In September 1951, I decided to go to war. My brother and a number of friends had enlisted and were already in the Korean War. They were fifteen or sixteen and had lied about their ages to join the National Guard that had been called up at the beginning of the Korean War. They were given little training before being placed as a human wall across Korea to slow down the advance of North Korea. Many of my friends were killed. My brother survived. His first job was to put his friends in body bags. Aviation had been of interest to me, so I chose the Air Force and in September 1952, I arrived at Kaitue, Korea, where I became the crew chief of a fighter-bomber for the commanding officer of our squadron. On my way there, in a troop ship while suffering a terrible sea sickness, I decided I hated war and would dedicate my life to preventing it. I was just seventeen.
I came from a long line of business people who provided me the experiences of apprenticing with CEOs from the age of twelve. In this environment, I was encouraged and prepared to pursue a career in business. However, while in the war I felt that politics was the way to make the greatest contribution. I decided that politics got us into wars and that it was also the way to get us out of them.
This thinking led to taking correspondence courses in political science while still in Korea, and upon my return I secured a degree in political science and history, and then pursued graduate work in law. It also led to involvement in political research and campaigning. In 1955, upon being released from the service, I immediately ran a congressional campaign, participated in helping a US Senator win, and joined Richard Nixon in his efforts to become Vice President under Eisenhower. My goal was to secure political appointments that would eventually lead to President of the Word Bank. At that time, I thought this position provided the greatest opportunity to assist developing nations, like Korea, and prevent war.
After finishing my college education and having held many positions in the Republican Party, I became very involved in Nixon's campaign for president. As part of this involvement I ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. During this period a very remarkable man became my research assistant. He spoke eleven languages and could read over twenty-one and was a very accomplished researcher and historian. At that time he was a translator for the Pentagon. Upon telling him my concerns with world problems and my plan of action, he decided to help me.
Nixon won the Republican primary nomination, as did I, and we were well involved in the general elections. As the campaign continued, so did the research. It wasn't long before we found out what most people realize today. The special interest groups dominate the functions of government, causing our political system to function without conscience. The way we decided to prevent this from continuing was for congressman (who controlled the budget) to submit all major approbation bills to their constituents for a vote. This led to producing a campaign button, based on this idea, which simply stated, "I count".
Powerful special interest groups forged an effort to defeat me. That, along with the fact that there were 2 to1 registered Democrats in my District, brought about my defeat. Nevertheless, Nixon won and I was well on my way to accepting the political appointments I had sought. Our research on solving world problems continued. My research assistant and I formed a pact. He would continue to do research on how to help cure world problems and I would try to implement whatever we discovered.
I was to receive the political appointment I was seeking, and the press conference was called where I was to announce my future plans. As I prepared for the conference, I looked at the world more objectively than I had ever done before. I could not help but see that the best thing for doing good was simply teaching how to improve quality. This was encouraged by what Japan was accomplishing in its efforts to solve its economic problems. That was to install Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM was a quality initiative created by W. Edwards Deming, a statistics professor at Columbia University. It was developed for the US Defense Department to assure the quality of products for its defense industries during WW II. The positive results of this initiative were dwarfing everything else with respect to economic growth as well as sociological and political advancements. Nobody was doing more good than Deming and those TQM Consultants who were installing TQM in Japanese companies. They were turning a nation that had very little natural resources, most of their male population killed off, atomic bombs dropped on two of their major industrial cities, despised by people through out the world, and widely known for their poor quality into one of the leading economic powers and political forces in the world. Even more startling was the sociological benefits that were occurring. They were producing the foremost educational system, the lowest divorce rate, and one of the lowest drug-abuse and crime rates across the globe. All of this occurred due to the dedication by determined and highly committed quality consultants.
It was 1969 when I entered the lobby of the hotel where my press conference was being held. I was directed to a waiting room where I met J.C. Penny, who also awaiting a press conference. There I asked his advice as to how to best improve the world and he told me that the best way to improve the world was to improve business. I took his advice and instead of accepting a position, I told those attending that my course of action was to pursue a career as a Business Consultant with a focus on quality.
Along with my political activity, I had been consulting business since 1966 and had joined a firm that installed improvement programs. Following that news conference I formed my own firm, which provided business quality consulting and developmental research. Over the years that followed I established offices in six major cities. That was followed by a decision to move near a major university where I could concentrate my time on discovering how the human mind works to produce improvements. I rightly thought if this could be discovered we could greatly accelerate the effectiveness of all quality initiatives.
Much time has passed since I began this pursuit, and it cost me much of my time and resources. Yet, I began this endeavor with the understanding that this could be the case and tried to prepare for it by putting together a real estate development, which I then sold to support my family of five children. However, right in the middle of my research, documentation, and writing, the party I sold my real estate interest to had a misfortune and went bankrupt, forcing them to return my interest. Because they had placed a substantial mortgage on the property, a great deal of reorganization followed where I was not able to free my interest to again sell it. So, my wife and I were forced to suffer through this setback while I finished my research and writing. Fortunately, I was able to compile enough information to finally discover how the mind basically works to produce improvements, write a related textbook, conduct classroom studies, create a new and very powerful quality initiative for business as well as government organizations, and conclude related case studies, which proved to be very successful.
However, at that point I had to mortgage my home twice to keep going through the process of conducting case studies, publishing my findings in the form of a textbook, creating Perpetual Improvement (a streamlined TQM system which included the discoveries I had made regarding Mind Over Time), developing a website for conveying my discoveries to people and organizations throughout the world, and establishing a quality institute to instruct, certify, and support quality coaches in the implementation of this brand new quality initiative.
I formed Improvement Masters International (IMI) as the operating company. The major purpose of IMI is to establish 1,500 Certified IMI Coaches throughout the United States and several thousand throughout the world. This professional consulting position provides the opportunity to bring about highly significant improvements in our society. (Click on Coaches tab at top of Home page to discover more about this opportunity.)
I have now turned seventy-six years old. It has been a long and sometimes very difficult journey. Yet, it has been a good one, a successful one. I consider myself very fortunate to have discovered these breakthrough understandings in how the human mind works to make improvements and the related books and programs to convey these understandings throughout the world. It has enabled me to accomplish more in the past ten years in every aspect of my life than I did in the previous sixty-six years. At this point I expect to accomplish more in the next year than I did in the last five years. Those of you who become involved in Mind Over Time can look forward to that same achievement if not greater, no matter at what age you start.
Being involved in Mind Over Time integrates highly important processes and principles into your behavior that not only produce greater productivity and quality, but a higher sense of morality. That change in your behavior also brings about great increases in your level of happiness.
During my over forty years as a quality consultant, which involved fifteen years of research on increasing improvements, I have written a number of books and programs that give instruction on increasing personal and organization improvements. I feel all of these works are important as far as advancing human life. However, there are five that have highly significant importance. They books are titled Awakening (Short Motivation Book), Mind Over Time (A textbook as well as a program that coaches your you in how the mind works to increase the number and value of your improvements), Winds of Freedom (Historical Romantic Novel that has you vicariously experiencing the wonderful benefits of mastering Mind Over Time and teaches you why we are as now we are), Roots of the Constitution (history book that gives you a true perspective of history, which we all need to have in order to constructively move ahead with our lives), and The End of War (an instruction book on ending war by successfully building economies).
These books contain information that will greatly improve all aspects of your life and will bring further peace throughout the world. Of these Mind Over Time, the textbook on how the human mind works to produce quality, provide happiness, and fulfill our five hopes of being respected, joyful, loved, wise, and free, is the most important.
Reading Winds of Freedom and Roots of the Constitution will give you important understandings of why we are as we are now, and an idea of how we can become who we were meant to be. They convey why we need to be free, and how we gained the freedom we should naturally be enjoying. Furthermore, they help to teach us what we need to do to help the people of other nations gain that freedom. These books will give the reader a wonderful perspective of what freedom is all about, the price we have paid for it, and what we each can do to increase it. I am now writing the Roots of the Constitution 2, which will cover the most important years from 50 AD to 1700 AD. Understanding this history will bring great changes throughout the world. I am also trying to figure out a novel like Winds of Freedom to convey that understanding in a fun way.
The Winds of Freedom, a historical romance novel based in the 1790’s, presents many wonderful ideas and principles; in the context of what I believe is a truly beautiful short stories. It also provides a comparative history of the culture of northern Europe and native America. It uplifts our visions to what is possible for us all individually and collectively.
This novel takes place in the years around 1790's, right after the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America. It presents an overall image of our great capabilities and moves us towards becoming our best selves. I have also written the lyrics and music of songs that go with the novel. The sheet music for these songs, along with a CD, will be available through this website in the near future. I believe these songs bring to it a greater dimension; giving reader and listener a perspective and feeling that cannot otherwise be conveyed. A musical stage production of the novel is also underway, as is the screenplay.
My professional life today is mostly focused on giving talks and conducting interviews. I would welcome the opportunity to talk to your groups. Email me at Doug@mindovertime.com in that regard. I am planning a world speaking tour this year, so contact me as soon as possible.
I am also continuing my research that is greatly aided by Mind Over Time and IMI Coaches and their Clients. They provide a great deal of knowledge, experience, and in-depth information. My major research topic continues to be how the mind works to produce improvements, gain happiness, fulfill our primary hopes, build faith, and remove fear so our ability to increase our awareness may continue to grow.
Beyond my speaking engagements and research, I am also involved in establishing national and local quality initiatives that apply Mind Over Time to entire communities and nations. I am writing a book on that subject and working on the history book which provides two other histories: one going back to 449 AD, which was the beginning of England, and the other going back to about 50 AD which was the time the people of northern Europe became known as Enges.
At this point if you are considering reading one of my books or going through one of the programs available on Mind Building above, my best wish for you is that it will open your mind to your finest thoughts. As it does, I encourage you to commit to their realization regardless of whether you believe they are possible. Be assured that the tremendous capacities you have for improvement will immediately go to work for you to make those visions real. As this takes place, let each related improvement receive your gratitude, and in turn your happiness will increase. Then let the hopes that this happiness nourishes give you the faith to overcome all obstacles on your path and realize all of your finest thoughts. By doing this, you will be consistently motivated to better yourself and make the contributions you are capable of making in your quest to improve.
One thing I know for sure, “We are all far more capable than we think.” Even our finest visions of our capabilities fall short of how much we can do to make our lives, and the lives of others more productive and happy. I believe as well that we can fully employ our present capability as we consistently add to it. Such greater dimensions are seen by many as impossible; nevertheless, greater things than we have yet imagined are in the realm of reality for all of us. In the Mind Over Time textbook and program and in my novel Winds of Freedom, you can examine these.
There is one thing that you can always count on, and that is that there always remains new levels of awareness with respect to all things. If that were not so, we would run out of improvements, eliminating the possibility of happiness.
My commitment to you is that I will remain committed to supporting those that help in this effort in any way I can.