The recent violence on the news has been shocking to say the least. Hearing these stories leaves most of us feeling more fearful and helpless. I don’t let myself fall into this despair and I am fed up with all the violent stories that fill the media whether television or online. What about offering some solutions or tips to prevent crime along with the negative coverage?
The violence leaves a lot of people feeling powerless and afraid due to a lack of self protection training. “Owning” self protection is a lifestyle and not a trend. The government, police department or anyone else for that matter will not be there to protect you when you are in need. To be fair, if a law enforcement officer was there as you were attacked, they’d likely come to your aid, but who wants to bet their life on this possibility?
You need to be part of the solution! We can’t just sit back, be “sheep” and let it happen. Although attacks seem surprising, you can see them coming if you know the warning signs.
A business that is part of this solution is Eddie Bauer in Bismarck. We were so excited to be asked to present to the public recently because this is a strong move towards empowering the community and not living in denial and fear. The presentation was free to anyone over the age of 12.
Situational awareness and a self-defense mindset that we taught at Eddie Bauer is the foundation of your personal safety. Many are just in denial about reality!
Examples of denial affirmations:
“My husband will protect me.”
“I live in a safe town and nothing bad happens here.”
“I don’t go to unsafe places.”
“I will just call 911.”
You can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.
The normalcy bias kicks in too often and we cling to it since it feels so safe. The normalcy bias will not get you ahead in life and it certainly is not a plan for survival. The pains of regret are far worse than the pain of discipline. It takes discipline to learn knew things that will make us grow and become a better person. It takes discipline to learn a self defensive mindset and skills.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.” This statement really resonates with us in many ways.
Live life with boldness and courage. Courage is not being without fear, but being able to act despite fears. What’s in your Personal Safety Plan Toolbox?
Thank you Eddie Bauer for helping empower more in our community!
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Beth is the founder of Pretty Loaded. On a mission to install strength, awareness, and confidence, Beth began her journey as an educator and National speaker after a close encounter with a would-be predator. She has trained thousands of people in person, and through her online training and videos around the world. Her safety videos reach millions globally! She is responsible for starting the National Situational Awareness Day and this was approved by the registrar of the National Day Calendar. Beth has been featured on Consumer Reports, Reddit, Yahoo!Finance, Elite Readers, BuzzFeed, ViralNova, and many more networks. Beth loves spending her time reading, playing tennis, cooking, and painting. She is married and has four wonderful girls, a supermicro pig named Clover Smalls, and lives on an organic produce farm and vineyard.