The Gift of Fear, a Must-Read Book for All Women

Whether you're an Oprah fan or not, the book, The Gift of Fear is a must-read for everyone, particularly women. Oprah endorses The Gift of Fear with good reason. It teaches people, women in particular, how to stay safe, how to avoid becoming a victim, how to listen to your instincts and react.

Here are four lessons that this book teaches, lessons that everyone should pay attention to. They could save your life.

The Gift of Fear: Trust your instincts
Trust your instincts. Listen to them. Follow them. It's easier to follow them and apologize later, than risk putting yourself in harms way now. Have you ever had the gut sensation that you should take a different way home from work, only to learn later that there was a tragic accident that occurred on your primary route home?

Listen to your instincts. If you feel like all the hairs on your head are standing on end, there's a reason for it. Pay attention.

The Gift of Fear: You don't have to be polite
You don't have to be polite. You don't have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. It's OK to be rude. Indeed, there are times in life where being rude could save your life!

When you're too polite, too trusting, particularly in situations that don't warrant this behavior, you open yourself up to being the potential victim of a crime. Criminals sense it when someone's afraid to be impolite or rude.

The Gift of Fear: Believe in your survival instincts
Believe in your ability to use your survival instincts. Recognize that while the vast majority of people are safe to be around, evil people do exist. When you meet someone and things just don't add up, don't question yourself. Things probably DON'T 'add up.'

Don't make excuses for why things should make sense. Accept that they may not, and listen to what your instincts are telling you. Your survival may depend on it.

The Gift of Fear: Worry and true fear are different
Learn to recognize the difference between true fear and worry. People worry about things in their memory or what they have imagined. When you hear news reports about airplane crashes, car crashes, carjacking, you might be worried that this could happen to you. It could. But this is different than sensing true fear.

True fear will strike a different chord in your gut. It doesn't happen often, but when it strikes, listen and react.

For example, let's pretend you're alone in your car, stopped at a stoplight and you're the only car. A car pulls up beside you. This probably happens to you hundreds of times a week.

One day it may happen and your hair may stand on end. Listen to it, react and respond. Move, run the light, get out of the way. Whatever it is, do what your instincts tell you to do.

The Gift of Fear: Why it's a great book
This book isn't about Oprah. You might not like Oprah. You might love her. It doesn't matter.

This is a great book that gives women tools to learn how to use their instincts, their sense of fear, to help them stay safe and avoid, or surviving being a victim of a crime.

Sources:
https://www.gavindebecker.com/books-gof.cfm
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200801/tows_past_20080129.jhtml