Ever find that by getting into one hobby, others are improved? That’s what I found out when I started getting into guns about ten years ago. Even though I had spent time in the military, I found that I really didn’t know as much about guns as I thought I did. Through training and adhering to the four basic rules of firearm safety, I ended up discovering that the outlook I got through becoming a gun owner carried over to other aspects of my life.
Here’s a few things I discovered — and I’ve been carrying concealed for going on seven years:
Direct Communication
While I don’t mind small talk with strangers, I appreciate it when people get to the point. As a concealed carrier, especially, I have to spend time to focus on the situation around me. That’s called situational awareness. When I direct attention to a stranger that wants to speak with me, I’m forced to pull attention away from elsewhere.
This has prompted me to become very direct.
Courtesy
It’s always good to be courteous and polite — at least that’s what my mother always told me growing up. In the adult world, I’ve found that doesn’t always carry over. Sometimes people are mean, curt, or downright rude without even knowing they’re acting that way.
As a concealed carrier, I’ve forced myself to maintain a level amount of courtesy when dealing with others. Whereas perhaps I may have been prone to get into heated debates with others when I was younger, I find that now I take a high priority on maintaining a degree of politeness in all my transactions with others.
This has the unintended consequence of me holding doors more often for people, taking time to appraise a person and their intentions more closely, and even getting into some rather light-hearted conversations with complete strangers as a result of showing just a little bit of courtesy their way.
by G. Halek
