beBetter 

We have all heard the phrase “no pain, no gain.” And the promise of greater rewards for the price of painful work has certainly proven true in most aspects of my life. But how does “no pain, no gain” apply to the future of our profession? 

The worst kind of disruption is the kind that could have been avoided and I certainly got what I deserved with this blowout. Earlier this year as crappie season rolled around, I rolled my boat out and began to get her ready for the season. As I checked the trailer tires, I thought—it’s really time to replace these. We are blessed with some fantastic lakes all within 90 miles of my home so I pull my boat a lot of miles in the two months of the crappie spawn. Again, I knew what I SHOULD do.

My wife, CeCe, and I just finished a home defense course which, like CPR, is simply great training and awareness. I started the course at the request of CeCe so I was a little skeptical of the overall value of the course. In the first afternoon, we learned the importance of three keywords to the foundation of good home and self-defense. Aware, was the first stage. As we walk to our car or answer the front door, we should be head up and alert to any possible dangers rather than head down, reading our last text message. Then, if you identify danger or a situation that could be dangerous, you immediately move into escape mode and look for the easiest ways to put distance or cover between you and the danger. Then if you are unable to avoid the danger, you confront it and defend yourself. Even yelling in a very loud voice that you see them or stop it can have a significant effect on the situation.