any chance he got. And he did, which was not very often because he was working really hard back in that, back in that time, legally a young man would have to work until his early twenties for his father. And so Abraham Lincoln’s dad, [00:23:00] actually, he had him work hard on their property and then he would hire him out to work on other properties and he would keep the money. And you think about that difficulty. I mean, he worked so hard. He was basically, I mean I shouldn’t, this is kind of strong language, but he was almost like a slave in a way to his father and considering who he was to become that he would become the great emancipator in America.

It makes me think about what Stephen R. Covey said when he said that our suffering and our trials can become the crucibles that create our characters. Like Abraham Lincoln would not have been the person he was without going through those trials and those challenges that really tried his soul.

[00:23:40] George Wright III: Yeah, it is interesting to see that. Go ahead, John.

[00:23:43] John Harding: I see from what Misty shared there. Think of this: reactive people are driven by what’s happening around them. Abraham Lincoln, Vitor Frankl, were driven by what was happening inside them and they [00:24:00] could determine, Dr. Covey says this: “values don’t eliminate pressure, but they give us a compass through anything.” There really isn’t anything that can come our way, that this compass won’t stabilize us in the storm or when the weather’s good.

How to Apply Proactivity Daily: Circle of Influence, Governing Values, & Small Daily Choices

[00:24:19] George Wright III: I, I think it is absolutely the case and I think what people have to do, what was common to those individuals, Misty, correct me if I’m wrong, is that they also had a belief that they could, because once you believe that you do have the ability maybe not to control your circumstances. But there are things in your control and you believe that you can create the life that you want to live. Just that concept of having that self-belief, I mean, what would inspire Abraham Lincoln to think he could go from a dirt floor cabin, growing up with no money, just farming to end up being who he was. Same with Benjamin Franklin, Viktor Frankl, people that are, I mean, he’s in [00:25:00] a concentration camp with literally nothing to control the fact that they believe that they could actually influence their life, their meaning, their, their outcome.

[00:25:09] Misty Howard: Yeah, I think this goes back to what John was saying about the circles that we have our circle of influence versus our circle of concern. And you could definitely say that Abraham Lincoln, when he was younger, he focused on his circle of control, what he could influence. And he just took advantage of the time that he had. And because of that, he was able to expand his influence to go from having next to none, to being the leader of a nation and not just a leader in America, but just, but one who was there at a critical period that made some really big decisions that determined the fate of an entire people. That’s a big deal. But it all began with him starting with what he could deal with and working from there.

[00:25:52] George Wright III: Yeah, and it’s probably important to note that, and this is my thoughts on it, I don’t imagine that some of the greatest people out there really knew [00:26:00] what ultimately would become of their legacy and things like this. They weren’t doing it for that reason. They were just in a circumstance. Following these principles and these timeless principles of success, and it led them to their destiny. It’s not that they had any clue, like you said, we, even them at that time did not know Viktor Frankl did not know whether he was going to make it out of these camps when he made that decision. Right? So they didn’t need, they didn’t have that to inspire themselves. Now we have hindsight to be able to look at all that, but it’s in the circumstances that ironically then do propel you to create your best life.

[00:26:34] Misty Howard: Yeah, and can I add to that too, that one of the things that I find the most amazing about Abraham Lincoln that we don’t talk about enough was just his character. He was so good at turning enemies into friends. A good example of this is William H. Seward, who was his competitor for the Republican candidacy during the 1860 election. And later you think that Abraham Lincoln would just shove him aside and be [00:27:00] like, ha, I won, I’m done with you. But instead, he appointed him as the Secretary of State, the strongest position in his cabinet. And at first, Seward was not wanting anything to do with him. He’s like, Hey, I still don’t like you, but Abraham Lincoln’s like, well, you don’t need to like me. I just need you to give me your skills. And they ended up becoming great friends. 

And Lincoln had a lot of control over his emotions. He didn’t react when people treated him unfairly. And he received, I mean, we love Abraham Lincoln now. We look back, we recognize him as a great man. But in his day, he received criticism in the newspapers constantly of people just saying, oh, he’s not doing enough. He should be doing more. The war’s not going well. And yet he managed to maintain a hold on that. And I also love that during his, when he got reelected after the Civil War, the Civil War is at an end, his second inaugural address. People look back on this, historians look back and think, how is he so forgiving of the south? He could have just said, ha, we won. You’re gonna be obedient. We’re [00:28:00] gonna submit you. But instead he said, come home. Let’s forgive, let’s heal. And because of his ability to react that way, it really brought the nation back together. And so something we can learn from this is that to truly have freedom, you have to have complete control of your emotions. If you are ruled by your passions, then you’re not truly free.

[00:28:22] George Wright III: Yeah, that’s powerful. 

[00:28:23] John Harding: George, I, I’d like to connect to what Misty said. Many people, you know, when we’re talking about these type of historical people, we could even, whether you’re 85 or 25, you could say “I’m not Abraham Lincoln”. But the amazing thing is everyone can do this and they can start small. It might even be something they choose to say differently, a decision you choose to make, and it truly is something that you can practice. You know, as life seems to be so growth oriented, if you see the [00:29:00] truth of these principles, you practice every day, you could retire, you could be at an older stage in your life, but to keep your momentum, your brain healthy and to take on whether it’s a health challenge or something that’s happened in your family, this is vital to practice and to perfect, and it really means choosing to act according to things that you value and you take control and ownership of every day of your life. It does– It isn’t ending when you retire or get older, and it’s never more important than when you’re younger. It’s so powerful.

[00:29:39] George Wright III: And you’re right, every day is the key, right? And I can see why, John, you’re so passionate as your connection with Franklin Planner, ’cause on a day to day, that’s one of the things that allows you, a tool like that allows you to remember what matters most in your life and direct yourself based on those governing values and things.

So I know we don’t have a lot of time and there’s a couple more things we really want to cover. So, Misty, what are some other [00:30:00] great examples of whether it’s governing values or language or principles from history that have been proactive or way or people or individuals that you could think of that come to mind that others can look at and emulate today?

[00:30:15] Misty Howard: Yeah. One of my favorite historical examples, and then maybe I’ll share a literary example that’s one of my favorites as well. But Abraham Clark was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and I think it’s sad that we don’t remember a lot of the signers anymore. They used to study it at schools. They used to have a book where they’d learn a bio for all the founding fathers. But anyway, I won’t go up on that. But, uh, Abraham Clark, so he was also a self-made man, but that’s not the point I wanna make with this. When he, when the revolution of the war, uh, revolutionary war, sorry, got into the thick of things when things were really intense. The founding fathers, especially those who signed the declaration, they were the ones who threw down the gauntlet in front of Britain. And so they were [00:31:00] targets. And a couple of Abraham Clark’s sons ended up getting captured by the British and put on a prison warship, which was infamous for having absolutely horrific conditions. Most people did not survive or come back from it, and his sons had an even greater reason for them to be mistreated because of who their father was. And so Abraham Clark heard about what was happening to his sons, and the British actually reached out to him and they said, “if you will renounce these principles, if you’ll renounce your allegiance to America, and instead, pledge your allegiance to the crown. We will let your sons go.”

[00:31:39] George Wright III: Oh wow.

[00:31:40] Misty Howard: And I keep thinking, wow, what parent is not going to–

[00:31:42] George Wright III: What would you do? Right?

[00:31:43] Misty Howard: Yeah, what do you do in that situation? That would just be an insane dilemma. Most people would be like, well I’m gonna have to choose my family, right, Generally is like the very top. And then you have Abraham Clark who turns to them and says, no. I will not renounce American principle like liberty. [00:32:00] I am all for liberty. and thankfully his sons actually did live through that experience and they were eventually released on a prisoner exchange. But I just, I can’t help but think what an amazing example of sticking to your values. That’s, it’s not based on feeling at all. It’s based on your loyalties. Very powerful.

[00:32:19] George Wright III: Yeah, that’s interesting. ’cause I, it, it makes, it made me think of a particular word, but it’s, you know, some people have made decisions to live a certain way or even commitments, but when you have a resolve, like an absolute resolve to your governing values. Then you don’t have to make those decisions every single day. Am I gonna do this? Am I gonna be that way? So resolve, I think is what came to mind when you brought that up. John, did you have any thoughts on Abraham Clark? ’cause I think that’s a great example.

[00:32:47] John Harding: I think he is just one of probably a million examples. I’ll bet. I’ll bet people listening can think of their family, can think of neighbors, people they know, like Ben Kjar [00:33:00] that we recently met and did a podcast, who have the courage. And it really is, I think it’s in us. I think courage and bravery and greatness are in it, so we believe that, but we have to believe it and let it let it come out. We have to have that courage and we can do it.

[00:33:19] George Wright III: Yeah, that is a such a great point, and it’s a great example. Misty, what other, you said you had a literary example of proactivity and the definition of proactive versus reactive. So many of us are just being reactive based on our emotions and, you know, rather than just dealing with them. When you can really get principle based and you can start to really get clear about your values and what you are really committed to and resolve to in your life, it does make it a little less of a decision to stay aligned. So that is a great example. I love that example. Well, I know we don’t have a whole lot of time, so John, we, we talked beforehand about sort of wrapping this episode up. We really want to inspire individuals, maybe challenge them a bit. Where would you like to go here [00:34:00] before we end this episode?

Final Challenge: Anchor on Timeless Principles & Become the Captain of Your Soul

[00:34:02] John Harding: I think kind of the Franklin team and really, for years, 40 years we’ve had for sure at least two fundamental premises. And one of them is that in every single human being, there is greatness. And that greatness is power to determine your own life. The second one is that there’s a leader in all of us, whether we tap into that or use that ability, and that means to lead your life and create that. And Misty, I heard you mix in there. Not just, Hey, make this life what you want. Make each day the best day you can. But to base it on timeless principles of effectiveness that work, that are successful, that build and contribute. So. Thanks for that insight. 

George, one of the most incredible poems I’ve ever heard, I heard years ago as part of Franklin Covey and the training and teaching, there’s these amazing quotes that come [00:35:00] and sometimes you hear a quote, you see the name, and you’re not sure how that poem or that quote came about.

But I think my favorite of all time is the poem, Invictus. And I’ll just give you quickly, this background and the poem and then an invitation that I think, the author of this poem might even, send forward to us even though he’s a historical figure. So in the 19th century, William Ernest Henley, who sometimes is mistakenly called William Henley Jr. And I’ve done that before, so I want to get that right. And he was an English poet, critic, an editor. But his story is remarkable as he wrote Invictus. It wasn’t written out of comfort or triumph, but really profound suffering. And the quick story is he was born in 1849. As a young man, he contracted tuberculosis of the bone. And [00:36:00] just a devastating condition at the time in England. And it resulted in him losing one of his legs. And he was in this English hospital really with the threat of losing his second leg. And doctors warned him and rather than surrendering to despair, he chose this response: while hospitalized for years, often in intense pain, confined and uncertain about his future, Henley began to write poetry. And this poem was sort of his declaration, and it’s interesting of his inner sovereignty at a moment when I think he was thinking he might lose everything. But the poem is called Invictus and you’ll, you’ll recognize it.

I’m just gonna go from memory. So I may not get this perfectly right, but some of the start of this you might not have heard. I’m sure that many people will have heard the ending part, but it goes like this “Out of the night that covers me. Black [00:37:00] as a pit from pole to pole. I thank whatever Gods may be for my unconquerable soul in the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloodied, but unbowed. iIn the fell clutch… Well then it goes like this. Um, uh oh, beyond, beyond this veil of grief and tears lies the horror of the shade, that’s very descriptive, and yet he says, the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. And here’s probably the verses or the set of four lines, you’ve heard: it matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. And that is a very proactive set of words written in a very tough time. He [00:38:00] took ownership and I just love that poem and I can apply it, uh, to countless circumstances as I go through my life. 

[00:38:08] George Wright III: I love it. I love it. You guys are, they’re definitely impressive, John. Great job with that. I’ll tell you what’s interesting is one of my favorite quotes is from a Jim Rohn quote, which is all about it’s not that it’s the direction of the wind, but the set of the sails that determines your direction in life. And I think it fits very appropriately to this idea that you can master your own fate and you can be the captain of your own soul. So thank you both for joining me. I think this has been a great episode. And for those of you listening, do us a favor and share this episode. And no matter what you’re doing right now, whether you’re struggling, whether you’re crushing it in business and life and relationships, and you’re just trying to level up, whatever it is that you’re doing, reach out to us. Let us know. We wanna celebrate your wins. We want to be able to bring you messages that will inspire and motivate you to create your best life. You know, John said it earlier. We all, we believe that all of you have leadership and greatness inside of [00:39:00] you. And as Misty as you so eloquently put it, there is so many examples of this throughout history that hopefully will continue to inspire those that are with us.

So thanks everyone for being here. Thanks, John. Thanks Misty, and we’ll look forward to having you on the next episode.

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Thank you for joining us on this Journey to create your best life and to lead your Life and Teams. Please share this show, and we look forward to the journey we will take together.

The Franklin Planner Team

About Misty Howard

Misty Howard is a historian‐enthusiast and podcast host who brings a fresh, youth-oriented voice to timeless values and historical wisdom. She serves as the creator and host of the podcast Faith Ignited (described as “Immersive, real stories from history, seen through the lens of faith”). Her work focuses on exploring the lives of influential historical figures—especially from the founding era of the United States—and connecting their personal values with modern leadership, mission-driven living, and character development. Misty emphasizes the importance of self-improvement, purpose, and narration of historical truths often overlooked in mainstream narratives. Her style blends historical research, faith-based insight, and practical application for younger audiences.

Her contributions bring depth, perspective, and inspiration to conversations about proactive living and principle-centered leadership.

Guest Resources:

Podcast Link: Faith Ignited — available via Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc.