Greetings, reader. Welcome to the first article I write with an informational scope on my website. Today, I wish to write about the fundamentals of maintaining one's own vigilance and staying out of trouble. More specifically, I will discuss about what mindset one should keep, what to do and what to avoid, and the pitfalls many people fall in along with ways to not make the same mistakes.
Being vigilant does not mean being paranoid. Being vigilant means being aware of what is happening around you in general, of your surroundings, of what you are doing and of what comes out of your mouth. Being vigilant means always having a plan B, and if that fails, having a plan C to back it up. Being vigilant means avoiding unnecessary risks and making life easier and safer for yourself. Most of what you will find written here is common sense and you might or might not know it already. It might feel like I am pointing out the obvious at times. Regardless of that, it doesn't hurt reading through. At worst, you will have refreshed what you already know, and at best, you will have learned something new.
Being vigilant is something that you need to integrate into your lifestyle. Whether you are going to work, to hang out with your friends, to take a shit or whatever, you will need to stay vigilant at all times. The one moment when you slip up and lose focus can be the moment when shit hits the fan and something bad happens. While worst case scenarios are unlikely, it is much better to be safe than to be sorry.
Firstly, whenever you plan on doing something, prepare yourself in advance for any foreseen and unforeseen problems. When you have to be somewhere, plan ahead and plan to leave at such a time so that if everything goes smoothly you arrive with a little amount of time in advance, but if traffic is being a bitch or anything else happens, you arrive right on time. Always carry a spare tire in the trunk if you have a car, make sure your phone is charged, you get the idea. Prepare in advance for any problems that might come up, always have a backup plan on hand and you will be saving yourself many headaches once Murphy's law inevitably strikes. As little as 10 minutes of preparation can save you hours or even days of troubles.
Second of all, wherever you go, look around the area and take a mental note of what you see. How many people are there? Does anyone look shady or give a bad feeling in particular? What blind spots can you notice? What are some possible exit routes in case anything happens that requires you to haul ass immediately, such as a fire? Be aware of any potential problems that might arise around you and plan ahead on how to deal with them so that you are not caught with your pants down if they do happen.
Third of all, be extremely mindful of your personal information. People have a tendency to overshare their information like it's tic tacs nowadays, especially on the internet. Doxxing and identity theft are a huge problem in this day and age and most of the time, it doesn't start from James Bond spy magic or spooky hacker magic; it starts from very basic privacy errors made by the target. Don't unnecessarily share your full name, location, pictures of yourself or other identifiable information with people you don't know well and for God's sake, don't post it on social media like Twitter.
These are the fundamental basic rules of vigilance as envisioned by me through observation and practical experience. Keep these 3 cardinal rules in mind, for they form the foundation of being vigilant and are indispensable.
Article published on 2/14/2021