Developing awareness for your personal safety is more than simply being cognizant that you could face a potential attack. It is more than realizing you need to take measures to defend yourself. It is more than spending time being on the lookout for potential threats. Developing awareness for your personal safety is all about learning when to heighten your sensitivity to your environment. It is the knowledge of when to be ready to use your stun gun or defense pepper spray, and when to actually be using it.

The key to developing security cognizance is focus. As we go about our every day business, we tend to focus on the important things at the moment. Developing security cognizance is nothing more than learning when to focus on your personal safety. For instance, when you have just left the movies with your significant other, your focus may be on the good time you have had, enjoying the company of your date, or looking forward to how the rest of the evening may unfold. This is what we normally do. In the post-Columbine or 9/11 era, these activities make us much more vulnerable to surprise attacks by the various thugs found on the mean streets.

Developing security cognizance is merely learning to focus on our personal safety at times when we are even remotely vulnerable. Usually, it is when we are alone. Alone when we are walking, jogging, or doing anything in isolation whether we realize it or not. Learn to think actively about your personal safety when you ARE alone. Even briefly. Do not assume passively that you are safe. Be familiar with your immediate surroundings and determine who and what is around you. Be able to look both ways and even behind you to see who may be in your immediate vicinity. As you can see, this is something you must do whenever you are alone and isolated.

A typical scenario is the walk from the grocery store to your car. In retrospect, if you focused on your groceries and finding your car, then consider who is around you as you leave the store. Are you being followed? Look behind you. Is there someone, two or three individuals, hanging around the entrance as you leave? Do they follow you? Do they stop and ask you for a dollar or the present time of day to stall you? Is there someone in the proximity of your car? Is there someone sitting in the car parked next to yours? Is there a suspicious looking van parked next to your car? These scenarios pose potential threats that you must be aware of.

The most natural thing to do is keep to ourselves and not accost a stranger. We tend to avoid eye contact. That is exactly what we must learn to do. Force yourself if you must. Look at the people around you. Just avoid eye contact. How many are standing around? How close are they? In what direction are they walking? Do you find yourself vulnerable? Are you in an isolated position? Are you a potential target for attack? Is there somebody behind you?

Many times, victims are taken by complete surprise when they are attacked especially in some situations that are unavoidable such as an assailant jumping out from around the corner of a building. Too many times, victims are taken by surprise because they do not perceive the danger around them or their own vulnerability. The most likely response from a victim is something like, "They came from nowhere." No they did not! The perps came from somewhere, in hiding, and the victim just did not see where. Force yourself to look and to see.

To not be a victim is to not act like one in the eyes of an assailant. Law enforcement and security officers are trained to know this very well and so should you.