Life Codes to LIVE by…

Tips to Stay Safe While
Having Fun…At Any Age

When you’re young, your parents set the rules and guidelines to protect you and remind you when they’re not around. You can be surrounded by anything and anybody that means you harm at any time, the “Triple A“. You have to stay aware of your surroundings, be vigilant and react accordingly. Paying attention to your environment and who’s in that same space is paramount to you making it home safely. Below are some life codes to keep you living a long, healthy life!

Stay Aware of Your Triple A!

Anybody, Anything, Anytime

Never leave home without clean clothes on. Emergencies can happen at any time. You need to be prepared.
Never go anywhere without your keys, money or phone with you to make sure you have the tools necessary to make it back home. You should never be stranded whether you’re by yourself or with other people. Don’t ride around with a wad of cash either, just enough to get home.
Never rely on other people to make sure you’re safe. Always have YOUR plan in place because their plans may change and won’t include you.
Never have less than a half tank of gas or a half-charged phone. Half will do but full is best. Know where the gas stations are and keep a charged battery pack or charger with you in case of emergencies.
Never be the only “YOU” in the building. Find places that are more diverse in nature and welcoming to different groups of people and cultures.
Know where all of the exits are in any building in case of emergency. Things happen fast. You need to be able to escape from anywhere, at any time. Places with only one entrance/exit is a no go.
Leave a place at least 1 hour before the devil shows up. The “devil” pertains to an environment where people are aggressive in nature, overindulging in drugs or alcohol, or any actions that are potentially unsafe and could land you as a victim, a suspect or an accomplice to a crime. Any hint of uneasiness or uncomfortableness, leave immediately.
Never stay until the very end of an event or concert. Have a great time and get gone before the final curtain call. An early leave will keep you from chaos.
At a party, NEVER go into a room by yourself with someone you just met. Self-explanatory…diseases and convictions! Sexual assault is real! All it takes is one test or one person to say they saw something for a life sentence.
If a person you don’t know is clinging to you like wet paper, distance yourself immediately. There’s trouble on the horizon and you don’t want to find out what is the trouble.
If someone is noticeably lingering around you, pull your camera out. Look them in their eyes and start recording. Loudly ask what do they want. If they flee, it’s possible they’re human traffickers, thieves or are up to no good in any aspect.
Don’t be the first and last person at someone else’s party. It’s fine to show up but don’t over present yourself. You don’t want to be part of the set up or cleanup crew.
Don’t be the center of attention at someone else’s party. It’s fine to support but don’t draw unwelcomed attention to yourself and become a target.
When you’re out in public or private, as soon as you hear, NOT SEE, an argument happening, it’s time to go! This is not the time to be nosey. Bullets don’t have assigned names to them!
If you hear gunshots, run in the opposite direction. If the sound is close, get low and run away fast.
If you see a group of people running away from something or someone, this IS the time to follow the leader and get some place safe. Sometimes it’s just a joke but sometimes it’s not. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Choose your friends wisely! The company you keep could be your demise. If you surround yourself with people who like to get into trouble, you become part of the trouble. Instead, surround yourself with people who have goals and ambitions; who are actively working towards them, i.e. school, internships, work promotions, conditioning for sports, entrepreneurs just to name a few.
Notice a person’s energy and take note. If you get a negative feeling that something isn’t right, don’t bother entering or get up and leave immediately. A person’s change in facial expressions or an uneasy feeling is your queue to remove yourself. No explanation needed.
If you decide to drink alcohol, consume LESS than your limit. Once you start to feel different STOP there! If you’ve already passed go, drink electrolytes i.e. Pedialyte’s and/or water to hydrate. Eat something fried i.e. chicken or french fries or something with bread i.e any sandwich will do, to absorb the alcohol you’ve already consumed. It’s best to eat BEFORE a night out drinking so that the alcohol absorbs in the food and lessens its effect on you. Never drink on an empty stomach.
When you’re not at home, FULLY COVER your drink and NEVER leave it alone or drink it when you come back. Drugs can easily be slipped in and dissolved in your drink when you’re not paying attention.
Don’t drink PERIOD around people you don’t know. A friend of a friend is not your friend. Have a faux (fake) drink if you have to and watch how they act. Don’t stay long.
Be your own designated driver in your own car. When it’s time to leave, you’re not looking for anyone!
Park your car in a space that you can easily move from, back in if possible, to make a fast get away if necessary. Make sure no one else’s car is or can block your exit.
Don’t EVER allow people to invite other people into your car for a ride home. Uber and Lyft are available for this reason. Your friend can ride with their friend. If they don’t understand, they’re not YOUR friend. Move on. What they have on them could prevent you from making it home, i.e. a set-up, or land you in jail.
No matter where you go, keep your head on a swivel. Stay paying attention and look people dead in their eyes so that they know you know what’s going on.
Never be afraid to defend yourself at ALL costs. Fear is the closest thing to death in a situation.
If you’re in unfamiliar surroundings and need to stop, stop at a well-lighted store or gas station, go INSIDE and wave at the camera to keep track of your movements. Buy something to get a quick ping on your location and have a receipt of your visits, preferably with a debit or credit card. Cash could draw unwanted attention to you and will not track your location. You’ll never know what record/alibi you’ll need when unexpected things happen.
Be listed on a location app with your closest friends and family and/or have a location tag on you at all times. Keep it charged and put it in a place, i.e. your hair, pocket, sock, not easily removed by others. This gives up-to-date information and is one of your best options for your where abouts in case of an emergency.
Text your circle to let them know where you are going. They’ll need to know who you’re with, including a picture/license plate if you have it, and when you make it home. Be safe meeting new people. Man/woman, boy/girl. It doesn’t matter.
Never go to anyone’s house on a first date or any time until you know plenty of information about that person, their family, their friends and their intentions. The person could be crazy or married. It could also be a set-up or a situation you won’t make it home from.
Follow your first mind/thought. If you have to second or third guess about where you plan on going, stay home. It’ll keep you out of trouble because a second guess can be a death guess.
If something in your spirit is preventing you from going anywhere, you’re moving slower than usual or you’re not in the mood to go anywhere, that’s your discernment, your gut feeling, telling you to stay home. You’re avoiding something bad from happening to you.
If you need to go somewhere and there are too many things going wrong before you leave, wait awhile before you leave. Go when your spirit is comfortable.
Nothing good happens in the street after dark. Go where you’re going before club hours. If you’re going to the club, go there and leave before it closes. Don’t hang out in the street after you leave. This is usually when fights break out and bullets start flying. You also don’t want to be on the road alone after hours.
Never let someone pull you out of bed at night to go anywhere or handle a situation. Once you’re home safe for the night, say NO. They could be leading you to your death. Never drive when you’re too sleepy to pay attention for yourself and others. You have to be aware of other drivers who are also sleepy, possibly intoxicated or distracted in any way in the middle of the night.
You don’t have to attend everything you’re invited to. Choose safe options for you, not for them.
- You don’t have to party in every room.
- Have some wonderment about you.
- Let them miss you sometimes.
- Stay out of people face and space.
Whenever you get a feeling to leave some place, just leave. No explanation needed, even when someone asks you for one. Just say you’re ready to go.
Never say out loud where you’re going, i.e. hotel room, address, work, school, etc. People are always listening and will show up with you or before you do.
Every shut eye is not sleep and every goodbye is not gone. Sometimes, people double back to stalk and keep an eye on you. Maintain your triple A and scan your environment.
If you have to explain a situation or person to a judge or jury, that’s not a place or person you should be around. It doesn’t make sense to put yourself on radar for a potential crime. Get out of the area or situation immediately.
What you do at the company party, WILL get you fired! Work is work. If you let too loose at a company function and make a fool of yourself or others, they will never forget it, up to the point of your termination. Act the same way you would if you were at work.
Keep personal and work relationships separate. There are no friends at work. You may be associates but the moment you excel over them or favor is leaning in your direction, you will become subtle enemies if you don’t pay attention to the shift. However, some friendships do happen when work is no longer involved, i.e. one of you left the company. If you find a true friend at work, they’re a unicorn!
Your left hand should never know what your right hand is doing. Keep people out of your business. Everybody is not rooting for your success.
Every house is not safe. Know where you’re going before you get there. Sleep overs are NOT the end goal, especially around people you’re not completely safe around.