Act: Acquiring Character to Triumph

By A. H. Carlisle III

Author Andrew Carlisle's "Listen to what he does,
Watch what he says" has helped to teach many women
how to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Unfortunately it doesnt stop with being able to spot
the fakes. How does one obtain the blessings that
God has in store for you?

Believe it or not, you already hold the answers within!
Allow Mr. Carlisle's "ACT" to help awaken those dormant qualities hidden deep
inside you by tilting your perspective inwards and helping you find your key to true
happiness. Its this inner truth and happiness that will be your greatest reward.
As we all know, faith without work is fruitless.

This book will help you learn how to:

* Love yourself

* Better Discern

* Avoid "predatory behavior"

* Build a strong character

* and Most Importantly: Gain the courage to walk away from toxic relationships

Change the way you think and you will change your world!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491840320

A. H. Carlisle III

Life is about growth. As we take this Journey with this author from "Listen to what he does, Watch what he says", we notice that even he as an author has grown. Life's experiences are the most profound teachers in our life and often we fail to recognize the lessons. Many of us will allow these experinces to make us bitter rather than making us bettter. As you will see throughout this book, knowing who you are and what you are worth can be your greatest value. As you grow out of bad relationships you must allow yourself to grow into a better you. This takes self reflection, understanding, humility and grace. Author Andrew Carlisle has taken his own journeys through life, living and experiencing great pain along the way. It was this pain that has taught him that there is so much more beyond the pain. That his worth was not valued by any other person than himself. It was his growth that allowed him to ACT, and to become a better person. As you read this book, realize that it is your self worth that will be your best friend or your worst enemy as you continue through the world of love. Only you can determine that worth. Will you Acquire Character to Triumph?

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2013 A. H. Carlisle III. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/26/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4034-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4033-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4032-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921693

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

A Few Words…

Recap from Listen to what He does, Watch what He says…

Prelude

Part One — Acquire

Chapter One: A Woman’s Worth

Chapter Two: Date yourself

Chapter Three: The Simple Solution - An Excuse

Part two — Character

Chapter Four: The Perfect Attire

Chapter Five: Fake It Until You Make It

Chapter Six: The Ability to Discern

Chapter Seven: Predatory Behavior

Chapter Eight: Building to Achieve

Chapter Nine: Bigger Choices

Part three — Triumph

Chapter Ten: No Means No

Chapter Eleven: No Pain, No Gain

Chapter Twelve: The Long Walk Home

Chapter Thirteen: Your Worth Not His Value

Conclusion

A.C.T

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To God be the Glory. There is nothing too big when you have faith and for that I thank Him for this continued Journey.

A FEW WORDS…

We strive for love yet often times we fall short, we strive to do our best and often times we fail. We look deep within, yet we never see the problem. We look even further, yet we fail to realize the answer is not out there. We strive again, yet this time around we look through lenses of the past. As we begin to grow within our hearts, our minds, and our souls we realize that striving was never the answer. We take one final look inside, and we see the blessing that God has bestowed upon us. We see ourselves. We realize who we are, and it is then the growth we experienced leads us to the answer. We are the problem and we are the solution. It is simple; know yourself before trying to love another. Thank you to all of my fans and I hope you enjoy your read!

RECAP FROM LISTEN TO WHAT HE DOES, WATCH WHAT HE SAYS…

Typically, we tend to go through life never assessing ourselves therefore never knowing where we came from and where we have gone. When I first started this book, almost a year had passed and many of the situations discussed are as recent as the winter past. The situations, however, were not the only thing that has changed; I myself have changed in many ways. The question that remained is have I changed for the good concerning various topics discussed in this book. What is interesting to me is that, in writing this book, not only have I spread the knowledge found on these pages, but have also been able to expand my way of thinking. Sometimes we look back, and for those that look back, we wonder how certain things may have shaped us and molded us into the adults we are today. When I began writing this book, I knew that many things that had happened in my past were a direct influence on the actions I have taken in my more recent past. As I looked back, I began to realize that I have then allowed those same influencers to shape my perceptions and thought process in regard to love as well as relationships.

Recently I sat in a class that was given by the U.S. Army called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. The first block of instruction for this 12 day class was about resilience and how to overcome. When I entered the classroom, I found that it was only me and the instructor. As we sat there with a short period of silence, we began to discuss different topics. As the conversation progressed we began to talk about him and his situation at home. It was not good and for him it was becoming a losing battle. This instructor, who is the certified trainer for resilience, began to sob right in front of me. It was very apparent to me that he was hurting deep inside. I moved to what I know best, that was a ‘preacher’. Always preaching or as my brother says he will say at my funeral, He always has a message for someone. I wanted to talk to him man-to-man to see where his head was at and as we spoke it became more interesting to me how this man saw his marriage and himself.

One of the most profound things that I took from the conversation was this phrase,

My wife always knew I was the playboy type, I was dating multiple women when we met, so for me to quit cold turkey and marry her well she should at least be appreciative of that.

I wanted to drop my jaw on the table but instead replied with sarcasm, You would surely think that she would be appreciative.

But let us put this in realistic context and look at the number of faithful men in relationships. It’s true there are not many, but that does not relieve a man of the responsibility to be faithful to his woman. I asked him if he had ever had the conversation with a group of men about how many women they have or have not had sexually in the past? He simply said yeah man of course, and I expounded on how common this was for men to boast about such a subject, especially because this is part of the majority. Most men can talk about, with some experiencing more than others, the subject of sex and conquering the ‘Nu-Nu’. He let out a laugh, but I turned and looked at him now very serious, and asked him an important question.

Now tell me how many men you know that can say they are faithful and strive to make their woman feel like a true queen?

None.

As the conversation went on and, I continued my ‘preaching’ to him,

Man you know what I have always wanted in life? To be that man who his woman brags about how good he is when he is not even around. That to me would not only be amazing, but it would be a true rarity.

He smiled, his face lighting up in excitement, Wow that would be nice.

Here I began to end the conversation with a moment of truth. I told him very bluntly,

The only way you will ever make your woman as happy as she should be is remember one thing, tomorrow is not promised. Live for today and do everything in your will to make her smile today. You have no idea if you or she will be here tomorrow so instead of trying to plan that special date, or wait for that holiday, make her smile today. Even if it is just a word of affirmation, figure out what makes her tick and use it to your advantage. If you can handle that simple task you will have done your job as a man and as a husband.

I say all this because often I find myself telling men about the benefits of being faithful and also about the moral aspect of what it means to treat a woman right. This does not go to say that I have it figured out but what I have figured out is that all of the influencers that once were bringing out the negative in me I have used to bring out the positive. Earlier in this book I mentioned that no one can make a man ready for commitment but himself. That is the truth of the matter. My heart is ready yet I know that it still takes more than that. I am asked quite often why I am single and I have even had friends debate me on my status. Some believe I just love having my freedom and others tend to think that I just enjoy playing the field. Neither is true and as I explain to them, it is not so much about being ready as it is ensuring that you choose the person you are ready for. Because I am ready in my heart finally to be committed to a woman does not mean that any woman would fit that build. If I settle simply because I am ready in my heart, it will be a constant battle with my heart and my mind.

I have always told people, it is not so much what your head says, it is not even what your heart says; it truly matters when your heart and your mind both want the same thing. The heart and mind must be aligned.

I will end this with a very telling story. My younger brother who has always looked up to me as his older brother, often many times sought to show me the ways that he could be better, sort of like little brother competition. Recently he was married to his son’s mother, which he had dated on and off for nearly 10 years. Before he was to be married I knew my brother was not doing everything that he should have been doing as a soon to be husband, and he was doing things that I knew a soon to be husband should not be doing. At that moment I made a very hard decision in my life. I understood that although my brother had not gone through the sexual molestation I had gone through as a child, he had still been introduced to sex way