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Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Self-Initiative Project Podcast.

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I’m your host, Jim O’Brien.

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Hello, and welcome back, and welcome to Podcast 34. You know,

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if you’re not following us on Instagram, that’s probably, well,

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it is our primary social media outlet.

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We’re on LinkedIn as well and share our podcast out there in hopes to getting out to some others.

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But we’re fairly active on Instagram.

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And there, you know, we share everything for some fun stuff,

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you know, gun related and knives.

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But we also share, we like to think, some great safety tips and otherwise.

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So if you’re not following us on Instagram, I would encourage you to do so.

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Plus, you’ll get updates on these podcasts and know when they’re going to release, etc.

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So just want to encourage you to get out there and get on Instagram.

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Got some good information for you there for sure as well.

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But Podcast 34 is kind of meant to be, well, it is a follow-up to Podcast 33.

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And so it’s probably best if you go back and listen to Podcast 33,

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it will never happen to me.

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Because what we want to do here with 34 is kind of follow up and talk more about

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the things that those folks that told their stories, myself included,

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could be doing better or differently or how they could have responded.

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And look, if you listen to Podcast 33, you know we already talked about some

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of that stuff very quickly.

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And briefly, so we thought in 34 that we would go back through all of the stories,

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all of the six or seven stories that you heard and talk about things that,

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you know, potentially could have helped everyone do a better job in avoiding,

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responding, and then recovering from their particular stories.

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So this podcast is about things to consider doing when the things that will

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never happen to you actually happen.

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So if you remember, I was the first one to share a couple of stories about the

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times that I was bullied and burglarized when I was very young, younger.

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And, you know, I’m not a bullying expert other than to say it does happen like we talked about in 33.

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I would just say that if you’re a teacher or a parent listening to this,

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be on the lookout for those kids that are kind of quiet and withdrawn,

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you know, be open to letting them know, be open to them talking to you as a

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parent or teacher and let let the kids know both your children and your classes,

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whatever that, you know, if they ever want to talk to you or need to talk to

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you and do so in private or whatever they’re comfortable with doing.

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Let them know that you’re available to do that. And I think that’ll go a long way.

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You know, as I touched upon a little bit in telling my story in 33,

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for me, you know, I don’t think I ever went to any teachers or my parents.

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I’m pretty sure I remember not doing that.

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And, you know, I think for me, if I had to give myself advice back then,

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being a young kid, I would say that you need to learn to stand up for yourself.

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You know, not everybody has a winning personality that everybody just loves

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them and so bullying will never happen.

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For those of us that may not have or may not have had a winning personality.

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You know, it’s important that they learn some lessons in life.

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And unfortunately, I don’t think bullying is going to go away,

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you know, and it’s kind of almost, dare I say, a rite of passage.

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And again, I’m not discounting it.

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I’m not discounting its severity or the possibilities for it to be severe.

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And look, I know, you know, kids handle things differently. So that’s why as

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parent and teachers, family members, and even friends should be opening to letting

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their kids in their class and kids at home, obviously, come to them and talk.

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But for me, I think I could have learned to stood up for myself,

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stand up for myself better.

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And that would have gone a long way. Maybe if I had thrown a punch or a kick

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back a couple of times over the years, that would have probably shut some things

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down. But I didn’t do that. So just some tips there.

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As far as the being burglarized a couple of times we did, you know,

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I think first and foremost, you need to call the police when you learn that

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you’ve been broken into.

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And if nothing else, have a report file.

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That’s extremely important. And look, if you get home and you notice a window

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in your house has been busted out, or more importantly, if you’ve noticed your

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door has been busted down or kicked open or it’s ajar,

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it’s best not to walk in there, right?

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Turn around, get back in your car, drive away, call 911, or at least go out

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to the sidewalk or something and get away from the property while you call 911.

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So don’t ever walk into a place where it’s obvious something is amiss.

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And again, you know, it’s an opportunity to listen to your gut.

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If you get home and that door looks funny and you know you didn’t leave it that

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way, might be something bad. Maybe it’s not.

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Maybe your kids came home and didn’t shut the door all the way,

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but it’s better safe than sorry.

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And so that’s a takeaway, if nothing else.

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Of course, we’ve talked about this in the context of firearms,

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guns, but, you know, it’s a good idea to have a safe for your firearms and your

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jewelry, you know, just to make things that much harder.

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Look, if the bad guy wants something really bad enough, all you’re doing is

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slowing them down. But that’s just the point.

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Anything that you can do to make it more difficult for them.

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Slow them down or all out deter them.

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You know, that’s the goal, right? So having a safe for guns and jewelry is certainly

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something for you to consider.

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And look, if you have firearms in the house, especially if you have children,

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you definitely need to have safe and or locking mechanisms at the very least.

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But a safe allows you to completely put away and conceal your firearms,

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making it that much more difficult. So can’t recommend that enough either way.

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You want to make sure your insurance is up to date and that you have things

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of value listed out if that’s how your insurance company works.

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You know, whether it’s your renter’s insurance or your homeowner’s insurance,

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you want to make sure you’ve got the right coverage so that you’re not completely

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devastated when and if the time comes that your burglarized.

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You know, we’ve talked about this in podcasts when talking about safety in and around the home,

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you know, put some lights up, put some lights up when, where,

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you know, there’s extra dark places after dark around the house,

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you know, and by that standard, put lights up where you’re busiest,

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you know, like at the top of your driveway, right outside your carport,

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your garage, in your carport and garage.

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We’ve talked about the value of having motion sensors, you know,

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where you don’t have to have lights on all the time, but you can surprise anybody

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with some automatic motion sensing or heat sensing light systems.

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So putting up lights is always a good thing.

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And, you know, like my father finally did after the second time we were burglarized,

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we put in a security system, right?

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And, you know, all I can say there is you definitely want to shop around because

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there’s all kinds of systems and deals to be had. And some of the bigger companies

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are charging more than what you really have to pay to get a decent security system set up.

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You want to make sure you’ve got the right deadbolts, right?

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If you’ve got glass in and around your door, you want to make sure they utilize

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a key on both sides, not just getting in from the outside.

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Because what’s the point of having a thumb throw deadbolt if all they’ve got

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to do is break out the glass and flip the switch on the deadbolt?

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So you want to think about that. Now, with that being said, and I think we mentioned

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this prior previously before,

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is that in some states or whatever, there might be some fire code regulations

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there when you’re renting out property that you can’t have that type of deadbolt.

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But I’ll trust that you look into that.

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But the key is, is to have good quality locks put on your doors and,

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and then use them, right? Keep your doors and your windows locked.

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You know, I grew up in a time where we were friends with a lot of neighbors,

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even significant houses away, right?

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Number of houses down the street or whatever when I was growing up.

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Now it seems like things are changed where everyone’s kind of more to themselves.

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But with that being said, it’s always a good idea to get to know your neighbors in one capacity.

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It doesn’t mean you have to be friends and buddy buddies and hang out with them

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all the time. But, you know, it might be a good idea to work your way to enough

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of a relationship with them when you can say, hey, I’m going to be out of town this weekend.

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Will you keep an eye on the place? There shouldn’t be anybody over here except

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maybe the pet sitter or whatever like that.

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And then, you know, listen to your gut. If you don’t get the sense that a neighbor

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is that type to do those sorts of things or may seem a little shady,

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then, you know, maybe they are, maybe they aren’t.

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But just go on to the next neighbor or, you know, family and friends.

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Let them know what your plans are, what you should be doing anyway.

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And then last but not least, I’ll leave on this for those stories of the story

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that I told of being burglarized.

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You know, for me, my parents were good about it.

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But have a plan for your kids and make sure your kids know what to do in those situations.

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You know, if they come home from school to let themselves in,

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you know, like I did, let them know that they shouldn’t be going into the house

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when they clearly see the door’s

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been busted into or glass has been broken out or the door’s wide open.

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You know, unless they know you’re home, they should know what to do then.

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And the most important thing is like you, you shouldn’t be going into the house

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when you see things awry like that.

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And so they should be able to go to a neighbor and call for help or at least

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call you to let you know what they’re experiencing. Thank you.

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The next story that we talked about in podcast 33, my buddy Dennis came on and

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he was active Marine at the time and was held at gunpoint and robbed of everything he had.

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Well, everything he had was a bag at that time because I think he had just gotten home from Beirut.

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But, you know, he got robbed in the back of a pickup truck by a very brazen person.

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Obviously, the area was known for being heavily covered with Marines and Marines

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traveled up and down that part of the road all the time. And so,

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you know, and we talked about it.

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I said to Dennis, I was like, well, this is the number one reason why you don’t pick up hitchhikers.

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So I’ll emphasize this here. And that’s the most glaringly obvious thing is

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never pick up a hitchhiker.

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Dennis’s story is reason enough for you not to do that.

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And then, you know, Marines, law enforcement, whatever, anybody and confronted

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with a potential fight or self-defense scenario, keep your ego in check,

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because if you don’t, that can get you into a lot of trouble.

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One of the things you should keep in mind when you’re held

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at gunpoint is once a gun has gotten onto you

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in rare circumstances or should you

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be trying to draw your weapon if you’re carrying concealed or otherwise once

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a gun’s trained on you you have to be very careful and look for opportunities

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because the general goal is is if they’ve already got a gun on you you shouldn’t

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be trying to get your gun on them so something to be said there and then,

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In Dennis’ situation, he did the right thing. Of course, I’m sure at the time

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he probably didn’t feel like he had a choice anyway.

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But most of the time, bad guys want property.

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And so the best thing for you to do is comply.

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Now, circumstances may force you or encourage you not to comply.

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For example, if someone’s trying

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to take your car and carjack you and you probably want to comply, right?

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That’s what insurance is for and your car is not worth losing your life. It’s just not.

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So don’t be a hero, you know, keep the ego in check. But flip that around.

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Now you’ve got your kids in the backseat. Are you going to comply when they

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tell you they want your car?

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Maybe not, right? So it depends on the circumstances, but generally speaking,

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complying can be a good response.

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And, you know, don’t think that Marines or even law enforcement have all the

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answers all the time, right?

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They have the training that they have and they have the knowledge that they have.

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Just because they’re in a particular position or role doesn’t mean they have

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all the answers, even the right answers, much less the best answers.

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So, you know, don’t be too hard on Dennis sharing a story because it could have happened to anyone.

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And Marines aren’t trained to deal with things. And Dennis talked about this in the last podcast.

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Marines aren’t necessarily trained to think about and worry about situational awareness or whatever.

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They’re trained for other specialized things, right? And so even them are susceptible.

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But those are some tips that I would

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leave for Dennis or anyone that finds themselves in a similar situation.

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Next, I talked to my good buddy, Tony. And Tony and I now have been friends

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for something like 30 years. And several years ago, if you remember the story,

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he had not one, but I think two different motorcycles taken out of the shed in his backyard.

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And so the first tip that he learned very quickly is to get a lock on those

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exterior buildings, especially if you’re keeping anything valuable or anything

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you actually don’t want to have stolen from you, put a lock on that building.

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And with that being said, you know, if you’re living at home with your family

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or you’re living with a roommate or significant other, don’t always assume that

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they’ve gone out to ensure that those locks are on or actually locked.

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Get in the habit, get in a routine at night, in the morning when you go to work,

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whatever, of going around and making sure everything that’s supposed to be locked is locked up.

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Don’t assume someone else has done it. Take that initiative,

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that extra 30 seconds of time to check the locks on things might mean the difference

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between, you know, not being robbed or burglarized or having things taken from you and, you know,

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being wiped out when you get home or the next day, whatever it might be.

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The other thing you want to do, even on exterior buildings, is consider putting

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lights up. Again, motion sensing lights are your friends.

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You don’t have to have them all on the time, but make a little extra effort

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and run some power out there and get it lit up.

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And, you know, depending on how much stuff and what the sort of things are you’re

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keeping in your shed, you might even want to consider paying the extra little

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bit to have it protected and covered by the security system as well.

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And again, even with exterior buildings, sheds, whatever like that,

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make sure your insurance policy is up to date.

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Make sure that your insurance coverage that you have covers that building and

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or at least the things of value in that building.

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So insurance is key, you know, keeping up with that, making sure you’ve got the right policies.

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Because after something bad’s happened, it’s the wrong time to find out that

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your insurance won’t cover it.

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And then last but not least, you know, if you’ve come home to find yourself

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burglarized or things taken, call the police.

00:15:11.143 –> 00:15:16.963
Don’t be slack. Call the police. If nothing else, probably not a 911 situation at that point, right?

00:15:16.963 –> 00:15:21.603
But call the police and at least try to have a report filed so there’s,

00:15:21.623 –> 00:15:28.683
you know, some documentation on or evidence on things happening in the neighborhood.

00:15:28.683 –> 00:15:34.843
Because over time, you know, that may help law enforcement if things continue or happen again.

00:15:35.143 –> 00:15:39.663
Our next story, my buddy Dennis, the other Dennis, Dennis with two N’s,

00:15:40.143 –> 00:15:41.403
talked about the time that he

00:15:41.403 –> 00:15:44.943
was down in Savannah, Georgia and had his pickup truck broken into. too.

00:15:45.683 –> 00:15:51.123
And so, you know, I think Dennis, most of the things that Dennis did were good.

00:15:51.263 –> 00:15:56.063
You know, he, I think the thing that he regrets the most is not listening to

00:15:56.063 –> 00:15:59.363
his intuition. And I know we’ve talked about the importance of listening to

00:15:59.363 –> 00:16:01.503
your gut and not ignoring your intuition.

00:16:01.683 –> 00:16:05.223
And so, you know, I would say that right off the bat for Dennis too.

00:16:05.403 –> 00:16:09.443
One of the things that he could have done better is I remember him saying in the podcast that,

00:16:09.970 –> 00:16:13.930
He just had this bizarre, you know, this feeling that, you know,

00:16:14.050 –> 00:16:17.310
he made it a point to park in a place that was well lit.

00:16:17.870 –> 00:16:21.970
But when he met the homeless person immediately after getting out of his truck,

00:16:22.150 –> 00:16:25.770
he had this, you know, his spidey senses were going off.

00:16:25.870 –> 00:16:29.630
And so listen to your intuition and look, if it takes you another five minutes

00:16:29.630 –> 00:16:32.430
before you can get to your buddies or whatever, because you’re looking for a

00:16:32.430 –> 00:16:37.110
better or just a different parking place, so be it. It might save you a lot of hassle.

00:16:37.430 –> 00:16:40.070
And so, you know, Dennis did the right thing, too. You know,

00:16:40.250 –> 00:16:44.190
at night, park where there’s lighting, park where there’s no choke points or

00:16:44.190 –> 00:16:47.790
pinch-off points for you getting into or away from your car.

00:16:48.110 –> 00:16:50.070
Try to find well-lit spaces.

00:16:50.510 –> 00:16:57.710
And, you know, lock your car doors. So oftentimes, things are taken out of cars very easily.

00:16:57.890 –> 00:17:03.450
They’re never broken. Well, they’re not never, but not all the time are cars actually broken into.

00:17:03.690 –> 00:17:07.470
Sometimes they just see what cars in the neighborhood or in the parking lot

00:17:07.470 –> 00:17:11.150
are left unlocked. And those are the ones that get things taken out of them.

00:17:11.330 –> 00:17:15.430
So Dennis locked his truck, his truck doors. And so should you.

00:17:15.850 –> 00:17:19.670
So, you know, the other thing which I mentioned, and that’s what kind of set

00:17:19.670 –> 00:17:26.830
off Dennis’s intuition is, you know, pay attention to cues telling you something might be off. Right.

00:17:27.070 –> 00:17:33.290
So for Dennis’s situation, he kind of felt like it was maybe the homeless guy

00:17:33.290 –> 00:17:36.730
that approached him that may have been the one to break into his truck.

00:17:37.274 –> 00:17:42.234
He said the thing that set his intuition, his gut off was as soon as he got

00:17:42.234 –> 00:17:46.314
out of that pickup truck, that homeless person was on top of him asking him

00:17:46.314 –> 00:17:48.154
for money or coins or something.

00:17:48.394 –> 00:17:53.594
And Dennis said right then that he felt like that was probably the guy that had done it.

00:17:53.954 –> 00:17:58.354
And that guy was probably waiting on Dennis to leave. Right.

00:17:58.694 –> 00:18:03.854
So, you know, look for those cues and signs. This is a good argument for paying

00:18:03.854 –> 00:18:05.314
attention when you’re out in public.

00:18:06.134 –> 00:18:10.134
Another big tip and we’ve talked about this before in our podcast when we talked

00:18:10.134 –> 00:18:16.674
about safety in and around your vehicle is keep valuables out of sight most

00:18:16.674 –> 00:18:21.594
of the time the bad guys that break into your vehicles or just open the door

00:18:21.594 –> 00:18:22.894
when you leave them unlocked.

00:18:23.594 –> 00:18:28.074
See things in your front seat or in the floorboard or on the dash or in the

00:18:28.074 –> 00:18:32.774
center console that they are interested in, whether it’s a stack of coins in

00:18:32.774 –> 00:18:36.954
the cup holder or that company laptop you left in your front seat.

00:18:37.434 –> 00:18:42.094
Lock things up. Hide them. That’s the idea. Put them in your glove compartment box.

00:18:42.634 –> 00:18:47.014
Lock the glove compartment box. Put them in your trunk. Or when you get home,

00:18:47.214 –> 00:18:49.054
take them out and take them inside with you.

00:18:49.194 –> 00:18:53.454
Don’t even leave valuables in your vehicles that you leave in your driveway when you get home.

00:18:53.654 –> 00:18:58.894
Get the valuables out of the car and don’t leave them in plain sight, no matter what you do.

00:18:59.454 –> 00:19:02.814
And again, if your car is broken into or you’ve had things stolen,

00:19:02.814 –> 00:19:07.734
it’s a good idea to go ahead and call the police and at least have a report made.

00:19:08.354 –> 00:19:12.354
Next was Lauren’s story. And this was just so bizarre. I think she,

00:19:12.554 –> 00:19:17.274
if I remember right, she said she was 16 at the time this happened when she

00:19:17.274 –> 00:19:20.954
was babysitting some kids and the neighbor across the street came over to the

00:19:20.954 –> 00:19:23.094
house with a shotgun and was drunk.

00:19:23.774 –> 00:19:27.654
Yeah. And, you know, for Lauren, I even asked her during the podcast,

00:19:27.954 –> 00:19:31.054
you know, how did you have the thought to do what you did?

00:19:31.194 –> 00:19:34.854
Because she, too, also handled things pretty well. But just some tips,

00:19:35.014 –> 00:19:38.134
if you ever find yourself in a similar situation that Lauren did,

00:19:38.254 –> 00:19:42.014
and hopefully this will never happen to anyone, but keep those doors locked

00:19:42.014 –> 00:19:43.454
even when you’re home, right?

00:19:43.454 –> 00:19:48.374
The extra two seconds it takes to unlock a door is worth the extra protection

00:19:48.374 –> 00:19:54.034
of keeping a barrier or at least some form of barrier between you and a potential

00:19:54.034 –> 00:19:55.794
bad person outside your door.

00:19:56.574 –> 00:20:02.394
And, you know, when something might be starting outside your home and you happen

00:20:02.394 –> 00:20:07.354
to have your doors unlocked or you happen to be walking out your door when you

00:20:07.354 –> 00:20:10.654
notice something out front or you hear some commotion out front,

00:20:10.874 –> 00:20:12.434
shut and lock those doors.

00:20:12.434 –> 00:20:18.674
I mean, again, those barriers, anything to deter someone from thinking about

00:20:18.674 –> 00:20:20.574
doing something, slowing them down.

00:20:21.367 –> 00:20:25.607
Making it more difficult, you know, locking those doors and getting out of there,

00:20:25.867 –> 00:20:27.847
you know, getting out of the way is best.

00:20:28.367 –> 00:20:31.587
And look, if there’s any kids on the premises, get them out of the way.

00:20:31.747 –> 00:20:36.027
Lauren talked about how she had her neighbor or her aunt, whoever it was,

00:20:36.187 –> 00:20:40.167
take the kids and go to the back of the house and get in a room. I mean, really smart.

00:20:40.467 –> 00:20:44.587
And that brings us to another point that we’ve talked about in the past is have

00:20:44.587 –> 00:20:49.347
a safe room. Everybody should have a safe room, but maybe a safe room is just

00:20:49.347 –> 00:20:53.267
an impromptu place that you get everybody to go to so that they’re out of the

00:20:53.267 –> 00:20:55.107
way of any immediate danger.

00:20:55.367 –> 00:20:59.927
The key there is that everybody have, you know, a game plan and they know what

00:20:59.927 –> 00:21:02.787
to do. Call the police at the onset.

00:21:03.107 –> 00:21:08.647
Try not to go back and forth with any individual having mental issues or under

00:21:08.647 –> 00:21:10.647
the influence of substances.

00:21:10.647 –> 00:21:16.867
It’s hard to reason and have rational, logical conversation with someone that

00:21:16.867 –> 00:21:21.587
either has mental issues or is under some sort of influence,

00:21:21.827 –> 00:21:25.787
substance influence, whether it be drugs or alcohol, really doesn’t matter.

00:21:26.407 –> 00:21:30.287
Call the police as soon as you have an opportunity. Keep that phone with you.

00:21:30.567 –> 00:21:34.767
You know, I think Lauren talked about her phone being out of her control for

00:21:34.767 –> 00:21:37.827
a short period of time, and that made her panic at one point.

00:21:38.007 –> 00:21:42.147
So, you know, it’s a good idea to keep the phone on you or nearby,

00:21:42.447 –> 00:21:44.367
even when you’re home, because you just never know.

00:21:44.787 –> 00:21:48.427
She also did a great job. And again, circling back to the kids for a moment,

00:21:48.567 –> 00:21:50.927
you know, she told her aunt or the neighbor, whoever it was,

00:21:51.047 –> 00:21:53.887
to get the kids and go to the back of the house, the back room or whatever.

00:21:53.887 –> 00:21:58.407
You know, you just want to make sure that anyone you’re with is safe and and,

00:21:58.527 –> 00:22:02.307
you know, look, I think whether she mentioned it or not, you know,

00:22:02.887 –> 00:22:07.427
if you want to be paying attention enough so you can see some warning signs.

00:22:07.567 –> 00:22:11.527
Now, that’s not to say there’s always warning signs given, but this individual

00:22:11.527 –> 00:22:17.007
evidently was known for drinking and causing issues out in the streets in the neighborhood.

00:22:17.487 –> 00:22:20.407
So, you know, you want to pay attention to that and.

00:22:21.097 –> 00:22:26.517
You know, listen to your gut, listen to your instincts and stay away from those people. Right.

00:22:27.057 –> 00:22:30.397
And we’ve talked about calling the police. So in those situations,

00:22:30.637 –> 00:22:34.097
you know, if you can’t call the police because you’re, you know,

00:22:34.617 –> 00:22:38.757
you’re acting as an additional barrier or buffer between the bad person and

00:22:38.757 –> 00:22:44.097
people you’re in charge of protecting, you know, and you can’t make the effort

00:22:44.097 –> 00:22:46.297
to call because you’re having to have dialogue.

00:22:46.297 –> 00:22:49.317
Maybe you’re trying to deescalate the situation with the individual,

00:22:49.537 –> 00:22:53.257
you know, make sure somebody else knows that they need to be the ones calling

00:22:53.257 –> 00:22:56.417
9-1-1 and make that part of the plan for sure.

00:22:56.897 –> 00:22:59.737
And with that being said, you know, if you do call the police,

00:22:59.857 –> 00:23:03.777
which you should be doing when you call 9-1-1, you know, you kind of have to

00:23:03.777 –> 00:23:05.977
play it by ear based on the situation.

00:23:06.137 –> 00:23:10.557
But you may even want to tell the individual that the cops are on their way

00:23:10.557 –> 00:23:12.617
or that you’re calling the police or whatever.

00:23:12.617 –> 00:23:16.897
And, you know, you have to be careful and you kind of have to weigh the situation

00:23:16.897 –> 00:23:21.657
because you don’t want to anger the person further, but you kind of have to fill it out.

00:23:21.777 –> 00:23:26.297
And only you will know in the situation, you know, do you think you should tell them?

00:23:26.497 –> 00:23:29.617
Will it anger them or will it be further deterrent?

00:23:30.257 –> 00:23:33.377
And maybe they’ll go away knowing that 9-1-1’s just been called,

00:23:33.537 –> 00:23:37.157
but you’ll have to weigh that out for yourself when the time comes.

00:23:37.157 –> 00:23:41.477
And, you know, fortunately for Lauren, it all took place basically on the front,

00:23:41.497 –> 00:23:46.377
in the front yard, the front porch, whatever the house and never came inside.

00:23:46.677 –> 00:23:51.717
And, you know, it wasn’t a situation of her having to worry about herself or

00:23:51.717 –> 00:23:55.437
the kids that she was looking after being taken somewhere. But that’s just one

00:23:55.437 –> 00:23:59.997
point that I’ll leave you on with Lauren’s story is that you never want to be taken somewhere.

00:24:00.597 –> 00:24:08.177
Most crimes that involve a single location, location A, you have a 90% chance

00:24:08.177 –> 00:24:12.757
of survival in situations where there’s only a single location involved.

00:24:12.757 –> 00:24:16.977
The moment that a location B becomes involved, the number switches.

00:24:17.237 –> 00:24:21.917
So if there’s a location A and suddenly a location B that comes into play,

00:24:22.157 –> 00:24:26.657
you’re being taken somewhere against your will, etc., whatever that might look

00:24:26.657 –> 00:24:28.997
like, that number reverses.

00:24:29.137 –> 00:24:34.017
You have a 10% chance of survival and a 90% chance of not surviving.

00:24:34.017 –> 00:24:37.137
So if you’re ever asked or being

00:24:37.137 –> 00:24:40.257
forced to go somewhere you fight like the

00:24:40.257 –> 00:24:43.237
third monkey going on the ark right you’ve heard that before

00:24:43.237 –> 00:24:47.437
that’s a time you definitely fight for your life because it is about fighting

00:24:47.437 –> 00:24:52.237
for your life at that point and our last story was my good buddy raymond who

00:24:52.237 –> 00:24:58.677
years ago found himself in a bar and had run in alternate cation with some guys

00:24:58.677 –> 00:25:02.177
in the parking lot that he had seen in the bar before he left.

00:25:02.657 –> 00:25:05.457
And that was just a bad situation overall. So.

00:25:06.163 –> 00:25:12.703
You know, I would say, and just recently I was listening to something that says,

00:25:12.803 –> 00:25:15.783
you know, bars are the infamous place for fights and everything else.

00:25:15.983 –> 00:25:19.743
So, you know, you generally, if you really want to take yourself,

00:25:20.103 –> 00:25:25.283
your personal safety seriously, you probably want to avoid bars altogether because

00:25:25.283 –> 00:25:29.823
they typically contain people of the age groups that are going to be more likely

00:25:29.823 –> 00:25:32.063
to get into altercations and cause issues.

00:25:32.243 –> 00:25:36.683
So that’s first, but that’s not realistic. I mean, we all like to go get a drink

00:25:36.683 –> 00:25:41.443
from time to time, have buddies visit us from out of town, whatever the going

00:25:41.443 –> 00:25:42.823
out with our significant others,

00:25:43.083 –> 00:25:45.923
you know, going to the bars is part of life and we shouldn’t have to live in

00:25:45.923 –> 00:25:50.223
the shadows because of somebody else’s bad behaviors, but it is something to consider.

00:25:50.423 –> 00:25:54.203
So avoiding a bar is probably best, but it’s extreme, right?

00:25:55.163 –> 00:26:01.843
But, you know, you also want to pay attention to the general locality or clientele

00:26:01.843 –> 00:26:04.163
of a bar if you’re going to go into one, right?

00:26:04.683 –> 00:26:08.443
And when you do first get in one, if you’re going, you want to check the place out.

00:26:08.623 –> 00:26:13.363
See what the vibe of the atmosphere is. You know, again, listen to that intuition.

00:26:13.703 –> 00:26:16.303
Places have vibes. Places have a feeling, right?

00:26:17.023 –> 00:26:20.543
Check out the place when you enter it, when you first walk in.

00:26:20.683 –> 00:26:24.463
And again, you know, you want to be cognizant of the location you’re in and

00:26:24.463 –> 00:26:29.323
the general types of clientele in the area. And you’ll know better when you go inside.

00:26:29.603 –> 00:26:32.843
You know, you want to pay attention to any odd behavior and note it.

00:26:32.843 –> 00:26:36.303
You know, maybe you see something going on or maybe you see an altercation,

00:26:36.563 –> 00:26:40.483
verbal altercation going on at some point. Go ahead and make the decision to leave.

00:26:40.643 –> 00:26:43.923
What’s the worst that’s going to happen? You don’t get to drink with your friends

00:26:43.923 –> 00:26:45.243
or have a drink that evening.

00:26:45.663 –> 00:26:48.003
Maybe just go to another restaurant or bar.

00:26:48.663 –> 00:26:53.083
Avoid those situations if you see them. And, you know, for Raymond,

00:26:53.443 –> 00:26:57.763
when he was getting the stare down from the guys, you know, he had the opportunity to maybe walk.

00:26:58.277 –> 00:27:03.437
Approach them and kind of talk about the good looking bartender that he was checking out.

00:27:03.597 –> 00:27:08.137
Maybe they didn’t like that. Maybe she was on their hit list, something, so to speak.

00:27:08.297 –> 00:27:14.197
Who knows? But nothing says you can’t maybe, again, you’ll know the situation that you’re in the best.

00:27:14.617 –> 00:27:19.377
Maybe approaching those guys to see if they were open to conversation or you

00:27:19.377 –> 00:27:22.517
buying them a beer and hanging out with them was an option. Who knows?

00:27:23.057 –> 00:27:27.477
But, you know, if you do get into a bar and into that situation and notice things

00:27:27.477 –> 00:27:31.537
are fishy or don’t seem like, you know, leave when you notice, right?

00:27:32.057 –> 00:27:37.197
And when you do leave, maybe leave with a group of people. Maybe it’s not even,

00:27:37.437 –> 00:27:39.597
maybe you’re at the bar by yourself.

00:27:40.017 –> 00:27:43.837
Maybe you can just make it a point to leave in a wave of other people.

00:27:44.017 –> 00:27:45.497
So you’re not going out alone.

00:27:45.977 –> 00:27:50.237
That’s not a bad idea, especially if you think things might could go sideways,

00:27:50.237 –> 00:27:54.637
follow another group out, you know, or pretend like you’re part of that group.

00:27:54.817 –> 00:27:57.997
But the key is, you know, you need to be paying attention.

00:27:58.697 –> 00:28:02.937
And, you know, with that being said, when you do go to places that are seedy

00:28:02.937 –> 00:28:07.057
or less than whatever, you know, there’s potential, go with friends.

00:28:07.237 –> 00:28:12.037
Don’t go alone, especially if you’re a lady, you know, consider only going out

00:28:12.037 –> 00:28:14.757
to places like that when you’re in packs of two or more.

00:28:15.177 –> 00:28:19.677
And then look, you know, it’s a little tough to do, but when you leave,

00:28:19.957 –> 00:28:23.937
pay attention, make sure you’re not being followed, at least as best you can,

00:28:24.057 –> 00:28:25.617
right? And then be prepared.

00:28:25.897 –> 00:28:30.217
Like Raymond, he had to be prepared to fight back. But it’s not even that you

00:28:30.217 –> 00:28:34.057
need to be prepared to fight all the time. You may just need to be prepared

00:28:34.057 –> 00:28:36.437
to de-escalate, for an example.

00:28:37.237 –> 00:28:41.217
So if you’re gonna find yourself in those situations, you know,

00:28:41.297 –> 00:28:44.897
the very least you need to do is pay attention and then act.

00:28:45.237 –> 00:28:48.357
Get out and get away if things don’t seem right to you.

00:28:48.417 –> 00:28:52.197
So with that, we’ll end this podcast. I wanna thank you for listening yet again.

00:28:52.197 –> 00:28:56.197
And then I want to leave you on three takeaways, I think, that I would say.

00:28:56.317 –> 00:29:00.597
And the first one being, first and foremost, is always pay attention to your surroundings.

00:29:00.677 –> 00:29:04.537
Even when you’re home, out in the yard, with playing with the kids or whatever,

00:29:04.577 –> 00:29:09.137
if you see something going on down the street, pay attention and get away and

00:29:09.137 –> 00:29:13.597
get inside and lock the doors, especially if you’re with children or someone

00:29:13.597 –> 00:29:15.037
that can’t take care of themselves.

00:29:15.037 –> 00:29:20.037
Your first priority should be getting them to safety. And then you certainly

00:29:20.037 –> 00:29:25.057
are a priority when you’re alone and your secondary priority when you’re taking care of others.

00:29:25.197 –> 00:29:27.537
So pay attention and get away.

00:29:27.717 –> 00:29:30.457
You know, however you want to say that situational awareness,

00:29:30.717 –> 00:29:35.517
being alert, stay alert, stay awake, stay vigilant, and you’ll hear stay frosty,

00:29:35.637 –> 00:29:37.477
you know, so pay attention when you’re out.

00:29:37.477 –> 00:29:42.597
Uh the second takeaway is so big and we’ve talked about this so often and it

00:29:42.597 –> 00:29:47.157
it almost holds up in every single one of these stories listen to your intuition

00:29:47.157 –> 00:29:53.177
listen to your gut pay attention to those tingly spider senses listen to them.

00:29:54.127 –> 00:29:58.427
And the last one that I’ll leave you on is keep your egos in check.

00:29:58.927 –> 00:30:04.027
Don’t let your mouth or anything else write a check that your body can’t cash, right?

00:30:04.267 –> 00:30:08.807
Keep those egos in check. And with that, we’ll conclude this episode.

00:30:09.027 –> 00:30:12.407
Thanks so much for listening. Go back and listen to Podcast 33.

00:30:12.407 –> 00:30:16.587
If you haven’t, some of this will make a lot more sense and be able to piece

00:30:16.587 –> 00:30:19.027
the puzzle pieces together a little bit better if you do.

00:30:19.447 –> 00:30:23.007
But I hope you took something away and we’ll talk to you next time.

00:30:23.227 –> 00:30:25.787
Take care now. Thank you.

00:30:30.480 –> 00:30:43.890
Music.