This Is Frightening!


 


Happy Halloween Weekend!!


.
I have to admit, Halloween is my favorite!
.
I love the time of year and the feel of all of the mysterious, scary stuff. The
costumes, intrigue and festivities!
.
Did you know its the second highest retailing holiday next to Christmas!?
.
Trick or Treat!!

Wondering which you'll get is Good for Halloween...
.
Bad for Protecting Yourself!
.
Remember Halloween night when you were a kid!?
.
You prepared for weeks:
.
What you'd dress up as?
.
We'd map out our route to the houses that we knew handed out the best candy.
.
We'd pick up our Halloween flashlights.
.
Remember those things?!
.
They were these really cheaply made flashlights that had a pumpkin, ghost, skull or witch face made of plastic on the front end of it. 
,
We got them at Meijers (our local grocery store). They never survived the night w/o breaking or just not working.
.
Then we'd pick a bag for our candy...
.
Not too small... (You want to make sure you have enough room for all that loot!)
.
...or too big... (You don't want to lug around something that slows you down from getting to the next house... Lord knows they might run out of candy before you get there...)
.
Then, after you'd planned, prepared and waited seemingly an eternity...
.
The night finally comes!!!
.
You're all duded up and your folks unleash you on the neighborhood!
.
You look to see who has their porch light on... or some other signs of life that  indicated they're 'open for business' so to speak...
.
You're soooo excited (and a little nervous too!)
.
You run for the door...
.
...Make your approach...
.
Stopping your sprint just inches before you slam into the house...
.
Reach out with your little pointer finger to ring the doorbell...
.
DING DONG...
.
And then YELL!!!
.
TRICK OR TREAT!!!!
.
You excitedly wait for the sound of the door opening...
.
The Oohing and Ahhhing as people fawn over your expertly fashioned costume.
.
Then out comes...The BOWL!!!
.
Yes, that's right!!!!
.
The Bowl w/the CANDY!!!
.
You open your bag and preparation for a healthy handful of sugary goodness!
.
You scream 'thank you' as you tear off to the next house to be sacked!
.
Aaaaaahhhhhh the memories!
.
Conflict & Violence Is a Lot Like That Too...
.
WHAT?!
.
Yep...
.
Just like Trick or Treating conflict and violence has a rhythm, script and 'rules of engagement'.
.
It's called...

"The Game"
.
Rather than going over all of the details (like I do in the PeaceWalker Course)...
.
Let me hit a main point or two...
.
1) There are PLAYERS of the Game:
.
With Halloween, there are the Trick or Treaters, the parents that haul them around and the people who hand out the candy!
.
Everyone knows their role!
.
Same thing when it comes to conflict, crime and violence...
.
There are...
.
Aggressors ('perps') & Victims
.
Aggressors are looking for victims, either consciously (premeditated) or innately (they have learned how to spot targets who are vulnerable and are now drawn to them almost naturally).
.
Don't Be a Target or Look Like a Good Victim!
.
HOW?!
.
Stay Alert!
.
Look Like You Could / Would Protect Yourself.
.
Have a good Baseline!
.
(Meaning have the right Attitude, Awareness & ability for appropriate Action!)
.
Stand up for yourself and draw clear boundaries.
.
Just like when you were a kid trick or treating...
.
Have a PLAN!
.
It doesn't need to be complicated...
.
As a matter of fact the simpler, the better!
.
But have one!

How you're get in and out...
.
What to do if things go 'South'.
.
What does 'Going South' look like?
.
Like Trick or Treating... If you go to a house that has their light on, but if no one comes to the door after a few attempts of ringing the doorbell and yelling 'Trick or Treat', you cut your losses and move on to the next house...
.
If a stranger tries to get you in their car... Yell and find your parents!
.
You get the idea...
.
Just like other things in life where you find yourself in danger...
.
Your plan doesn't have to be complicated!
.
If you are in a relationship and it's abusive...
.
Get out!
.
Relationship DONE!
.
BTW - That works for jobs / careers as well...
.
If your job is abusive and sucks...
.
GET A NEW JOB!
.
If someone put a gun to your head and wants your money...
.
Give them your money!
.
If someone tries to isolate you and take you somewhere you don't want to go...
.
DON'T GO WITH THEM!
.
When you go places...
.
Know where the exits and entrances are and what to do if they're blocked!
.
Have a plan for what you're going to do when the fear hits! When the conflict comes. When you come face to face with adversity! 
,
Don't wait to be prepared. Don't wait to prepare those you love. Do it NOW!
.
If you haven't yet, check out my free Six Day Defense home study course. Forward it to everyone you know. Everyone you want to keep safe!
.

It'll give you a quick, simple plan that can change the game for you (or your loved ones), when you need it most.
.
Remember...
.
Wondering if you'll get a Trick or Treat is fun for Halloween...
.
But, it's not when it comes to the safety of you or those you care about!
.
Ok, enough of the real life scary stuff...
.
Now it's almost time for you to go out and have some Spooky Halloween Fun!!
.
Have fun and be safe!


Keep Going,
~Craig 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Uncomfortable Situation

Image
  Funny pic (and movie) about a not so funny situation… In training as in Life, it’s better to treat people with dignity and respect. However… What does that look like in the moment? Being that I’m teaching a Women’s Assault Prevention and Response Workshop this weekend - it’s probably a good time to talk about… Uncomfortable Situations Let’s talk about training at the academy for a minute… We run open co-ed classes at the local academy. What does that mean? Men and women train together, but we don’t stop there. People of different skill levels, backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, careers, religious beliefs, political affiliations, ages, injuries, pre-existing conditions, life experience, training expectations etc. etc. train together! We ALL work together! Overall, I think it’s better this way. Of course sometimes there’s static, you know, conflicts, and misunderstanding. When something happens, most of the time it’s just that, a misunderstanding… Sometimes people simply do
Read more

The Shot Heard Around the World

Image
Even though many could see where all of this division and hatred in our country was leading to, when we witness the actual violence, realty once again floods in and has a way of shattering the comfort of our complacency, if only until the next headline. Some may find all of this shocking, others may see it simply validating their own fears. Regardless, of your political views, we have to take into account what this level of violence can do not only to the former President and his family, but what does to the state of our entire Nation. Yesterday as news broke of former President Donald Trump being shot, I can’t say that I was entirely surprised. Saddened, but not surprised. Regardless of your political stance, this act of violence is a dark reminder of the dangerous consequences of a society steeped in hate and division. Our collective heartbreak should not be about politics, but about the division and hatred that fuels this erosion of our humanity. We live in a time where traditional
Read more

Cutting Through the Static

Image
  Me and the crew at Venue 3 Two after a PeaceWalker Conflict Communication Workshop Remember in the old days when you used to listen to the radio on a road trip? No, not digital or streaming. I’m talking about old school FM radio. When you’re putting some miles on and crossing state lines. The radio stations you listen to don’t broadcast far enough for your entire trip, so you have to channel surf to find new channels as you move on down the road. You continue to push the search button until you hear a song in the genre that you want so you can lock in a desirable station for a spell. Sometimes you’re listening to a song you really like but the station is fading… The static starts feint, almost imperceptible, than grows in intensity to the degree that you can no longer ignore it. If you really like the song, you try to hang on as long as you can, listening to the tune through the white noise and times it cuts out completely, hoping to hear as much of the song as you can before the sta
Read more