The new year brings a lot of possibilities with it. It’s your opportunity to not only reflect upon the last 12 months, but to create goals and set intentions for the year ahead.
When it comes to crafting New Year’s resolutions for the coming year, self-defense and defensive living don’t make their way onto many people’s lists. With the way the last two years have been, though, it is now more important than ever to take your personal safety seriously.
Here are 20 ideas for New Year’s resolutions that will help you improve your self-defense capabilities, and make you a better protector of yourself, your family, and your community.
Broaden your mind
1. Stay more informed: To ensure your safety, it is very important to stay informed about the things that are happening around us. This can help you prevent issues before they even start.
2. Practice situational awareness: Situational awareness is a conscious practice of being aware of the immediate threats and defense opportunities around you. For instance, when you walk into a new place, like a restaurant, make sure to note all the entry and exit points, have an escape strategy, and devise a plan to stay safe in any situation.
3. Read a new book: As a law abiding citizen, there may come a time when you will need to step up in a dynamic situation and provide leadership to the chaos around you. There are a lot of authors who deal with both leadership as well as some things that the human body goes through when presented with intense stress. LtCol David Grossman and Jocko Willink both have written on those topics. There are others as well!.
4. Learn more about your state laws: Knowing your gun ownership rights and your firearm-related state laws can help you protect your freedom and prevent legal troubles.
Learn new protective skills
5. Learn basic first aid: In a self-defense, or survival situation, first aid is one of the most important skills that can help you save lives.
6. Learn how to handle a gunshot wound: If you are going to be around firearms, it is important to know the basics of how to take care of a gunshot wound, such as packing or sealing the wound in case of an emergency.
Update your security gear
7. Invest in a security system for your home: Statistics show that homes with security systems are significantly less likely to be victims of robberies and home invasions. Getting a dog, or even putting up a “Beware of Dog” sign can also help ward off intruders.
8. Secure the entry points to your home: Your home is the place where you feel the safest, so make sure it actually is safe by reinforcing its entry points.
9. Buy pepper spray, and practice how to use it: Using guns for self-defense isn’t always easy, convenient, or even necessary. You need non-lethal self-defense tools too. Pepper spray is an excellent and safe option.
Practice, practice, and practice
10. Improve your cardio and conditioning: Self defense requires a certain level of athleticism and fitness, so cardio can make a major difference in a defense or survival situation. Going for a morning run is a great start.
11. Go to the range regularly: If you own guns, it is important to practice with them as often as you can. Train to retain.
12. Teach your kids how to be safe around firearms: If you have guns at home, practice the one- sentence conversation every parent needs to have with their kids about guns.
13. Do home safety drills regularly: Practice safety drills as a family. When it comes to events like an earthquake, a fire, or even an active shooter, it’s important to be prepared so you know how to react.
Reevaluate and be prepared
14. Reevaluate your EDC: With the new year, it’s time to upgrade your self-defense EDC (Every Day Carry) as well.
15. Reevaluate your survival kit: Build or reevalute and restock your survival kit for your home and your car.
16. Reevaluate your home defense plan: Analyze your home defense plan, make upgrades, and fix any holes:
17. Stock up on common ammunition: With the recent ammo shortages and increasing prices, you can’t be too careful. Make sure you stock up on common rounds used in your self-defense weapons whenever you can.
18. Prepare for natural disasters: Intruders aren’t the only thing you need to defend your home from. Ensure you are also prepared to deal with natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes.
19. Start a neighborhood watch: A neighborhood watch can be a great way to keep your community safe and make new friends who are also passionate about protecting what matters most.
Lastly…
20. Remember to have a good time: Lastly, don’t let these or any other resolutions make you paranoid. Have fun practicing defensive living, and allow it to give you peace of mind.
Start the year in the best way by becoming CCW certified through Concealed Coalition. Through our certification, you’ll be able to check off many of the above boxes at once. We have trained over one million law-abiding Americans, and our state-certified instructors would like to welcome you, too, to the Coalition. Get Certified Today!
