Often When You Try To Teach Someone A Lesson, You're The One Who Ends Up Getting Schooled. ​In life, few things can get you in more trouble and often hurt or killed, than your ego. Ego is undoubtedly a major cause of miscommunication, conflict and escalation to violence. How do we inoculate ourselves from this problem? Emotional intelligence is the answer. Emotional intelligence and resilience help us to understand our worth without having to push a false sense of entitlement. When we operate from a place of insecurity, every disagreement feels like a threat to our identity, forcing us to defend a fragile image rather than seeking a productive resolution. This defensive posture blinds us to the perspective of others and traps us in a cycle of reactive behavior that rarely serves our long term interests. By cultivating self awareness, we create a necessary space between our impulses and our actions, allowing us to choose composure over chaos. True strength isn't found in the ability to dominate a room or win every argument, but in the quiet confidence to let go of the need for validation. As we strengthen our internal foundation, we find that we no longer need to weaponize our opinions to feel significant. This shift transforms our interactions from battles of will into opportunities for genuine connection, ensuring that we remain the masters of our emotions rather than the victims of our own pride.

Implementing code words is a subtle yet powerful way to enhance safety within your family and business. By incorporating simple colors like blue or red into everyday sentences, you can discreetly signal a need for law enforcement or emergency assistance without alerting an aggressor. For example, asking someone to grab the blue file or telling a child to put away their red football provides a clear call to action while maintaining a calm exterior. The most effective safety plans are the ones that stay fresh in your mind so I suggest reviewing these phrases once a quarter alongside your other emergency protocols. Consistency is key to ensuring everyone knows exactly how to respond when every second counts.

When mastering your situational awareness skills use your "I"s to see threats coming- Irregular, Irrational, and Intentional. Irregular- look for rapid eye movement, fidgeting, rapid breathing and actions that just don't fit the situation. Irrational- look for odd language like yelling and speaking to nothing or making no sense, signs of fear, stress, or anger and generally overreacting to situations. Intentional- look for hyper-focus on someone or something, speed walking or running directly towards you and deliberate attempts to get closer to you. Remember you are responsible for your safety! #AddToYourTools

True situational awareness goes beyond superficial details like clothing or physical features; it is about mastering the art of reading behavior. A powerful way to sharpen this skill is through a five-minute daily drill I learned from Yousef Badou, one of the original instructors of the Marine Hunter Program. To begin, take a deep breath to clear your mind of any preconceived judgments and focus on those closest to you. First, starting with the people closest to you, observe their hands to see if they are visible, concealed, or holding objects, which trains you to instinctively clear potential threats. Next, evaluate their attention by noting who or what they are focused on and whether they appear to have a clear destination. Finally, scan for signs of nervous energy such as fidgeting, heavy breathing, or a flushed face. Consistently practicing this behavioral analysis will help you build genuine pattern recognition and identify anomalies before they become problems.

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