By Tim Keck
What you are about to read is controversial. What it isn’t, is political.
We will offer you some hard truths about where we are and what you can do. If you don’t want to delve into these tough topics, please stop reading right now. I don’t blame you. I didn’t even want to write this article.
But our entire reason for existing is to keep you safe. Not just in your job, but in your life. We are a Threat Assessment and Management firm. That means we pay attention to what is going on to predict up-and-coming threats, and then work to de-escalate, mitigate, or eliminate them. Today, I am sharing things with you that we have shared with our clients: both corporations and high-net-worth individuals. We are going to get down in the weeds, but we will come out the other end with a plan and hope.
1. Accept the Truth About Our Situation
Russia and Ukraine are at war with no end in sight. The world witnessed some of the most heinous crimes ever committed against civilians in the terrorist attacks in Israel. The Middle East is a powder keg.
Our national debt is so unfathomably high that, at the time of this writing, every single household owes over a quarter of a million dollars – on top of all your credit cards, car payments, and home mortgage.
There are literally millions of people from other countries crossing our borders. Not just Mexico or Central America, but places like the Middle East and China. Hundreds of the ones we caught are on the terror watch list. Hundreds. That we caught.
Lastly, violent crime is out of control, especially in our major cities. More people see violence as an acceptable answer than ever before. The value of human life is at an all-time low in our country.
One more thing. Please don’t doubt that everything I just told you is true. Everyone in our line of work knows it. Everyone in our government knows it. We have contacts who are “on the ground” in all these areas and they confirm every single thing I said.
The reasons for these facts are not the purpose of this writing. The purpose is to help you see that these four issues indicate we are on a path that we don’t want to be on. What happens as war increases, worldwide debt rises even higher, and millions more people who don’t share our values pour in and violence expands exponentially?
I’m not sure. But it isn’t good.
2. Do What You Can Do
You can’t solve all these problems. But you can be a force for kindness and civility in your circle of acquaintances. You can serve others. You can vote. You can learn to be a peacemaker and de-escalate situations instead of throwing fuel on the fire like so many are doing. You can take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health and that of your family. You can do that.
3. Seek the Truth
There is more information available today, but less truth, than at any time in history. It is a strange and troubling dichotomy.
My encouragement here is that you shouldn’t believe anything you hear without evidence to back it up. Our world consists of soundbites and short videos that can be used to convince you of anything. You must dig deeper. The truth is hard to find but it can be found. You just must do the work.
4. Focus on What is Important
Your family. Your friends. Your faith. Your work. Make sure to divide your energy among them according to their importance. In the long run, relationships will always trump accomplishments. Your calendar should reflect that.
5. Take Responsibility for Your Own Safety
It’s not the cops or the security officer or your mom who is ultimately responsible for keeping you safe. It’s you. You’re the only one that’s with you 24/7, so it really must be you. The sooner you realize that the safer you will be. There are four things you should do right away to prepare for the future:
- Adopt a survival mindset. Start believing you can and will survive any situation. Because believing it is half the battle.
- Buy a water filtration kit. Just get a small filter or pump from a camping supply store so you can create safe water in an emergency.
- Purchase a 30-90-day supply of freeze-dried food for every member of your family. The best day of your life is when you throw it away in 20 years because you didn’t need it.
- Learn to protect yourself. Whether you begin with armed or unarmed protection principles matters less than you get started right away. Find someone competent in teaching combat skills. We even developed a methodology called Targeted Kinetics™ that has been very popular.
We live in turbulent times with the possibility of things getting much worse. You can’t control the big-picture outcomes, but you do have control over yourself. You can start right where you are today by following the five tips provided and be prepared to protect yourself should the occasion arise.
And we are here to help. We want you and your people to both feel safe and be safe. Be the hero for your employees and get trained. Call 1-844-SAFEGROUP or safehavensecuritygroup.com today for vulnerability assessments, training, and consulting that keeps people safe. And remember, initial consultations are free.
