We are losing our collective desire to "suck it up" and to learn courage, determination, and strength at an early age. We are being coddled, in our schools, in our jobs, even in the military where we've seen standards relaxed. Too often kids today are being raised by "helicopter parents," parents who hover, determined to never let their kids struggle. Teachers and administrators create "safe-spaces" for students, fearful of criticism from parents, radical students and activist leaders.That's bad for raising normal kids and functional, productive, free and courageous adults. We were not meant to be "snowflakes." By design, we each need "opposition in all things," as the scripture tells us. We need to graduate magna cum laude from the school of hard knocks. More importantly, many times, we need to go it alone. We must experience, then confront, then face down or master our fears, and do it in a systematic, workable, realistic way. We were meant to be Courageous, with a capital "C."That's where this book comes in.Forging Your Own Courageous Life will show you how, step by step, to rise above your fears and even make what were once weaknesses and liabilities into mighty assets and powerful strengths. Then, with genuine, personal, individual success, you are so much better positioned to mentor and lift others, especially those who struggle. That's how heroes are built, and how great nations lift themselves, and then the world. Forging Your Own Courageous Life will teach you: -True courage is making the effort to learn from those who know. Mastering truth takes great humility, as well as effort. Being humble means being "teachable."-True success is never a group effort. It is earned by you personally. By learning to master self, and to become accomplished personally, you will be far better positioned to contribute something of value to the larger whole. -Your freedom to choose your own path in life is under attack. If you stand out above the crowd in any way, there are always those who will try to lop off your head. This book teaches you how to fight back, quietly, humbly, yet most effectively.-If it doesn't kill you, failure is nearly always the finest educator and mentor, and the perfect motivator you will ever encounter. So, remember, learn to use your failures.-True courage, though built experience upon experience, is still, logically, never without the necessary companion of fear, though fear is not necessarily a bad emotion. If properly understood, controlled, weighed and winnowed, it can be a valuable survival tool, and an even better teacher.-The purpose of life is to master the art of on-going repentance, in the process embracing sufficient humility (the beginning of wisdom). Personal improvement, and the courage it engenders, is best refined and mastered through service to others. -The highest paid commodity on earth, and life's greatest secret, is the vital ability to master a genuine enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is also the perfect antidote to fear.-By Divine design, the polar opposite of fear is faith. Put another way, both fear and faith cannot exist in the same sphere at the same time. I implore you to consider the power of faith.-There are basically two kinds of people in our world-Builders and Wreckers. Master the skill of using these people to actually help you build your courageous life.-Remember, never proclaim your competence. Demonstrate it, and then keep your mouth shut.-When justified, make it a point to sincerely ask for forgiveness. It doesn't mean you're weak. In fact, it takes a special kind of courage. Remember always: Do no harm.-If you want to excel in life you must learn to speak well, and to write well. If you do, you can name your price.-Remember: In the end, it's up to you to decide what tools and weapons go into your Courage Quiver.
About the Author: -Rick Robison joined the Foreign Service in the early 1980s as a U.S. Diplomat and Arabist. He served in Arabian Gulf Nations during the Iran-Iraq War, and later during the Gulf War served in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. -In 1991, he assisted the Gulf War Task Force, serving in the Persian Gulf region during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. -Following the Gulf War, Rick resigned from the government, returning to the Persian Gulf as a consultant to help these nations rebuild, and teach the principles of liberty, success, and entrepreneurship. Following the Iraq War (2003) he contracted with the U.S. Military in Iraq, Yemen, Djibouti, and Turkey. -He is a popular speaker at conventions, on talk shows, at universities, and before a variety of professional groups. He was president of Fortress International, Inc., training the US military and private companies on how to succeed in the challenging Middle East environment. -Mr. Robison is the author of multiple books (see his list on Amazon and below), and has been published in: Common Conservative magazine, The American Ideological Society of Philadelphia magazine, Intellectual Conservative magazine, Foreign Trade magazine, and Safari. He was also Chief Editor of Sovcap's Market Intelligence Report from Russia (1990s). -Today he is founder and CEO of Fortress1699, LLC, a consulting group specializing on the Middle East (www.Fortress1699.com). -He was hired by Remember My Service/Storyrock, Inc. to author the special 25th Commemorative book The Liberation of Kuwait: Honoring the Veterans of Desert Storm, published in 2016 and paid for by the Kuwaiti Government, and other select sponsors. This is a high-end, coffee table-style commemorative work, which also included a feature-length documentary. Rick led the fundraising team in Kuwait. -In the 1970s, he received a Bachelor's Degree, and later a Master's Degree, in the Arabic Language and Middle East Area Studies, receiving an Arabic language scholarship. -He attended the American University In Cairo, Egypt, completing an Arabic Language degree. -The insights he offers are backed by decades on the inside of Middle Eastern culture and international corporate America. He provides perspective, more importantly discernment, molded while working on the ground in the Turkish, Arab, Israeli, & Iranian Middle East. His window on the world is unique, providing valuable information for all Americans at this critical time.