“I know!?!?!?!” Most of us with kids have heard this phrase from our kids. It is often spoken in an exasperated tone and followed by a roll of the eyes. Which elicits another response – but that’s for another blog. If you know, then why are we having this conversation?
And that also frustrates me in my role as a law enforcement trainer. We are blessed to be able to present officer safety classes all around this great country. And we get the chance to meet some incredible people. It is our hope that what we share with them are things that make them safer and better.
We often have those in our classes that come up to us on breaks or after the class. Most of those encounters are incredible. It is where we get to hear personal stories and experiences that deepen our understanding of the topic. To be brief – it’s where we as instructors learn.
But there are those contacts – the contacts that cause the type of frustration mentioned above. These are the ones where someone will tell us that they “know” what we are saying is correct, but do it another way regardless.
It is not enough to know – that is the necessary first step. But it’s only the first one. It doesn’t do any good unless you move to Step #2.
Step #2 is “doing.” Granted we can’t “do” if we don’t “know.” But we must do. How tragic is it when something catastrophic occurs and it is discovered the person(s) involved knew there was a better/safer way but failed to act in accordance with the knowledge.
Your safety is paramount. It is vital that you learn skills that can make you safer. Don’t just settle, though, with simply knowing. Make sure that you are “doing” as well.
