This is probably what I'll look like right before wandering off into the bush...

Hello mates!

Top-of-the-morning-to-ya.

Most of us are brought up to believe in humanity, in the same way as we are brought up to differentiate between right and wrong. Morality is important throughout our society. We are expected to want to rescue, help and save everyone, as if everyone was really worth saving…

Television shows reinforce this standard by highlighting the struggle between personality types during a crisis – it helps heighten the drama and thus the, “watch-ability” factor. The “good-guy” fights to save the rest. He struggles to convince the, “group” he has a plan, that he can get them all out safely…What a load of crap.

And what a waste of energy!

If you want to survive, don’t go wasting your valuable mental and physical resources on folks hell bent on doing things their way. Just let them go. Or better yet, you go.

Survival will boil down to common sense and your ability to remain calm and rational. Others will not be so blessed. Their idea of common sense and rational thought may differ greatly from yours – in fact, I would hasten to add you should count on that being the case.

If you and I were in a survival situation it’s not my style to start barking orders at the group, in some misguided attempt to make everyone realize what they might be doing is wrong.

In fact you might be somewhat surprised in not hearing much from me at all.

I’m much more likely to make a few quiet suggestions, and see who’s listening. I want to see which of the group has retained their ability to still think clearly and weigh up all the options.

If it becomes apparent to me that none of the group has retained that ability, or perhaps the person with the loudest voice has decided to take charge and leads the group off in the wrong direction, you will not see me again. I’ll quietly wander off into the “bush” and take care of myself, but thanks all the same…

Once you've made a decision, grow a couple and follow through; alone if need be.

If you know what you are thinking is right, makes complete sense, gives you the best chance of survival and you haven’t heard anything from anyone else around you to challenge that idea, then have the balls to follow your instincts.

You will have insufficient resources and energy to fight and recruit people that have already chosen to align themselves with the loudest mouth in the group. So don’t try. This is your chance to prove Darwin’s Selection theory in real time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection

There is a scene in Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, when he is about to be thrust into the Arena for the first time. The man in front of him begins urinating on himself in fear.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/   

“Maximus” takes a step back distancing himself from the guy as he anticipates things not ending well for that man. You should do the same, both figuratively and literally, if your group appears to have lost its collective minds.

There are those out there that will have little or no control over their emotions. They lack the mental toughness necessary to persevere and overcome the situation.

They will want someone to save them. They will not be capable of saving themselves. They will not begin their survival journey by saying the Survivors Creed,

“I will live in the moment. I will hope for nothing. Provide for myself everything. Roll with the punches when adversity strikes and things don’t go my way. I will laugh at every available opportunity. Rescue, should it arrive, will be just a welcome interruption in my survival journey – nothing more.” – Terry Vaughan.

We will look at rules three four and five over the next few days and as always, I welcome your comments, emails and suggestions!

Cheers, Terry.

...I told him not to take my Rolos...

Hello mates! How are ya?

 

 

 

 

 

One of the toughest aspects of dealing with a life and death situation are the people you might be obligated to help….

We are not including Emergency Responders, or Doctors who have undertaken the Hippocratic Oath to save lives as part of their job. If you happen to have one of these folks on hand when your life hangs in the balance, then you are likely extremely fortunate. Or are you??

I’d like you to read this account of a man, dying, that waited two days for emergency medical help:  http://www.thetartan.org/2010/2/22/forum/ems

Now, as always, you can’t believe just the bits that were printed for maximum effect. There’s probably a good reason why the paramedics wouldn’t leave the safety of their vehicle and walk the distance to this man’s house.

Maybe there are rules governing their just leaving an emergency vehicle stocked with medical supplies, (drugs) while they go off, dragging the patient trolley behind them to the patient.

Or maybe they were in a rough area and didn’t want to risk being shot and robbed.

Or maybe, it was just too cold for them to get out knowing that this “emergency” had already been graded as a low level life threatening illness.

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100228/ap_on_re_us/us_snow911_death

It’s possibe that Emergency Services had responded to this home numerous times before and had yet to encounter a true medical emergency. It would be hard not to discount this instance given the previous history.

On a couple of occasions the victim cancelled the calls when dispatch relayed the difficulties of getting the ambulance to the victims home, and then requested that he walk a block to meet the Emergency vehicle where they were stuck in the snow.

It's all fun and games until someone gets stuck....

I know I’m playing Devil’s advocate, but I’m doing so for a reason.

Being in a true emergency life or death event will test the toughest amongst us. It tends to bring out the best and worst in people and does so in a hurry.

Most become angered at the position they are in. They begin cursing and lashing out those around them as if they were responsible for the situation.

Including gross negligence, blaming others during the actual crisis does little to mitigate the immediate challenge of saving your own lives. There will be plenty of time to suing the crap out of someone later, if you live. Your first priority is just that, saving your life: But what if someone amongst the current survivors is just a bad apple. I know it’s shocking to think of, but there are just some people that are a pain in the ass – plain and simple.

They will have little if anything to add to the general welfare of the group, and in fact will do their best to disrupt anything discussed as being a waste of time, resources, and effort.

This is just their attitude to life.

Pessimists of this caliber are plentiful. The blame for most of their life’s ills are of someone else’s doing; very rarely do they take responsibility for themselves or their actions. This event will be no exception.

 Standing firm will be tough for you

Teaching self reliance can never start too early...and the outdoors is one big jungle gym!

And this is what we will continue to look at over the next few days – why you must stand tall and sometimes stand alone, and why that might not be so bad after all….

We will also look at rules three, four, and five, over the next few days and as always, I welcome your comments, emails and suggestions!

Cheers, Terry.

He wasn't struggling with his decision quite as much as he would have imagined...

Or is it?

 

 

Hopefully, you will never have to face making the ultimate decision in the sort of situations we’re about to discuss, but if you did, you’d want to keep some things in mind

1                   You can’t save everybody

2                   Not everybody wants to be saved

3                   Risking your own life needs to be measured very carefully; this is not just because of the risk of dying, but also because getting injured might mean not dying, and instead living out the remainder of your life with a debilitating injury.

4                   Preparing yourself mentally before such an event, will go a long way towards minimizing the long term emotional affects making such a decision will have on you.  

5                   You are tougher, both mentally and physically, than you think you are; but if you can’t imagine yourself being strong or resilient in a true disaster, then you will likely be the one needing to be saved by someone that is – so toughen up before that ever happens!!

As reported (in part) to the Daily Telegraph – England:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3634463/Joe-Simpson-My-journey-back-into-the-void.html

Joe Simpson
Published: 12:01AM BST 22 Oct 2007

It's all fun and games until someone get's hurt...

Legendary climber Joe Simpson – who famously escaped death in the Andes – tells Peter Stanford of the doomed expedition that tempted him back up a mountain

 

 

Joe Simpson was just 14 when he read The White Spider, an epic account of efforts to conquer the North Face of the Eiger.

 His first reaction, he recalls, was straightforward horror. Why, the schoolboy wondered, would anyone want to risk their life climbing mountains?

“The stories in the book were enough to put the willies up anyone,” says Simpson, the 46-year-old British mountaineer whose extraordinary tale of survival in the Andes was detailed in the book and 2003 film, Touching The Void.

“But then, when I thought about it, I kept coming back to the idea that these climbers were intelligent people and that there must be something really good to be had from mountaineering if they were prepared to take risks like that.”

Childhood reading marked the beginning of a love affair with mountains that comes full circle with The Beckoning Silence, a documentary being screened on Channel 4 tonight.

In 1985, 11 years after reading the book, Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, made the first ascent of the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.

Eventually one of them would have to leave the safety of the group and risk getting a sweater

On the way down, things went badly wrong. Simpson, with a broken leg, ended up dangling helplessly on a rope over a crevasse the depth and scale of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. Yates, believing him dead, cut the rope.

 

 

“At this stage,” Joe says, “I was wishing to God I had listened to my first reaction at 14…..”

After cutting the rope and beginning his own self rescue, Simon (Joe’s climbing partner) had to contend with the guilt of knowing that if his climbing partner wasn’t dead, he had nearly certainly killed him when he cut the rope.

Of course, Joe wasn’t dead and managed to crawl, limp, stagger and generally fight his way back to base camp over the next several days. His miraculous arrival occurred hours before Simon was due to leave camp and head  back to civilization.

It’s a great book, and if you want more information about it follow this link – the brief synopsis you read will probably seal the deal!

We will be looking into the first five rules in regards to making these types of tough life and death choices over the next few days, and hopefully giving you food for thought in case you are ever called upon to make such a decision.

Cheers, Terry.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=18467088

Even at this tender age, his passion for photography was astounding.

Followed by this lunacy! No wonder so many Americans want to travel to Europe and experience the culture – when any one tries for some over here, you get shot down and stifled for fear that the sight of the human form will lead to some sort of brain aneurysm….pathetic a nd funny:

http://guyism.com/2010/03/naked-snowwoman-forced-to-cover-up.html

Who said there's no such thing as too much rubber?

Wait until the chicks see this...

And I'm weird for liking fairytales....?

Hand her a magic shag pile carpet and she's all set...

If only the model could read....

I was once asked by a lady I knew why I carry a handgun, and my reply:

“Because it’s illegal to carry a machine gun….” After I received this email earlier this week, I know I’m not alone…hahaha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.. Don’t pick a fight with an old man.  If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you. 
 
2..   If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck. 
 
3.   I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy. 
 
4.   When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away. 
 
5.  A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers.  The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him ‘Why do you carry a 45?’  The Ranger responded, ‘Because they don’t make a 46.’   
 
6.  The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm.  ’Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?’ ‘No Ma’am.  If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my shotgun.’ 
 
7.   Beware the man who only carries one gun.  HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!!! 
 
But wait, there’s more! 
 
I was once asked by a lady visiting if I had a gun in the house.  I said I did.  She said ‘Well I certainly hope it isn’t loaded!’  To which I said, of course it is loaded, it can’t work without bullets!’ She then asked, ‘Are you that afraid of someone evil coming into your house?’ My reply was, “No not at all.  I am not afraid of the house catching fire either, but I have fire extinguishers around, and they are all loaded too”.  

 

 

 

   

You should never get between a hippo and the water...doesn't she know anything?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jk: A guy is discussing his upcoming wedding with his friend.

 

 

“I’m not sure if my future bride is a virgin or not.”

His mate replies, “Oh, there’s an easy test for that! All you need is some red paint, blue paint, and a shovel.”

“What for?” The groom asks….

“You paint one ball red and the other one blue. On your honeymoon if she laughs and says, “Those are the funniest balls I’ve ever seen…” Then you hit her with the shovel.”

 

It beats having to wake up to that damn alarm clock bell...

 Have a fantastic weekend so at least on Monday you’ll have some stories to tell….

 

Cheers, Terry.

 www.highintensityteambuilding.com

 

Concluding our look into mental toughness.  I thought a few examples would speak volumes in regards to what mentally tough is all about, and give us all a few reasons to wonder, “Would I be that tough?” 

Below is information about Officer Stacy Lim, a Police Officer with the LA Police department, as posted on the LA Police website - follow the link to view other incredible acts of bravery and toughness by LA Police Officers.

(I first read about Officer Stacy Lim in Lt. Col. Dave Grossmans’ and Loren W. Christensens’ book On Combat – You can find out more information about the two by following this link )

After a softball game and a stop-over at the Northeast Station to check her work assignment, Officer Stacy Lim arrived home in Canyon Country at about 1 a.m., Saturday, June 9, 1990. She didn’t know that the car behind her had followed her from Los Angeles, or that it carried four hardcore gang members, intent on stealing her truck. One of the young bandits was armed with a .357-Magnum revolver. Now, because she believed that she had been followed for some unknown reason, she carried her 9-millimeter service weapon in her hand. When she saw the large pistol in the hand of the advancing figure, she was ready to defend herself.

Officer Lim did a humane thing – instead of immediately firing at the shadowy figure with a gun, she purposely advised him that she was a police officer. From a distance of about 5 feet, the young gunman, without warning, responded to Officer Lim’s unselfish act by firing his weapon directly into her chest. The bullet struck her with an impact equal to being hit by an 18-wheeled truck doing 60 miles-an-hour. The bullet ravaged her upper body when it nicked the lower portion of her heart, damaged her liver, destroyed her spleen, and exited through the center of her back, still with enough energy to penetrate her vehicle door, where it was later found. Critically wounded, the officer brought up her weapon and fired one round which struck her assailant. He then turned and ran, but the officer followed him and fired three more rounds, which hit and fatally wounded the gunman. He had fired all six of his bullets at Officer Lim, who now returned to the front of her vehicle to fight off any further attackers, unaware that the others had driven away in panic. They were all taken into custody the same day.

Now realizing her danger from her massive wound, she tried to reach her doorway, but collapsed. Her roommates, alerted by the shooting, found her and called for medical aid. The officer had already lost so much blood, that that alone made her condition critical.

Police and Medical personnel at the scene estimated that she had no chance for recovery, and doctors at the hospital gave her only an hour to live. Her family was summoned.

However, she refused to die and survived three full cardiac arrests. By responding to a 90-minute heart massage, she showed her will to live. Her sense of duty and personal courage were equaled only by her reverence for the life of another, because she had placed herself at dire risk by giving a warning to an armed attacker. She had given him an opportunity to surrender and live. Her action upheld the highest traditions of the Los Angeles Police Department and is hereby recognized by awarding her with the Medal of Valor.  

What isn’t mentioned here, is the fact that she received in the region of 100 units of blood, during her life saving surgical procedure! She credits her ability to not only stay in the fight initially, after being shot, but in living after the fight with her mental conditioning: “You need to prepare your mind, for where the body may have to go.”

In other words, toughen your mind up first, and your body will follow suit!  I love this!!

Or how about this guy, Charles “Commando” Kelly – another recipient of the Medal Of Honor.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 13 September 1943, near Altavilla, Italy, Cpl. Kelly voluntarily joined a patrol which located and neutralized enemy   positions.

After this hazardous duty he volunteered to establish contact with a battalion of U.S. infantry which was believed to be located on Hill 315, a mile distant. He traveled over a route commanded by enemy observation and under sniper, mortar, and artilleryfire; and later he returned with the correct information that the enemy occupied Hill 315 in organized positions.

 Immediately thereafter Cpl. Kelly, again a volunteer patrol member, assisted materially in the destruction of 2 enemy machinegun nests under conditions requiring great skill and courage.

Having effectively fired his weapon until all the ammunition was exhausted, he secured permission to obtain more at an ammunition dump. Arriving at the dump, which was located near a storehouse on the extreme flank of his regiment’s position, Cpl. Kelly found that the Germans were attacking ferociously at this point. He obtained his ammunition and was given the mission of protecting the rear of the storehouse. He held his position throughout the night.

The following morning the enemy attack was resumed. Cpl. Kelly took a position at an open window of the storehouse. One machine gunner had been killed at this position and several other soldiers wounded. Cpl. Kelly delivered continuous aimed and effective fire upon the enemy with his automatic rifle until the weapon locked from overheating.

Finding another automatic rifle, he again directed effective fire upon the enemy until this weapon also locked. At this critical point, with the enemy threatening to overrun the position, Cpl. Kelly picked up 60mm. mortar shells, pulled the safety pins, and used the shells as grenades, killing at least 5 of the enemy.

When it became imperative that the house be evacuated, Cpl. Kelly, despite his sergeant’s injunctions, volunteered to hold the position until the remainder of the detachment could withdraw. As the detachment moved out, Cpl. Kelly was observed deliberately loading and firing a rocket launcher from the window. He was successful in covering the withdrawal of the unit, and later in joining his own organization. Cpl. Kelly’s fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.

After receiving the Medal, Kelly toured the country with a group of other infantrymen as part of the Army Ground Forces’ “Here’s Your Infantry,” demonstrating various battle techniques and selling war bonds. When the tour ended, Kelly was assigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Kelly received an honorable discharge from the Army in 1945, and the rank of technical sergeant.^[2]

I first read about Steven Callahan in Laurence Gonzales book, Deep Survival – follow the link for more information about this great book too. 

This guy survived 76 days alone in a small rubber dinghy and exhibited the mother of all mental toughness by perpetually talking himself into not panicking. His book, “Adrift” is an excellent look into the human spirit, resourcefulness and tenacity, and is well worth a read - follow the link to find out more about his story, too. 

I read somewhere that rescue from a true survival situation should be viewed as a welcome interruption to your survival journey, nothing more.

For me the biggest part of being mentally tough is about not expecting your day to end without a survival disaster, or attack, or some other type of calamity!

Why?

Because when you expect your day to be dandy, everyday, day in and day out, and suddenly it’s not, you take too long to respond. The shock of the event is enough to stun you into inaction. Mentally preparing yourself for a few survival contingencies, however unlikely you feel they may be, means also preparing a sort of loose, “what if” action plan in reaction to the new reality. Nobody wants to be caught in a life and death struggle, but you’ll stand a much greater chance of coming out on top of it, if you have at least considered some options before hand.

Mental toughness begins with mental preparation. This morphs into faster reaction times should the worst occur. Which means, at very least, you won’t die with a dumb look of shock on your face….and once you have seriously considered a few survival variables, a few get out of this quick plans, or a few, “if this were to happen to me right now I’d do_________ and take action” – then you have unwittingly begun toughening up your body, too.

This mental toughening up process is part of what Lt. Col. Dave Grossman calls, “training yourself to live, not training yourself to die!”  And how much simpler can it get than that???

So that, mates, is how I’m going to categorise mental toughness:

Training yourself, mentally and physically, to live, and not die, should you find yourself in the worst of circumstance.

Some will say, “but of course I don’t want to die, who does?” And I would reply,

“Your ignorance of the possibility that something bad might happen to you at any time is training yourself to die. Depending on where you live, your occupation, or recreational habits, all manner of perfectly plausible possibilities of misfortune are never more than a few seconds away: research what’s most likely to happen to you based on a small amount of research and use the information to mentally prepare for those scenarios. Mental toughness is a by product of your consideration of what might befall you at any given moment, and then having already programmed yourself not to succumb: No matter what.”

Go on, save a life, get mentally tough – the life you save could well be your own….

Cheers, Terry