WHERE THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE BATTLE IS WON

Mediocrity and acceptance is the tumour to the Emergency Response & Management industry; it is the silent assassin of our standards. It lies in wait and ambushes the ill-prepared to ensure that genuine ability are quietly converted to long winded stories … like rust, it slowly rots.
Procrastination, excuses, complacency and time are the accomplices of mediocrity. Beware as they try to erode your commitment and resolve. Remain on that wall, protect what is sacred to you, safeguard like a Spartan.
In the market place, in the home, professionally and personally – I encourage you to replace procrastination with courage. Use courage to inspire action. Dare to challenge the norm, ensure we remain to noble causes. Have the courage to endure the great trials and tests that are your changes. But before you can take on the steps towards your challenges, refine your courage in the small decisions you make every-day, one-day at a time.
In our game its the day-to-day conflicts, the  ups and downs, your battles aren’t always won by the strongest, the fastest, the smartest, or by those with the most talent – often they are won by the most tenacious, the bravest, the courageous, and by the people who think they can win – by those that stay on top of their game through being prepared.
CERTAINTY OF THE OBSTACLES
The barriers between you and how good or bad you can be are predictable; your reaction through past reflections in each situation, again predictable. Prepare yourself before such an event occurs.
This groundwork allows provision to react accordingly, permit- ting you to stay on track.
If we are to solve these barriers or snags in our progress in advance rather than fear them and see them as demons, you will yearn for the battle and crave and hunger for the challenge. These hurdles as they present themselves represent opportunity to tick the right side of the ledger, to savour and nourish the soul.
IDENTIFYING YOUR OBSTACLES TO REMAINING PROFESSIONAL
Know your barriers to success, the triggers that may or have caused previous failure – maybe what caused you to start smoking again, or when you made poor food choices, or when you stopped your exercise plan.
Obstacles are mostly predictable, and at times not completely avoidable, just know how to manage them.
Ask yourself some basic yet appropriate questions:
    – What predictable yet logical restraints might make it difficult for me to achieve my goals?
    – What behaviours do I have or might have that might make it difficult to achieve my goals?
    – Who might make it difficult for me to achieve my goals?
You are the authority on what your specific blockers are, your risks to success, your hazards, so mitigate accordingly and plan for them.
PLAN FOR THE FIGHT
Think differently to how you have in the past, design unique plans and bold steps, stand up for your methods, ideas and approach, and most importantly prove your way works for you through application and success. Have the courage to invent courageous if not audacious new methods to fight the good fight, fight fire with fire, and have the courage to endure each battle, the resource and bravery to fight each skirmish until the war is won. The history books are full of the records and actions of the audacious, the daring, of great people who have displayed their manner of courage, chronicles of their battles in all walks of life.
Stand up for your values, have self-belief in your purpose, more so when it is not opportune or convenient, this is where the fight is won.
BEST LAID BATTLE PLANS
Prepare yourself for the times when your courage and self-belief will be put to the test. Prepare for the ambushes, the traps that have snared you before. You should risk assess what could go wrong – this makes it easier to go about your day. Be it addiction, studies, or any commitment you embark on, when you’re tempted to give yourself the day off or enticed into allowing your guard to drop, don’t.
GO FORTH, CLAIM YOUR GLORY
Greatness lies in all of us – tomorrow’s success stories, effective people and leaders live amongst us. They just need to have the courage to challenge themselves to endure, despite the barriers, to strive until they realise their own glorious destiny. To be courageous and celebrated when they take on their problems. The bigger their difficulty and the greater their battle, the more we can rejoice when they tell their story in all of its glory.
Dean Hawkins