Your heart is racing, your blood pressure is rising, and your mind is running 200 miles per hour. When you grab hold of your weapon you're not thinking about cotton candy and flowers. No, you're thinking about eliminating the threat in front, on the side or behind you… If you're new to shooting or if you already own a firearm then you should already know that firearms are meant to take lives. This is something really important to think about so I advise you to think it through. Can you take a life when all other opportunities fail and the threat is imminent? I'm sure you all can agree that if someone is threatening the life of your wife, husband, or child you wouldn't think twice about it.

I came across one of my old Army field manuals (FM 21-76) on survival in which I remember pretty vivid and thought I'd share the training and teaching on the will to survive. First we'll go right into the factors of S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L.

Size up the situation: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, utilize all the training you've gone through and make it work to your advantage. Although the situation most likely will be undesirable, try your best to get in a better position in which you can fight back. Think about what the enemies next moves may be.

Undue haste makes waste: This mainly applies to situations in which where you're stranded or if it's a possible hostage situation at a mall of some sort or even your very home. Do not be so quick to be careless, think of a plan before heading out to try to be a hero. You can end up getting someone killed or even getting yourself killed. Don't lose your cool, keep your head in the game and avoid tunnel vision because danger does exists and it is closer to you than you think…

Remember where you are: Remember, if you're in a situation that requires survival don't go out guns blazing and incompetent of the parent situation. Whether you're in enemy territory or in your home, there is someone out to possibly take your life. Don't make it easy for them and don't waste your opportunity to be the benefactor of the parent battle. Simply don't walk around your house at night waving a flashlight for the intruder to know exactly where you are, when you'll be coming around the corner, and when he should put a bullet through you. Instead confuse the threat by making em' believe there's more than one of you by flashing your light on and off at different angles.

Vanquish fear and panic: Fear is normal and can, if used correctly, enhance your awareness. Look at every situation and recognize what fear is, and even what happens to your heart rate and body functions. Physical and Mental pain can cause panic and even suicidal thoughts when stranded alone so be sure to try to control yourself from panicking. Keep your mind busy! If you have an unwanted house visitor plan on how you're going to keep your family and kids safe. If you're stranded plan an escape… Anything to keep your mind busy and your rate of survival up.

Improvise: No matter the situation, there's always a way out. There's always something you can do, you're never defeated unless you're already dead. If stranded you must learn to deal with the not so pleasant situation and find a way to get through it. Taking a quick inventory of what you have and what you'll need is definitely a good idea. If a hostage or home defense situation, find the best routes and keep in mind that there are liabilities around all the time so be careful when deciding to shoot. Remember these SURVIVAL tips.

Value Living: If you don't value living, you'll surely die unless some great act of God intervenes. Keep thinking positive and make a solid plan. Following through with a well thought plan can relieve a lot of mental pain/ stress so be sure to think everything through. If stranded, eat when you can, save your energy for any unexpected firefights, or battles, and keep your head on straight.

Act like the natives: This mainly and probably only applies to surviving the wilderness and of course possible capture. If you're stranded you can indeed survive for the simple fact that people have been living off of natural resources for years and in fact, they still do. So think of ways in which they'd handle things such as capturing and cooking food, making shelter, and treating wounds. As mentioned above, improvising all situations to turn the tides is your best bet.

Learn the basic skills: Skills are a must! Of course you're probably reading this for extra knowledge so you get the idea. Learn everything you can about many situations whether it'd may be home defense, hostage situations, stranded in the wilderness, etc. Take everything into consideration and think quick! Train your brain to function under stress, train your body to withstand intense stress, and develop the skills needed to get you out of any situation. Being educated is key.

Survival deals on a large scale of mental outlook and will power, if you don't have it, you won't survive. It's that simple. This being because you'll be going through a lot of physical, and emotional pain or as the military like to call it, "Hazards". Here's some examples…

Physical Pain/ Hazards:

• Fatigue
• Hunger
• Injuries
• Thirst/ Dehydration

Mental Pain/ Hazards:

• Boredom
• Despair
• Fear
• Loneliness

All these can easily cause you to give up if you do not control them. Of course its a hard thing to do, but if you have the will it won't even come across as a job to do.

None-the-less, you must want to survive in order to get yourself out of crazy situations. I highly believe in conditioning the mind. Learn your breaking points, weaknesses, and desires. Doing this will help you keep in mind of your limitations as well as help you develop ways to strengthen your mind. This is real important for the fact that about 70% of survival is all mental.

Conditioning your body is just as important. Doing a workout routine every morning and night will build your physique and endurance. There's no excuse for not being able to have a workout routine… If you don't have the money for a gym membership, I'm sure there's plenty of things laying around in your house in which you can use as weights or resistance. Run around the block a few times, run up and down stairs, pick up your couch for some good squat reps, etc. If people in prison can workout with what they have so can you.

A few things you should consider and remember:

• Get proper medical training (CPR, basic first aid) because you are your own doctor when stranded or may need to use first aid skills until health professionals arrive.
• Learn proper camouflage to avoid detection whether in the forest terrain or just simply hiding in the shadows of your home.
• Make and practice a variety of survival routines. If you're planing a escape route with your family for a possible home intruder, be sure to practice it until you all understand and perform it flawlessly.
• Learn to control your mindset, this can help you think your way out of many situations.

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