With the holidays upon us, and recent news headlines reporting an increase in violent crime on our military bases and in our workplaces, our concern for safety is at an all time high. You may notice many companies putting out safety tips aimed at preventing you from becoming the victim of a crime this holiday season.

Many of these safety tip lists are short, vague and do not address your real concerns, specifically “What do I do, if. . .?”

We’ve taken the typical list of tips and we’ve added the Sealed Mindset spin to give you practical, concrete examples of how to keep yourself safer over the holidays. You will read the first 5 points today, and we will post the next five later in the week.

The first portion of each tip is the “typical” advice. The second portion of each tip in italics is the knowledge from the Sealed Mindset Team. This revised list will give you real knowledge to help yourself take control of your personal safety.

1. Be aware. It is essential to be aware of your surroundings at all times. By being alert, you may be able to stop an attack before it occurs.

In order to be aware, you need a systematic method of opening your vision. Most people have been trained in school to stare straight ahead, whether at a chalkboard, a computer monitor or even another person while in a one-on-one conversation. Many people never use their peripheral vision.

To open up your peripheral vision and to train yourself to use it each day so that you can truly “be aware,” you can practice using your peripheral vision. For example, when you stand in a line at the supermarket, see if you can tell what is to your right and left without looking in those directions. See if you can tell what the person beside you is doing with his or her hands. If you practice connecting to your peripheral vision each day, soon you will be able to see more than ever before.

2. Trust your instincts. Listen to what your intuition tells you. This will allow you to avoid a situation that does not feel safe.

Your instinct is your mind’s ability to process more information sub-consciously than consciously. Your instinct is the word we use to refer to the feelings associated to the facts that your unconscious mind brings to your attention.

You can harness your instinct and sharpen it by associating your instinctive “feelings” with a touch. For example, when you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach that something is wrong, or when you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you can at the same time touch your inner wrist. This associative gesture allows you to train your instinct to work for you whenever you touch your inner wrist.

3. Keep your cell phone handy. It is critical to have a cell phone at all times, but do not keep it glued to your ear. Talking on the phone causes people to be less aware of their surroundings.

Plug in your cell phone to charge it each evening, so that when you leave home with your cell phone you know the battery is charged should you need it. Buy and place inexpensive disposable cell phone batteries, like the ones below in your car and purse:

Disposable Cell Phone Batteries

Memorize your closest friend, spouse, or family’s phone numbers so that you can call them from another phone, if you do not have your phone with you.

4. Avoid presenting a victim profile. When out in public look people in the eye, keep your head up, and walk with a confident stride. This could prevent an attack.

If you do not know what to look for in people around you, you will not be able to prevent an attack, even if you do walk with a more confident stride. True confidence does not come from looking people in the eye. In some instances, looking a person who is a threat in the eye can call their attention to you. Instead, look briefly at each person around you to identify if that person could be considered a threat, non-threat or source of help. Categorizing people is the first step to keeping yourself safer – for the complete list of characteristics to look for, check out Lesson 5 of Sealed Mindset’s 15 Seconds to Safety.

5. Lock car doors and leave. Many people have the tendency to get into their car and sit. This gives an attacker the ability to break into the vehicle and cause bodily harm, or allow them to steal the car.

Remember that your car is not only a means of escape, but it can also be a weapon. Think about the type of car you drive most often. Ask yourself questions about the feasibility of using your car as a weapon, for example: what type of clearance does your car have? Do you feel comfortable pushing the speed of your vehicle, if you needed to? What other types of drivable terrain are available for you to use other than the road directly in front of you should you need to find an alternate route? You can avoid becoming a victim by recognizing the driving rules that limit your ability to use your vehicle to escape harm, and then you can actively visualize yourself disregarding these rules in the safest manner possible to use your vehicle to your own advantage.

If you like what you read, check out www.sealedmindset.com for more real personal safety knowledge. The rest of the list will be posted shortly.

Here is a fascinating You-Tube video.

This is a prime example of an average citizen who flat-out refused to become a victim of violent crime. His security planning could have been improved to avoid some of these incidents but nonetheless, he steadfastly refused to be a victim. If every citizen aggressively exercised these same rights, violent crime rates would plummet nationwide.  Armed defense isn’t the right solution for everyone.  However, all citizens have both the inherent right to self-defense and the capability to refuse to become a victim of violent crime.

Toughest Watchmaker in America