September is Disaster Preparation month and a month ago the
buzz was on how to prepare for natural or man-made emergencies. It’s scary
stuff, but preparation can your key to survival. Just as scary – if not scarier,
because it’s more intimate – is the topic of attacks on one’s person.
There have been a number of attacks against women in the
local St. Louis news lately. In September, our local National Association of
Professional Organizers chapter was lucky to have Dan Asher present a program
on personal safety. Needless to say, safety has been on my mind lately.
Dan provided our chapter with some excellent information
about how to take proactive measurements in protecting ourselves. Dan knows a lot about personal safety.
He is a former police officer who is now an excellent real estate agent with
Keller Williams Chesterfield (here is his website: http://dasher.yourkwagent.com/). There
are two things I want to offer to you here: intuition and rehearsal.
Paying attention to one’s intuition is an extremely important
safety measure. Those feelings that something just doesn’t seem right are red
flags not to be dismissed by the logical brain. Don’t try to rationalize away
your feelings. If something seems amiss leave the situation!
What if I think I can’t get away? Amazingly, the universe
provided the answer in the guise of Patti Metcalf. Patti represents Damsel in Defense. She
gives safety seminars and sells safety products. The products are cool: like a
120-decibel personal alarm/flashlight that attaches to your keychain or a pink
stun gun. I stocked up for Christmas. Keeping my friends and family safe is
important to me.
One thing Dan emphasized in his presentation is that each step
that you take to protect yourself is a step in the right direction. I suppose
safety is a little like organizing in that regard. Educate yourself. Have a
plan and rehearse it. Dan said when you are in a threatening situation you will
need to overcome the paralyzing effects of adrenaline and rehearsal is the key.
Create a script for exiting a situation that your intuition says is not right. Practice
that script. Practice using safety products so you won’t have to think about
how to use them when you need them.
It is a scary world out there. But knowledge and preparation
put you in a stronger position to protect yourself and the ones you love. Be
strong, be prepared.
