Skill Set: Motivation

Skill Set: Motivation

Attending training is fun. You're shooting, running drills, getting new tips and meeting people. It's easy to get motivated to attend a class. Once the class is over it takes time and practice in order to truly learn how to apply the skills you've been introduced to. Learning, performing the same skills over and over again, really isn't that fun. It takes a lot of motivation to dedicate and invest into the time required to learn even the fundamental skills. I'm not talking about becoming a monk and dedicating your life to a martial art. But everyone can devote make ten or fifteen minutes of every day to practice. What's your motivation? Life and death.

Motivation is easy to lose because there's no immediate gain. You don't win a prize or get a television show. Those aren't bad things, but our motivation is not fame or fortune. However, it is comforting to know that you have the skills to deal with an attack. Often times after attending a class people tend to lose interest quickly. It's easy to understand. Life gets in the way. Again, think about the reasons, the motivation for practice. Lives may depend on your ability to stop an attack as efficiently as possible.

Being motivated also means you carry every day, all the time, unless prohibited by law. Yes, sometimes it's a hassle. This may require investing in more than one holster; the clothes you have to wear may dictate how you carry. More than one pistol may be necessary. I would love to carry a full-size pistol everywhere I go, but sometimes it's not possible. Plus, having a spare pistol is always a good idea. You may decide to carry more than one, another good idea. And after all, doesn't everyone need another pistol?

The need to understand "the fight" – in order to deal with it and the aftermath – motivate you to study and research. There's almost an infinite source of material out there to study. Instead of spending time debating the merits of this or that caliber/weapon/technique/etc., use that time to examine the legal aspects of carrying and/or having to use your weapon. You research in order to understand common criminal behavior. Studying documented confrontations educates you on indicators that danger is about to occur, the warning signs that help you avoid, escape or prepare to fight.

Sometimes it's hard because you've spent money on training and good gear, invested time in practicing, and never even come close to having to use any of these skills. Stay motivated. All that time spent hasn't been wasted. At some point in everyone's life, they have to face danger. If you haven't needed those skills yet then the chances you might need them in the future have increased. For those who have "faced the elephant" then you know how important they are.

Just because we've elected a new president doesn't mean the gun controllers are gone. In fact, it may mean they start to push even harder, especially at a state and local level. Motivation applies to almost every aspect of our lives, at a micro and macro level. So stay motivated, politically prepared to defend your rights.

Life is busy, hard and there's a lot going on. Life is also precious, and worth protecting. If you've lost your way then plug back in. Personal protection is an individual responsibility; danger is just around the corner. It's just a question of when will you get to "that corner." There are still a lot of powerful and well-funded people out there who don't think you cannot be trusted to own and use firearms. Being motivated, staying the course, prepares you for that day.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of "The Book of Two Guns" - http://shootrite.org/book/book.html writes for several firearms/tactical publications, and is featured on GunTalk's DVD, "Fighting With The 1911 - http://shootrite.org/dvd/dvd.html Website: www.shootrite.org