Staying Aware in Your Day-to-Day Life

Are you staying aware in your day-to-day life? I have a morning routine I follow as I prepare for the day. I put my firearm on my hip when my feet hit the ground.

There are a couple of self-defense items I always carry when I am out, including a gun and a knife.

My SOG knife is usually located in the middle section of my bra. I find with my body shape it is the best concealment place I have. I will have my Sabre pepper spray. Usually, I have the spray attached to my purse or body, with a key lanyard. When it is on my purse, I attach the clip to my strap and tuck it in an outside pocket for easy access. It can quickly attach to my belt-loop and tuck in a pocket if I am walking or riding my motorcycle.

As Chuck Haggard would say, “you need something between a harsh word and a gun”.

On the other end of my purse, I have a small flashlight with a clip that I can quickly move to my body or attach to outside of my purse. Inside the purse you will find a tourniquet and an extra mag that I hope to never need.

While I have the tools ready and accessible, if the need should ever arise, more importantly I have awareness. You should learn to keep your head on a bobble. Use your peripheral vision, do not walk around with your eyes straight ahead especially in those fringe areas. Fringe areas include, to and from parking lots and going to restrooms. They are the transitional areas to and from locations. It is very acceptable for ladies to carry pepper spray in your hand in those transitional areas. The best self-defense is to avoid trouble in the first place by staying aware in your day to day life. If you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable, leave, move to a different location. I have left or gone a different direction if I notice something that looks suspicious. There is a difference between paranoid and prepared!

Learn self-defense skills. This is staying aware in your day-today life.

All of us have slammed a cabinet or a door shut with the palm of your hand? This is a simple palm strike, which you can quickly use against a face that gets too close. Use those fingers to rake down over the eyes. Don’t forget to use your elbows as well. If someone were to grab you from behind, you may not be able to get to your gun or pepper spray until you create distance. Do not forget you have a voice as well, use it loudly.

Staying aware in your day-to-day life and avoiding bad situations or questionable people is the best way to live safely in today’s world. Get training so you will have the tools in place to stay safe.

Below you will find some of the areas taught in my personal classes:

AAA-Aware, Alert, Avoid

1. Stay Aware
2. Be Alert
3. Avoid danger!

BAR-Block an attack. You can block an attack by avoiding suspicious people and dangerous places. This is where staying aware comes into play, to block a possible attack. Colonel Jeff Cooper developed the four-color code of awareness White, Yellow, Orange and Red. White is simply not paying attention of your surroundings. Yellow is being always aware of those around you. You should always be in yellow. Orange is noticing if there is danger. Red is action, move and protect yourself. (Paraphrasing)

If you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable, Leave. This is staying aware in your day-to-day life.

This is exactly why you need to stay aware, so you will notice possible bad situations. Walk with your head up and project confidence in your demeanor.

1. Attack quickly and decisively. In other words, have the mind set that you are going to win if this is your last result. If all else fails, you need a few tools in place to get you out of an unpleasant situation. Pepper spray, a firearm and some self-defense can be used if you feel your life is in danger at that moment. Do not forget you also have a voice. You can assertively yell STOP, BACK OFF, YOU ARE MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE. If they are an honorable person, they will apologize for making you feel uncomfortable and leave you alone. This is a quick way of learning their intentions.
2. Run and retreat! Do what you need to, to get away to a safe place, this is when you call for help.

Remember to be prepared for bad situations, be aware, have self-defense tools ready to use, learn some self-defense skills and follow AAA BAR. Including these things in your day-to-day life will help keep you safe.

You can read a real life story here on Managing Unknown Contacts.

You can find the SOG Snarl Neck Non- Serrated Knife HERE.

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