Praise for Defy the Immediate

“Your writing is very passionate. I felt your desire to impart all that you’ve learned in life in your words. I liked how you started each chapter with an inspirational saying, and ended each chapter with the particular lesson you learned. I enjoyed how you describe the way you persevered through situations that may have stopped someone else from moving forward. You show that life isn’t easy. There are obstacles we all have to learn from. But your words are inspiring. It shows none of us are alone in facing these blocks that pop up on our path. Through failure, we learn. Your cover and book itself was professionally done. I enjoyed “meeting” the people you mention in your story. Your writing style was breezy, and easy to understand. Great story. Very inspirational.”

-Judge, 28th Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards

“T.R. Shaw has the rare ability to look both success and failure straight in the eye.  Powerful and engaging, his book is an inspiring glimpse into a self-awareness and perseverance that we should all aspire to.”

-Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Thom Burke, former commanding officer, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)

“Who are your heroes?  T.R. Shaw’s reflective look back at his life can help all of us identify the true heroes in our lives.  DEFY THE IMMEDIATE, written with humor and profound sincerity, is an introspective look into the author’s life that proves good can come out of even the worst of times.”

-Retired U.S. Army Col. John Wemlinger, best-selling author of OPERATION LIGHT SWITCH, WINTERS BLOOM, and BEFORE THE SNOW FLIES.

“Defy the Immediate helps us to dig into ourselves to find our greatness. T.R. Shaw’s book helps us realize that one way to grow in wisdom is to reflect on our experiences. The book will also help to find the turning points in our lives to become better in all that we do.”

 -Carlos Fontana, Mental Fitness, Leadership Coach, and Co-Author of FOLLOW TO LEAD; The 7 Principles of Being a Great Follower

“As a funeral director, T .R. Shaw witnessed the depths of personal tragedy and emotions. As a Naval Officer, at the bridge on one of history’s most awesome ships, he gained wisdom and understanding that only dark nights at sea can give. Through these life lessons he has gained unique insights. Defy the Immediate uplifts and inspires and will motivate you to achieve your greatest aspirations.”

 -Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Ron Wassom, military advocate, educator and community leader

A Great Review from Michigan in Books Blog

http://michiganinbooks.blogspot.com/

Defy the Immediate: A Journey of Failure, Perseverance, and Success

by T. R. Shaw Jr.

This well written, well-intended book is meant to be more than just an autobiography. In the preface, the author writes that his goal for the book is to inform, entertain, inspire, and mentor those seeking to become leaders. As a journalism major at Central Michigan University, he certainly became a very good writer.

Each chapter covers a specific period in his life from childhood and the joy of spending time with his grandparents on their large working orchard to growing up in an urban setting, his experiences at CMU, and the importance of joining a prestigious fraternity. After graduating from CMU he became a junior officer in the navy, and later resigned and attended mortuary school at Wayne State. After graduation, he returned to Battle Creek and, like his father, became a funeral director. It is a well-documented and very readable narrative of middle-class life in the latter half of the past century.

But the author wrote the book to be much more than simply the story of his life. At the end of each chapter, there's a section highlighted by a grey background and entitled "Lesson Learned." In many cases, the "Lesson Learned" has been made pretty clear within the chapter's narrative. The author uses the "Lesson Learned" section to expound, summarize, or be more emphatic about what he learned. I think the author is demonstratively a good enough writer to have seamlessly woven everything he wanted to say about the lesson learned into the narrative. But the above is only a minor distraction in this otherwise well-meaning and sincere effort to tell the author's life story and share the lessons learned on his journey.

Defy the Immediate: A Journey of Failure, Perseverance, and Success by T. R. Shaw Jr. Mission Point Press, 2019, $12.95.

Alan F. Sewell

5.0 out of 5 stars Defy the immediate…except when the immediate defies YOUR destiny

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020

I don’t know Mr. Shaw but heard about his memoir from a mutual friend. It resonated with me because I was born within a year of Mr. Shaw in 1958. I grew up in the same wondrous Space Age he experienced, doing the same things as a child and college student. Except for military service, I’ve had a similar lifepath of decision points as he did having been an employee, an economic business owner (aka making money), and now working as a “follow your passion” business owner.

His theme of “defy the immediate” (he learned it from a renowned president of Central Michigan University) is a key to success I’ve also learned the hard way. Don’t let life’s “noise” distract you from your mission. If there is a Devil, one of his favorite ploys in derailing us from success is to tell us “it’s not worth the effort.” When we are hurt, angry, and disappointed we must not obsess with the momentary urge to quit. We must keep our long-term destiny in focus. EXCEPT at those times in life when we become aware that the presumed destiny really ISN’T worth the effort of continuing to strive for it. In those pivotal moments it takes real courage to try something else.

As we get to that “last quarter of life” around 60, we start to reflect on life and analyze what we did right and question what we got wrong. These moments can be tortuous for the conscientious. Mr. Shaw explains how he looks back on those moments when he had to decide whether to stick with his presumed destiny, or to abandon it for a larger one:

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For a long time I wallowed in self-doubt. Did I make a monumental mistake or was it a bold and life-affirming decision? I’ve always been one to overthink almost everything.

Many people stay trapped in jobs, relationships and commitments that no longer create happiness or inspire others. We must not ignore our sense of destiny.

One of the things I once read stated that the mark of a true leader is knowing when to move on.
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He owns up to making common mistakes we all make, which usually involve focusing too much on ourselves. He explains in each chapter’s “lessons learned” how he navigated past those shortcomings, learning from them, and went on to fulfill his life’s large destinies in military service, business ownership, and community service.

The book was a delight to read because I am Mr. Shaw’s age and share his experiences and his reflections back on them. It’s written conversationally, so he is speaking directly to you in his own voice. You will value this book if you’re in your 60s and looking back at life, or if you’re young and encountering life’s vexing decision points for the first time.