head on a swivel

Situational awareness is one of the most important things to develop, in my opinion. Not for the sole purpose of detecting evil intentions in a public gathering, but for every day incidents that can occur in our lives. Knowing exactly how many entrances and exits there are in a building can provide us the edge up in the event of a fire or mass panic situation. Paying attention to cars around us on the road can mean the difference between being caught in an accident or dodging one. Situational awareness with our kids can save us from countless trips to a hospital. There are zero cons with being situationally aware, only pros that keep us and our loved ones safe and secure.

So, how do we become more situationally aware? This is a skill that will not develop itself. Situational awareness must be practiced and applied daily. One way to begin this journey is to write down a few things you want to pay more attention to. These things could be entrances/ exits of buildings, studying bodily behavior of those around you, identifying potential safety hazards in public settings, or staying up to date with current events that could impact your daily life. Once you have chosen your objectives, begin documenting what you see. The goal is to make this second nature, just something we do to give us an edge in any emergency or potential emergency situation.

Being situationally aware is not living in fear, it is freedom due to our ability to analyze and prepare.