Will you become the victim of a violent crime?

Your predator will decide your fate in a matter of seconds. Your attacker will be able to tell if you command the spirit of a warrior. He will be able to tell if you have the attitude of a survivor or the attitude of a victim. He will study your posture, how you carry yourself, your mannerisms and speech. He will look at your physical condition and your emotional nature. He will observe your level of awareness to your surroundings. He will study how you project the character of your spirit. He will look into your eyes and sense the very essence of your inner strength. He will decide in a mater of moments whether he should choose you as a potential victim or seek another to prey upon.

I know how predators think based on my 18 years of experience as a police officer, my experience as a martial artist and my interaction with thousands of women who have been attacked. In virtually every victim interview I conducted as a police officer it was clear that the women who became victims were sized up by their attackers. Most of those women were chosen because they failed to display the inner strength of a survivor. Instead, these women projected their status as victims an they were totally unaware of their surroundings and the danger signals that were clearly present at the time. For most of these women their inner warrior spirit was hidden and their status as victims was laid bare for their predators to take full advantage. For most, the idea of finding the strength of a warrior was elusive, mysterious and foreign.

For many women, finding the warrior spirit within themselves seems to be an impossible task. When most people think of warriors, they think of chest thumping, testosterone filled men on a path to blood and glory. Most women do not want to embrace this violent aspect of life. Fighting and killing, in general terms, are left to the men. However, as our culture progresses we are starting to see an erosion of the differences between men and women in this regard. More women are joining the armed services, taking martial arts and playing