I haven’t allowed myself to write anything for a while… it was necessary for me to take time to reassess my stress-levels and my physical/mental/spiritual health.
Today i began to write again. If you have the time, please comment with feedback. Im contemplating a Kickstarter for a new book and seminar.
I know it needs proofreading, editing, rewriting etc. I simply wrote the thoughts as best i could formulate as a rough draft.

Excerpt from “The Art of Managing Courage”
copyright 2016 – Shaun A. Hays

We have all felt run down and defeated. Sometimes, we get back up, just to get knocked back on our assumptions. Does it make you mad or does it make you want to give up permanently? I know how that feels.

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I have taken a continual beating from this planet and its policies of “defeat the weak, hurting and lonely” and the system that rewards the greedy, brutal and deceptive. As a former child victim of abuses and diagnosed (rightly) with PTSD, BIPOLAR, Rapid Cycling, and, this year; Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease… I am fully aware of the struggle.

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I know that a quick post never truly does your pain justice. i also know from experience that the harder you try to convey the reality of your pain and struggles, the less you are heard. Generally, Humanity isn’t impressed, or concerned with defeat, failings, loss, grief, pain and weakness…even if it is an unjust dealing at the hand of an evil antagonist. Nope. Often it will follow the matra of “Hear no evil, see no evil…” and walk to the other side of the road to avoid eye contact. That is; until courage is added to equation.

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When courage is added something amazing is borne upon the wind surrounding the “suffering ignored”. When courage is seen in the face of suffering and agony, inspiration is birthed in even the most calloused and distracted of humanity.

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Courage is oft misunderstood. We have allowed our teacher to be what we have seen in the media… that of movie star actors sprayed with water to emulate sweat or tears working up an imagined emotion as they yell a tagline and run with weapon in hand to “turn the tide of battle”. Yet we say things like: “it takes true courage to raise a child in today’s world” and applaud the true courage of a survivor of cancer or the survivor of a random act of violence.

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We have some confusion surrounding our definitions of courage, but lets address the biggest void right now: Most people have no idea where courage comes from and even less idea how to “Manage Courage”.

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Right now, if you are hurting, you may have little to no courage left in you. That is a huge problem if you wish to change things. Courage is needed to make choices required to change your circumstances. This is always true. The ability to manage courage is paramount to living life successfully. The ongoing management of courage toward a goal is called Tenacity.

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A few things are definitely needed to cultivate and manage courage continuously, and you can start right now by assessing the presence of these things in your everyday life:

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1) HOPE – (that circumstances can truly change)
2) VISION – (clear understanding of the process)
3) SUPPORT – (because deep inside, we know we are prone to fail somehow)

Take any of these away and you will paralyze an otherwise courageous person. Circumstances will overwhelm them, and eventually, they will give up. Add these three; manage them continually, and you will create a contagious tenacity in any person… The kind of tenacity that empires are built upon.

This is just the beginning.

I urge you to take this information seriously and soberly. To use this information merely for self gain is ill-advised and can have such negative repercussions as to destroy your ability to recover from the carnage. In your haste, you may set off a firestorm of energy that consumes the very thing you set out to accomplish. History agrees with me here. There is no room for the selfish. Banish that before you continue.

Excerpt from “The Art of Managing Courage”
copyright 2016 – Shaun A. Hays

**Note from the author: It has been a year of great testing. Personally, Nationally and Globally. I have had to step back from writing in 2016 to deal with my family, financial changes, and health concerns. As i have reviewed the notes and writings made in my first draft of this book’s first chapter, I cannot help but see an important and timely discussion emerging. I must continue to write and work towards the completion of this book. Prayers would be most helpful.