Regardless of where you work, live or play, there is always the potential for personal danger. In most cases, by following a few simple personal tips, those dangers can be avoided. No matter the location or situation, the potential for danger should always be considered. If a person is constantly aware of that potential, they are much more likely to mitigate the possibility of personal harm or injury. Not all personal tips, however, involve fending off an attack by another person or group of assailants. Avoiding attack by wild animals should also be considered.
Many personal tips may seem like inane rhetoric from a book titled “Security Tips for Dummies”, such as staying away of a bad neighborhood or flashing a wad of cash in public, seemingly daring someone to try to take it away from them. Most anyone knows that they should travel in their vehicle with the doors locked, but that simple personal tip often goes unheeded. The driver ponders how a person managed to get into their vehicle while stopped at the red light and then drive away with the car while the driver stands on the sidewalk watching it pull away.
Being aware of your surroundings and knowing what to do in event of potential danger are few of the personal tips that are often only heeded during the holiday season. Thieves, however, are looking for an easy mark all the time and do not halt their business once the holidays are over. They are looking for an easy victim in the streets, in parking lots or in shopping plazas 365 days of the year. Always being alert to possible problems and carrying a device that draws attention, such as a whistle, are a couple of the best personal tips provided by most law enforcement agencies and personal professionals.
A Potential Attacker: What Do They Look Like?
If every person who is planning an attack upon another person would wear a sign identifying themselves as an assailant, protecting yourself against attack would be far easier. Many people have their own idea of what a person who means them harm will look like and they often mistakenly ignore other warning signs. Some of the best personal tips include not relying on your own belief of what an attacker may look like. Be open to all possibilities. Remember the story of the wolf in sheep's clothing?
As an example, news reports often are quick to point out that a person was robbed by someone wearing a suit and tie and the victim never saw the attack coming. Had they been open to signs other than appearance, they may have been able to detect the person's intentions and attitude as a threat. Too often personal tips of this nature go unheeded and too many people have a mindset about what an attacker will look like. They miss other obvious signs of danger. Be awake, be alert, be cautious, and be safe.
