Situational Awareness

Growing up, my dad taught my brother and me to have “situational awareness”.

Situational awareness doesn’t just mean being aware of your surroundings.

It also means being able to make quick and correct decisions.

For example, once, I was bringing two cups of water into the room. As I opened the door, my dad threw a pillow at me and shouted, “Catch!”.

The immediate reflex is to catch, but if you are situationally aware, you can make a split-second decision to judge that the best decision is not to drop the cups, as the water will spill everywhere.

I loved those situations. It made us sharper and decisive.

I’ve been trying to think of more ideas to improve my situational awareness recently. Here are some things I’m trying:

• Journaling about “What if” situations. For example, “What if at lunch yesterday, someone from the next table started screaming at my wife and me?”

• Not using my phone while walking and forcing myself to notice five interesting things. Do this for a week and you’ll realise there is so much you don’t notice.

• Take different routes to improve my observation skills.

• People watch and predict their behaviour. This is really fun if you are in a restaurant!

Here are some prompts to cultivate more situational awareness.

Today’s Prompts

Situational Awareness

What does being situationally aware mean to you? How can you cultivate more of it?

Look around you, and write about five things that you noticed.

When was the last time you missed something important because you weren’t paying attention?

Quote of the day

"Life is a series of decisions. Make them with awareness." – Unknown

4 - The 'If you don’t have time’ Prompt

If you had to describe what’s happening outside your window, what would you say?

Get the most out of your journalling:

• Choose one prompt: Focus on just one prompt each day to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Be brutally honest: Reflect openly and honestly. This is your safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings.

• Take your time: Sometimes it takes a few days to clarify your thinking. Here’s permission for you to take your time to unravel a prompt and not take on any new ones during that time.

• Journal your way: Whether you prefer writing, audio recording, or video, choose the method that suits you best.

• Don't stress about streaks: If you miss a day, don't worry. You can always revisit a previous prompt.

I’d love your feedback

What was your favourite prompt of the day? Is there any specific challenge you want prompts for? How can I improve the content of the newsletter? Reply this mail and let me know!