Mindset. What exactly does it have to do with personal safety? In our classes we focus on empowerment rather than fear. One of the ways we teach empowerment is by talking about mindset. Mindset is not about “wishing,” “hoping,” or “wondering if you will be okay.” It is about setting your mind to win! We teach a variety of ways help you avoid being targeted by a criminal and offer creative solutions to help you win if you are attacked. But these things will still be far less effective if you don’t set your mind to “win no matter what!”
Have you ever noticed times in your life when you felt uncertain about accomplishing something? Times where you would really like to do that certain something, but due to a lack of commitment and determination, you found yourself shrinking behind your fear and only going for it half way, if you even tried at all? I know I have and it never worked out so well. But there have been other times in my life that, even when I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, I just went for it wholeheartedly. I did it for a job I REALLY wanted, for a new skill I was dying to learn, and I did it daily when I was 17 and had just had a new baby boy. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing in ANY of those situations, but I was DETERMINED!
When I look back on my life, the most powerful moments have come from when I just WENT FOR IT! Here’s what it’s like to have a mindset of success: First there is a place of insecurity as you fight with your ego brain. Your ego gives you all the reasons you shouldn’t step out and shake the boat. Yet the fire in you burns through the doubt and insecurity and says, “well just do it anyway!” That is when you dig in your heels and figure out a way to make it happen.
In our courses, we teach women that they MUST have an “I will win” attitude. The reason this is so important is that when you’re facing danger or a challenge, that positive attitude gives you the focus to see your way out. If you are connected to feelings like “I may not make it out of this situation,” all you will see is the reasons why you don’t have a chance. BUT, if you set your mind to “I WILL win!” your subconscious mind will lead you to victory. This is what has happened when you hear of a 115 pound mother lifting a car off of her child. She doesn’t take the time to doubt whether she can do it or not, she just does it!
I read an article about a woman who describes how she was attacked and how she went through this same process. At one point during the interview she says, “To be honest with you, I really thought I was getting ready to be raped.” She tells about a mindset of determination firing up and how she kept on kicking. She set her mind that she would not go down easy. She kicked and kicked until the attacker lost his grip and then she ran. Not only that she started screaming to get help.
Watch the video here:
Chesapeake woman escapes from attacker: ‘I really thought I was getting ready to be raped’
The part I want to highlight is that the criminal decides to leave her alone. She says, “At first it seemed like he was coming, but then I started screaming, and I looked back, and he was going the opposite direction.” This brave woman kept making herself a difficult target (or as we say in class “a too expensive target!”). By having a mindset of success and not giving up, she was victorious.
This is why we teach having a mindset of winning. She was clearly shaken up, but she survived. She saved herself by taking charge of her own safety. She won and is a stronger woman for it (not to mention a great example for the rest of us).
You may feel uncertain about how to protect yourself, and maybe that makes you fearful every day. Start changing that today by deciding that you WILL fight to win no matter what!
If you’d like some help figuring out how to do it, we would love to see you in one of our classes. Just remember that you DO have what it takes to survive. You can win. YOU ARE WORTH THE FIGHT!
Until next time,
-Penny
Penny B.
Co-Owner and Instructor
