The Right Mindset

First and foremost security is a MINDSET. Remember it, sear it into your brain, write it on a sticky and staple it to your head, do whatever you need to do but without having the proper mindset everything I say in this blog will be worthless to you, I promise!

Mindset is defined by the World English Dictionary as, “the ideas and attitudes with which a person approaches a situation, esp when these are seen as being difficult to alter”.

Why do you need a security mindset?

Me personally, I always expect the worse and hope for the best in any situation. It drives my wife crazy. My wife on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Bad things don’t happen in her world and it makes me crazy. The solution is a happy median, but we’ll get to that. What we’re figuring out is why we even need it.

A good security mindset will go a long way in keeping you from getting into trouble in the first place. Criminals go after what they perceive as easy targets, and if they are tracking someone who appears to be aware of their surroundings, has implemented the most basic security precautions, and looks confident, they will most likely choose a softer target. The main thing to remember is that, while police officers are awesome at their job, very rarely can they get to an incident soon enough to prevent it from turning into a crime. They are usually reactionary which is bad for you, good for the criminals. As a member of this society, you need to come to grips with the fact that there are desperate, deranged, and downright evil people in this world that are constantly looking for a victim. Don’t be the one! Help yourself.

Developing a security mindset will take a little bit of time and effort on your part unless you have unfortunately already been the recipient of a violent or criminal act. I was in downtown San Diego many years ago enjoying the sights when I stopped at a bench to eat a tasty sub. I didn’t have any back pockets so my wallet had to go in my hip pocket. After eating I got up and went around the corner to buy some chocolate chip cookies and realized my wallet was gone! I retraced my steps back to bench I was sitting on and there it was…with nothing missing except all my cash; about $180 which was funding my weekend trip. I was young and living from paycheck to paycheck so I drew out the remaining funds from my bank account, which barely covered my hotel expenses, and for the next two days had to mooch off the guys I was with. I was fresh out of bootcamp so (don’t laugh) those were my only pair of pants I had with me…all my other clothes being in another state. And since I had no money to buy anything else, I had to continue wearing those pants for 2 more weeks (I washed them of course). What changed was that now every time my wallet went into that hip pocket I zipped it! I zipped it and then double checked it and kept checking for several days after until I felt comfortable that it wouldn’t open on its own. I had developed a security mindset concerning that one particular item. The trick is to develop the security mindset proactively instead of reactively, which by then is already too late.

Here’s how:

Start small and specific. What is the one part of your day or week that scares you or gives you that funny feeling in your stomach the most? Is it driving through a certain neighborhood? Shopping at your local grocery store? Your neighbors? A creepy co-worker? For this scenario let’s go with your neighbors.

Begin by playing the “what-if” game. "What if they play their music really loud while my kids are trying to sleep?"

Next, ponder the possible actions you could take and the possible reactions of the neighbors. Do you confront them? If you do will they apologize and turn it down (if you have that funny feeling in your tummy probably not), or retaliate by keying your car, slashing your tires, or physically harming you? Should you call the police? The neighbors will know it was you. We’re back to the same possible outcomes. Do you sneak over there at night and smash their radio? Probably not a good idea. You are now breaking the law and they can pursue legal action against you, or they may catch you and harm you. Neither conclusion works in your favor.

Finally, decide on a plan in dealing with the situation. Unfortunately, in this scenario you may just have to put up with it until you can move. The point is that you are now on your way to developing that proper mindset.

Once you have “resolved” that possible threat, you can move on to other areas of your life which we will be getting into per the agenda.

*Note-Resolved in this case means that you have come to terms with the situation.  You now have a better grasp of your options, you've thought through possible actions and reactions, and have made a plan in dealing with the outcome you chose.

Implementing a Proper Security Mindset:

Having a security mindset is useless unless you implement it into your daily life. Knowing that you should check your mirror before merging into another lane doesn’t help if you’re busy texting or trying to catch the eye of the pretty girl or gorgeous guy in the car next to you.

Driving requires an active mindset and so does security.

Here’s another scenario:

You know that you get off work late sometimes and have to walk across an abandoned parking lot at night. Because you are starting to rely on yourself for your own security instead of the 18 year old kid driving around the parking lot with a giant yellow light on the top of his car, you went through the steps of developing a proper mindset for this situation. You decided that your best defense against a possible attack was to carry a can of pepper spray in your hand while walking to your car, ensure your cell phone was charged in case you had to call for help, and have your keys readily accessible so you could quickly enter your vehicle. Good job. But holding a canister of pepper spray in your hand while walking to your car at night doesn’t do you any good if you are thinking about what you are going to have for dinner or are replaying the events that happened that day in your head. An attacker will not stand in front of you and announce himself, then allow you sufficient time to point and spray your vile potion at him. No! He has a brain and though he may not be the most educated he does know that he should attack you from the rear, violently and forcefully, before you have a chance to even comprehend what is going on. Now you’re in trouble.
Just because you came up with a plan do not get complacent. Do not think everything will be ok now. You have to actively implement that security mindset until you are out of the “danger zone”. Keep your head on a swivel (constantly look all around you, 360 degrees). Continue playing the what-if game (what if the guy digging in his trunk starts walking towards me, what will I do?). Peer into shadows, be alert to movement and anything out of the ordinary, and be ready at a moment’s notice to put your plan into action.

That is how to implement your security mindset.

I understand that this may seem a bit unsettling or over-the-top. I’m sure my wife will think the same thing when she reads this. The reality is that 99% of the time everything will be ok.  There will be no boogeyman jumping out of the shadows to get you, you will walk to your car like you do every night, get in, drive home, and enjoy the rest of your evening.

But what about the 1%? Violent crime does happen and that exact scenario is played out many times a year in places all over America. Are the preventative steps I described above so intrusive into your daily life, so complicated and difficult to accomplish that you would rather risk your life or your personal well-being to continue living how you have always lived? Since you are still reading this I’m going to assume that some part of you cares about your own safety and that of your family. Just stop for a moment, close your eyes and really contemplate how your life would change if that were you in the parking lot and you were attacked, raped, and beaten. Or as a man, if you were violently assaulted and robbed? What would it do to your family? Your ability to perform your job? The mental health of your children? Your family? If you are still skeptical do a Google search on how people’s lives have changed after a violent crime and make your own decision on whether you want to continue reading. I will try to keep this blog as bright and shiny as I possibly can, though that won't always be possible.

Moving on…

Once you have established a security mindset, you need to know a few principles behind basic security.  These principles will be covered in the next post entitled Principles of Security.