You Are What You Wear

When you go out into the world every day, what are you wearing? What are you bringing with you? Most times we just grab our keys, wallet and phones and be on our way. Well most people can do this, without running into anything worry some, however does that mean you are perfectly safe? Without going into any fear mongering and what not, take a general look at your life and the lives around you. A reasonable person can agree and come to the conclusion that life isn't perfect, and we take chances every day, all day long. A few will say "well nothing bad will happen to me" and "this is a good part of the city", and this is one dangerous assumption. I tell myself this whenever I step out of my home:

Nothing happens until it does

I remember to grab my tool-occupied holster, or double check that I really did in fact put those jumper cables back in my truck before I take off. There will always be times where you "wish" you had brought something with you. "Wished" that you didn't rush out the door, or checked one more time. If you are at the wish stage, you're already too late. 

So what do we do to remediate it? Consistency with a system. Grabs what you need, and some other things to keep you prepared for the day. I like to do the regular hands on check, phone, wallet, keys, gun, and knife. I inspect the chamber of my Glock, throw it on. Every single time. Then grab my bag, make sure my tourniquet is still attached to the pouch on the outside and check that I still have my small pen and paper kit in the bag. Now I am good to go. Sounds tedious but now it is so second nature, it takes me a few seconds to go through this all before I head out the door. This keeps me knowledgeable and confident in my basic preparedness. Do you have to bring the whole house with you? no, of course not, but I like to break it down in a few questions.

o Can I defend myself?

o Can I pay for what I need to?

o Can I communicate?

those are the questions I like to bring to my mind before I leave. If one of them is a no, I remedy it immediately, in some way, shape, or form. 

Get out and stay safe, armed, and mindful! 

-Mo