I’ve seen this loop more times than I can count. ➡️ Not on a whiteboard. ➡️ Not in a classroom. But in living rooms at 2 a.m., on the side of the road, in kitchens turned into crime scenes, and in the aftermath of choices people refuse to own. This image captures something policing teaches you very quickly: Every situation gives you two paths. 🔁 One is the Accountability Loop. 🔁 The other is the Victim Loop. In policing, we respond to the situation—the call for service. What happens next is rarely about lack of options. It’s about intention. I’ve stood across from people who: • ignored every warning • denied obvious facts • blamed everyone but themselves • rationalized harmful behavior • resisted help • hid behind excuses Not because they couldn’t choose differently—but because accountability is uncomfortable. ▪️The victim loop is seductive. ▪️It protects the ego. ▪️It removes responsibility. ▪️It gives people someone else to blame: the system, their upbringing, their partner, the economy, the police, society. And the longer someone stays in that loop, the harder it becomes to break free. The accountability loop is harder—but it’s the only one that leads anywhere worth going. It requires: • recognizing reality • owning your role • making a choice • taking action • learning from failure • self-examination • forgiveness (of self and others) I’ve watched people change their lives when they step into that loop. I’ve also watched people burn every bridge available because they refused to. This isn’t just policing. ‼️It’s leadership. ‼️It’s parenting. ‼️It’s relationships. ‼️It’s life. And if we’re honest, this image is also a mirror for society right now. We increasingly reward excuses, elevate victimhood, and treat accountability as cruelty instead of growth. We explain behavior away instead of confronting it. We externalize everything—then wonder why nothing changes. Policing doesn’t create this reality. It just encounters it earlier and more often than most.

If you transform your mindset—and your life—from “What can I get?” to “What can I give?”, something fundamental shifts. When your focus is on taking, every interaction becomes transactional. Every role becomes a position of leverage. Every setback feels personal. But when you shift toward giving— Giving effort when no one is watching. Giving clarity when others are overwhelmed. Giving steadiness when chaos is loud. You stop chasing outcomes and start shaping environments. Giving doesn’t mean weakness. It means responsibility. It means carrying weight so others can move forward. And here’s the paradox most people miss: When you commit to giving—your time, your discipline, your presence—you don’t lose anything. You gain purpose, influence, and a legacy that outlasts the moment. The strongest leaders I’ve known weren’t focused on being served. They were focused on serving well. That mindset changes everything.

This is more of a general discussion post. I was asked this question a while back and it forced me to really look internally and my answer was a simple I am who I am regardless of the story. I’m curious, what would your answers be?

Build It Now, Stay Steady When It Matters Most As we face the possibility of upcoming homeland plotting by terrorist groups, psychological readiness is your foundation. These skills help you stay calm, think clearly, and support each other in any crisis, whether it’s an attack, a natural disaster, or life suddenly going off the rails. If you’ve spent the past year building emergency plans, running drills, and practicing “what if” scenarios, you’re exactly where you need to be. Keep going. You’re not just preparing, you’re building real resilience for yourself, your family, and your community when it matters most. Here’s what we can do next to prepare and stay resilient. Educate Without Fear: When we talk to others about preparedness, the tone matters. The goal is not fear-based. The goal is to give them information, tools, and then most importantly, confidence. Within your family, for example, controlling the narrative means framing the conversation around what you can control, even during something as overwhelming as a terrorist attack. Replace fear-driven talk with practical direction. Use clear, strong language: “Here’s what we do if X happens,” or “We’re safe right now, let’s stick to our plan.” Walk each member of your family through actionable steps: getting to shelter, locking down a workspace, identifying exits, staying put until it’s safe to move. When people have rehearsed actions, their bodies and minds switch into those patterns automatically, even under extreme stress. Helping Children Cope: Children can and do process events very differently, and they depend heavily on the adults around them to set the emotional tone. Keep discussions age appropriate and grounded in the calmest way possible. Do not expose them to graphic news footage or frightening speculation. It overwhelms them and provides no useful information. Instead, focus on safety: who they stay with, where they go, how adults will protect them. Small gestures like holding a hand, offering a hug, sitting beside them all have a very real grounding effect. Use simple, straightforward language: “We have a plan. We know what to do. You’re safe with me.” That sense of predictable structure is what helps kids stay emotionally balanced during and after a crisis.