Most everyone knows about the five-second rule. This unwritten rule says that when you’re cooking or preparing a piece of food and it falls to the ground and it stays no longer than five seconds, it’s okay to serve or eat it. Six or seven seconds—throw it away, but five seconds or under, it’s all right. It’s more of a funny or joke type rule than a serious one and people have different variations to it.
So how in the world can this rule have any thing do with safety? A lot. One of the biggest mistake people have with their personal safety and security is not taking the time to be aware of their surroundings. It’s not that they don’t know they should be aware of what may be going on around them, but the problem is in how to really slow down a bit and take the time to be aware.
As an example, when we are getting out of our cars whether at a mall, doctors office or grocery store we pretty much blindly pull in, park, and start walking to the door without being aware of what dangers may be out there. We’re thinking about our kids, husbands, wives, daily problems, the lack of hours in a day to finish everything we’ve got to get done, or a dozen other things which may be going on in our lives. It’s not that we don’t know it’s prudent to look around a bit to make sure we’re not walking into a problem. It’s just that we’re engulfed in other things—and this is dangerous—especially for women.
This is where the five-second rule comes in to play. Remind yourself that if you want to make sure you’ll get home and see your loved ones again, if you want to live another day, if you want to achieve your God given potential, that from this day forward you will take five seconds for safety. It means that every time you are getting ready to get out of your car in a public area you’re going to look to the left, right, behind and in front of you, looking for anything concerning or suspicious. This also goes for when you’re getting ready to leave an area to go to your parked car. This five-second rule slows you down just long enough to access what’s around you. It can save your life.
Years ago, I listened to an interview of a murderer who said if the woman he killed at an ATM would “have just been more aware of her surrounding she would have been alive today”.
We know it’s good to be aware of our surroundings, but to remember to do it is another thing for most people. Well, from this day forward, remember that silly old rule that’s universally known in America. The one that makes us smile when we think about it, and revise it to The Five-Second Rule for Safety. Then commit to the fact that from this day on you’re going to remember it and utilize it for your safety and security. This reminder and commitment will quickly become second nature and after a while you’ll just automatically do it—and it will also make you much more likely to live and love, yet another day.
Steve Kovacs is the author of Protect Yourself: The Simple Keys Woman Need To Be Safe and Secure. Steve's a former police supervisor and Regional Training Director in the State of Ohio. Steve's been inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame and The International Karate and Kickboxing Hall of Fame. Steve's taught security at the college level and has been utilized by national media in areas of safety and security. Steve serves as President of All-Source Security Services which is based in Ohio. www.allsourcesecurity.com