Today, it feels like people were safer 10 years ago. The need to protect your family and loved ones has never been greater.

How can you develop a security conscious mindset so you can protect their family, friends, or loved ones?

1). Be Aware of Your Surroundings
2). Read an Article on Security Every Day
3). Always Sit with your Back Against the Wall
4). Take Responsibility for the Lives of Others Around You
5). Intentionally Teach Others About Security

To be clear, my objective is to help you change the way you think about security. Below are 7 things you can do that will train you to think differently, and if you put these into practice, without question, your thinking will change, and when your thinking changes, your behavior will naturally follow.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

In June of 2002, one of the most masculine man-movies of all time was released, “The Bourne Identity”. In this movie, Jason Borne suffers from amnesia and is trying to figure out why he has such acute awareness of his surroundings. You’ll recall the following movie clip.

Now, as much as we all would like to have the skillset of Jason Bourne, [stop already, yes you do!], we certainly can

Read an Article on Security Every Day

The more you feed yourself something, the more you become like whatever it is that you absorb. This is why your mother was always concerned with who your friends were as a kid. The more time you spent with them, the more you became like them. To the extent that you spend time absorbing information related to security, to that extent, will you you develop a security mindset.

It has been said that if you want to become an expert on a given topic, . . . any topic, . . . simply take the time to absorb the topic in question over the span of 5 years. After 5 years, without question, you will be considered an “expert” in that field.

Don’t limit yourself to one security topic, such as “Home Security”. Read up on all security topics that have to do with personal security and cyber-security as well. These three topics are very broad, but they cover everything from how to recognize phishing scams, to discovering if martial arts work in a real fight, and everything in between.

Additionally, don’t limit yourself to one source of information. There is a wealth of information you can glean from the experience of others. For example, which will give you more insight into a given topic, sitting in a class being lectured by one Professor, or reading 5 books authored by a different authors regarding that same subject? Clearly there is an advantage in reading 5 books by 5 different authors, because it gives you greater perspective on the topic in question.

Always Sit with you Back Against the Wall

I know that this may sound trivial, but sitting with your back to the wall, pretty much anywhere, is a very practical thing you can do to sharpen your mindset more than you might think. When you sit with your back against the wall, you get a greater perspective of what’s going on. You want to be able to see what’s coming. No surprises.

Now I am not saying that you need to develop a paranoid mindset. There is a huge difference between being paranoid, and being aware of your surroundings. The one operates out of fear, while the other is severs as a means of providing you with information so that you can respond accordingly. You always want as much information as you get so that you can respond if necessary. A clear line of sight just might give you that extra second or two to respond when and if needed.

Take Responsibility for the Lives of Others Around You

Lock the door at night. Step outside just before you go to bed at night and take a look around. Be the watchman. Be that guy.

There is nothing that will encourage you to become more security conscious, than to assume responsibility for the lives of others. You see, when you become security conscious, it demands action. Knowing about something has no meaning unless you apply what you have learned.

Sure, it’s easy to take responsibility for those you love, but what about those you don’t even know? For example, if you were to see the witness the makings of a robbery going down, would you warn strangers to “get down” or “hide under the desk”, so as to protect them, or would you just fend for yourself?

If you want to be that guy, then make it a point to start becoming other-centered. Other-centered, is the opposite of being selfish. It involves serving people for the soles for their benefit with no compensation. When you practice this way of living, you will develop both care and compassion for others. You’ll start noticing that you really do care for others.

Having developed compassion for others, you will naturally start looking out for others. Again, serving people selflessly develops compassion, which is key to help you develop a security conscious mindset.

Intentionally Teach Others About Security

They say that you really don’t know something unless you can teach it to someone else. I’m not talking about signing up to teach a class at your local community college, (though that might not be a bad idea). I’m talking about looking for opportunities to share with others what you have learned.

For example, look for opportunities to share little tid-bits of information with your family, friends, and colleagues in the work place. Not to show off, but do so out of concern for their well-being. Trust me, they will appreciate your caring for them.

Knowing about something doesn’t make it yours. Share what you know. Only after you teach what you know, can you really know it. I’m not trying to sound deep. I am trying, however, to communicate that head knowledge is not enough. You have to practice what you preach. Put it into practice. Get yourself a bedside baseball bat. Buy each family member a Pepper Blaster II concealed pepper spray gun, and put it in their stocking for Christmas. Spend the whopping .83 cents a day on a SimpliSafe home security system, and tell your friend and co-workers why you made that decision.

Closing Thoughts

As you eat, breath, and drink security, the more security conscious you become. If you want to become more security conscious, develop compassion by serving others. In so doing, you will naturally develop concern for the well-being of other people.

If you follow the 7 steps offered in this article, both you and your loved ones will be safer. The real question is, will you commit to become more security conscious?