The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Four)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945

In closing, we here summarize some of the attributes marking FDR out as a champion/model of "The Invictus Soul."

1. He was a Man with a Vision:

FDR caught a vision of the presidency from his fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt (TR), 26th POTUS. He was so caught up, he modeled his life after TR, except he had to join the Democratic Party. He did that either to follow in his father's footsteps or to avoid competing with TR's children. TR was some twenty-five years older than FDR. 

"We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Unlike Hebert Hoover, before him, FDR was not one to hold tightly to an ideology at the expense of getting the job done. He remained pragmatic and open-minded in going about his set objectives.

"Let’s concentrate upon one thing: Save the people and the nation, and if we have to change our minds twice every day to accomplish that end, we should do it." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

War & Peace 

2. He was Pragmatic, Openminded, Willing to Learn and Grow:

He learned from TR how a president could dominate the American political landscape and, through the force of his personality, redefine the presidency and America's place in the world. He also learned from President Woodrow Wilson, who he served under as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Wilson’s regulation of corporate trusts, banks, and the money supply showed FDR how effective a president could be as a legislator.

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) 

"Our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

First-Class Temperament 

3. He was a Man of Strong Faith in the Future:

He faced the malady of his polio incident with courage, tenacity, and hopefulness. Even though he was experiencing physical difficulty, he never lost his sense of humor and charisma. These struggles led him to develop compassion and earnest caring for ordinary people and their struggles. These same attributes he exhibited as he piloted the country through the Great Depression and World War II.

"We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) 

"I call for effort, courage, sacrifice, devotion. Granting the love of freedom, all of these are possible. And the love of freedom is still fierce and steady in the nation today." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Commander-in-Chief

3. He was an Agent of Change:

He faced the Great Depression head-on by offering the American people, what he termed, "The New Deal." According to historians, the program had three foci: relief, recovery, and reform. It was to relieve the unemployed and poor American people, to recover the American economy to previous levels, and to reform the financial system to avoid repeating the Great Depression. He was not imprisoned by what had been. He was willing to risk venturing into new, hitherto on treaded grounds if only in hope of solving the immediate and future challenges. 

"Yes, we are on the way back — not by mere chance, not by a turn of the cycle. We are coming back more soundly than ever before because we planned it that way, and don't let anybody tell you differently." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Champion of Freedom 

4. He understood and used the Potency of the Mastermind:

FDR was not one to go it alone. He used groups of close advisers prized for their expertise in particular fields. These were collectively known as the *“Brain Trust,” otherwise known as **Master Minds. The group most notably included Rexford Tugwell, Raymond Moley, Adolph Berle, and ***Napoleon Hill. Together, these, along with others, advised Roosevelt through the earliest days of the New Deal and helped to craft significant legislative programs for congressional review and approval. Together, they created one of the most outstanding Master Minds that the USA has ever known. It consisted of both House, Radio Station operators, Churches of all denominations, leaders of both political parties lining behind and helping the President in bringing the country out of its chaos. He was not one to castigate people based on their beliefs.

"We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions – bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality. Whoever seeks to set one nationality against another, seeks to degrade all nationalities." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

He worked with Winston Churchill to establish the foundations of the United Nations. He allied with Churchill and Joseph Stalin to defeat the Axis powers in World War II. He understood the art of compromise and relationship building in Washington and the importance of mass communication to the nation.

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace." (Franklin D. Roosevelt) 

"Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

The "Big Three" - Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill,
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Premier Josef Stalin

Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate that vision clearly. (Simon Sinek)

* Brain Trust, a phrase coined by a New York Times reporter to describe the multiple “brains” on Roosevelt’s advisory team.
**Napoleon Hill defines the Master Mind as: “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”
***Napoleon Hill is the author of the acclaimed book, “Think and Grow Rich.” Napoleon had served FDR since his time in office as Assistant Secretary to the Navy and particularly while he was the 44th Governor of New York.

Link to the Study Series:
The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Three)

Other Related Links:
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The New Deal

My Amazon Storefront

Links to Books for Further Study:

- FDR (Jean Edward Smith)

- The Allies (Winston Groom)

- FDR: A Biography (Ted Morgan)

- Traitor to His Class (H.W. Brands)

- Man of Destiny (Alonzo L. Hamby)

- Franklin and Winston (Jon Meacham)

- FDR: A Political Life (Robert Dalleck)

- No Ordinary Time (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Hourly History)

- FDR: Champion of Freedom (Conrad Black)

- The Definitive FDR (James McGregor Burns)

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (The History Hour)

- Leadership in Turbulent Times (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Three)

 Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 - 1945)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the 32nd President of the United States of America (POTUS), serving from 1933 until his sudden death on April 12, 1945. His time included the Second World War, rallying the USA, along with the Allied forces, to victory. He is the only POTUS ever to be elected four (4) times to office. And, the only one ever to serve three (3) full terms. He would have fully served the fourth, but for his sudden death, 11 weeks into it. He is often rated by scholars as one of the three greatest US Presidents, along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

"No democracy can long survive which does not accept as fundamental to its very existence the recognition of the rights of its minorities." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was born on January 30, 1882, to James and Sara Ann "Salie" Roosevelt, who were New York aristocrats. He attended Law school after graduating from Harvard College in 1903 and practiced law in New York City. He married Eleanor Roosevelt in 1905, and the couple went on to have six children. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1910, then later served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. 

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) 

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

FDR was stricken with polio in 1921. This left him permanently paralyzed on both legs and took him away from public office, as he pursued his healing. This was, however, to no avail. He refused to be deterred, as he returned to public office, contesting and winning the New York Governorship seat in 1928. He was in office as the 44th Governor of New York from 1929 to 1933. From here, he contested for the US Presidential election and won by a landslide.

"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

FDR with son Elliot in France (1931)

He is the only President of the United States to have won an election and stood in the office with such disability. He was not one to allow a seeming disability, even polio stand in the way of his vision, dreams, aspirations, and goals. While others find excuses in their disability, he found strength. He was not focused on what he could not do. He focused on all he could. He stands out as one of the classic examples of leadership, in history. His predecessor, the 31st POTUS, Hebert Hoover, felt beaten by the great depression and had no answer for it. He was hoping on time to make things right on its own. FDR, himself, had no answer to the great depression but refused to be deterred. He took charge, doing all he could, and pulling on all the resources available.

"The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

What's Your Excuse? (John P. Foppe)

Herbert Hoover’s disposition was, “there is nothing that can be done, other than allowing the markets correct themselves.” This was at the risk of increasing civil disobedience. Banks were closing down, with people losing jobs and their money. Herbert did not give the people something to believe in, or rally around. His very carriage and disposition were depressing, to say the least. It was one of a defeated person.

"There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Men Drinking Soup During the Great Depression

FDR on the other hand, within the same period, was handling matters as the Governor of New York. Though, on a smaller scale, he was making a difference. He was not one to leave things to chance. His challenge in taking on the helm, has the president of the United States, was being able to replicate the initiatives he was already practicing in New York. And, that he did.

"Yes, we are on our way back—not just by pure chance, my friends, not just by a turn of the wheel, of the cycle. We are coming back more soundly than ever before because we are planning it that way. Don't let anybody tell you differently." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Great by Choice (Jim Collins)

FDR gave the people something they could rally around. He gave the people something they could believe in. Though he did not have the full answer to the great depression, he was not one to fold his hands and do nothing. Rather than leave things to chance, he took positive steps in turning the tide. He focused on doing all he could to alleviate the immediate challenge. He defined what leadership means.

"Let us not be afraid to help each other—let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials but the voters of this country." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

FDR owes the biggest portion of his success to two women in his life – his mother (Sara Ann “Sallie” Delano Roosevelt) and his wife (Anna Eleanor Roosevelt). There would have been no Governor, or President Francis Delano Roosevelt without these two women. These two are the rock of all FDR was, especially after his polio infection.

"You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give." (Eleanor Roosevelt) 

"I call for effort, courage, sacrifice, devotion. Granting the love of freedom, all of these are possible. And the love of freedom is still fierce and steady in the nation today." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

So, what is your excuse for not actualizing your potentials? None! FDR actualized with his polio, not in spite of it. He did not live in denial. He allowed his experience to simmer through, but not conquer him. He allowed himself to be influenced by the positive stories - his own story, in line with his vision, dreams, goals, and aspiration. You too can do it. Go and be all God has endowed you to be. You have no excuse not to.

Links to Series:
The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Two)
The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Four)

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The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Two)

Nelson Rolihlahla (Madiba) Mandela

He needs no introduction. Loved and highly revered, he is one of the most admired political leaders of the Twentieth and Twenty-First century, more for his spirit of forgiveness and forging ahead with a positive vision. He was born in Traskei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918, a son of a local tribal leader of the Thembu tribe, in the South African village of Mvezo.

He joined the ANC in 1943, to actively participate in the struggle against apartheid (apartness - a racial segregation policy of the ruling National Party). He was charged with Treason in 1963 and commuted to life imprisonment from 1964 – 1990. Madiba (as his people love to call him) was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected President on May 10th, 1994.

He negotiated the end of apartheid in South Africa, bringing peace to a racially divided country and leading the fight for human rights around the world. He died at the ripe age of ninety-five (95) years on December 5, 2013.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." – Nelson Mandela

So, what made him stand out and tall? What is it about him that has engraved his name on the stone of time? What qualifies him as a champion/model of "The Invictus Soul?"

1. Mandela caught a Vision of Something Bigger than Himself:

Mandela graduated from the University in 1942, as one of the few western-educated blacks in his country. He was the first to go to school in his family. Mandela could have been satisfied with that. He had a flourishing career as an attorney. He could have made a name for himself and be happy. However, the cry of liberation was more significant than all that.

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." ― Nelson Mandela

The bigness on his inside could not be held back by the smallness apartheid was forcing on him. There was more to life. There was more to his life than living just for himself. There was more than merely living. There was more than only being small and unnoticed. His eyes caught hold of the bigger picture, and he was irresistibly drawn to it.

"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ― Nelson Mandela

So, do you have a vision? Do you have a dream? Do you have a "WHY" driving you each and every day? Is it big enough to cause an insatiable hunger in you? Is it big enough to make you uncomfortable? Is it big enough to cause you to stretch? Is it big enough to give life to the bigness on the inside of you? Is it big enough to make the king in you roar? Does it scare you? What are you doing about it?

"If your vision doesn’t scare you, then both your vision and your God are too small." ― Andrew van der Bijl)

2. Mandela was not willing to settle for less:

He was fully committed to the course, not one with one leg in and one leg out. He was not a maybe person. He had a vision of the future, and he was going to settle for nothing less. He had various opportunities to pull out or work remotely, but he was entirely sold out.

On 11 January 1962, using the adopted name David Motsamayi, Mandela secretly left South Africa. He traveled around Africa and visited England to gain support for the armed struggle. He received military training in Morocco and Ethiopia and returned to South Africa in July 1962.

He did not have to come back. He could have worked remotely. He had his skin in the game. That differentiated him out. On his sentencing, these were his words from the dock on April 20th, 1964,

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Throughout his 27 years imprisonment, he had rejected at least three conditional offers of release. He was unwilling to settle for less. He had his eyes on unflinchingly on the price. That is what marked him out.

Can this be said of you? Are you settling? Are you paying for less than you are capable of? Are you doing your best? Are you giving it your all? If not, why not? What is stopping you? Why are you giving it power over you? Isn't your life worth something? Isn't your joy worth something? Isn't your happiness worth something? Isn't your legacy worth something? When are you going to shake it off? Why not today?

“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” ― Nelson Mandela

3. Mandela did not lose his person in the struggle:

Mandela showed us an example of the truth, "we are always responsible." He went through the struggle, but he did not allow the battle to go through him. He went through hell but did not stay there, nor let it remain in him. He did not lose sight nor hold off who he was because of the wickedness and oppression. He held his own. He held his ground. He refused to give his locus of control to something outside of himself. 

“I learned that to humiliate another person is to make him suffer an unnecessarily cruel fate. Even as a boy, I defeated my opponents without dishonoring them.” ― Nelson Mandela

It is not enough to fight in life. Much more important is to always fight fairly. It is not merely about winning. It is much more important how you win. It is necessary to win the right way and principles. That is what sustainable growth is made of. That is how you leave a lasting legacy. Life is not meant to break us. Instead, it is to make us winners, not losers, nor victims. We are "Invictus." We win. That is our style. That is our destiny.

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” ― Nelson Mandela

4. Mandela never gave up trying:

The intent of his captors was to break his spirit through the horrors of imprisonment on Robben Island. It was during this time that he penned the manuscript to his book, "Long Walk to Freedom." He did not bemoan the things he could not do. Instead, he focused on the things he could do while in prison. He read, wrote, and found inspiration where he could. He never gave up on hope, in twenty-seven years of imprisonment. That can only come from one with a strong spirit.

"Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end." ― Nelson Mandela

We each have the same capability, if only we activate it. Irrespective of where we find ourselves, we always have a choice. There is still something we can do. "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." (Viktor E. Frankl) We don't have to always have the right answer. We don't even have to know what to do. We don't have to get it right. It is our responsibility to ALWAYS try and NEVER give up trying, irrespective of how many times we might fail. We keep the things that work and get rid of the things that don't.

“When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” ― Nelson Mandela

© 2017 Akin Akinbodunse

Links to Series:

The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part One)
The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Three)

Link to Other Resources:

Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)

Nelson Mandela: Legacy (Michael Woodford)

Conversations With Myself (Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama)

The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part One)

Just what was in the mind of the English poet, William Ernest Henley, as he wrote this poem - "INVICTUS?" He contracted tuberculosis of the bone at the tender age of 12. The disease progressed to his foot, such that the only way to save his life was to amputate directly below the knee. This was done when he was 17. 

Before success comes in any man’s life, he’s sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That’s exactly what the majority of men do. (Napoleon Hill)

Invictus exudes a very passionate fervor that any person with an understanding of hardship can associate with. The word “Invictus” is a Latin word meaning “unconquerable” or “undefeated.” The poem is an encouragement to never lose hope irrespective of how bad the situation might be. Life is not easy. Life is not meant to be easy. It happens to every one of us, without exception. We each have our own story. It does not always reflect on our faces, nor does the expression make it any easier, or more difficult. Just like our faces, our stories might be just as different.

Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we’ll ever do. (Brené Brown)

It is our story. It is our cup to drink. It is our cross to bear. It is our shoe to wear. If ours, then, we are graced to handle it. If ours, then, it is in us to conquer. It is in us to overcome. For, we are each SHAPED for PURPOSE (FUNCTION). It might not always appear so, but deep in each of us are unlimited resources we can tap into. No one else is going to do that for us. We have to dig deep within our self. For life is won from within, not without. It is the place of life to test us. It is our place to show up. It is our place to show what we are made of. Life does its thing, and we do ours. 

Everyone has their own story and that’s something I hope for everyone to learn at a young enough age. Just because something is right for someone else doesn’t make it right for you. It’s cooler to be yourself. (Hayley Williams)

We only win when we show up. We only win when we live up to our own part. Life will NEVER ask more than we can give, even though it might not seem apparent, while we are in the fire. There is a reservoir of unlimited supply in us. There is a spirit; there is a soul with unlimited potentials and strength. Our place is to tap into it. Our place is to dig deep. Life shakes off the things that are shakable in us to reach to the things that are firm. It forces on us to rid ourselves of superstitions and sentiments so as to lay hold on the things that are unshakable. So as to lay hold on eternal truths and principles. Life makes us solid, by filling us, shaking and making us to overflow. It comes to mature us - force us into our destiny.

Napoleon Hill puts it like this,

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."

Our place is never to give up, never to quit, and never to be ordinary. There is nothing ordinary about us. We are "Invictus." We are made of gold. We are made of steel. We have a spirit of life. We have an unlimited, unconquerable and undefeatable soul. There is a wealth of riches and abundance within. We must never let that go. We must never let that go to waste. We must never let that be in vain. We are "Invictus." We win. That is who we are. That is what we do. That is our nature. That is our calling. We must lay a hold of Hope. We must lay a hold of Faith. We must lay a hold of Love. And, let them lead us home. Let them lead us to our destiny. Let them lead us to our wealthy, large place. We are "Invictus." We win. That is what we do. It is in our DNA.

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

In this series we will share stories of "Invictus Souls" (Gladiators of Life) hoping to glean from their experiences in a bid to stir up our own "Invictus - ness." Stay tuned and be blessed.

’What is our aim?’ I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival. (Winston Churchill, Challenge to the British people during World War II)

Do It Afraid

Go for Gold

Show Up and Do It Afraid

Your Dreams Are Possible

The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Two)