I spent five years of my life perfecting my ability to read people and sense danger and threats. Constantly being in condition yellow takes you out of LALA land and makes you focus on your surroundings. You live in a constant state of relaxed alert, there is no specific threat but you are fully aware that today could be the day you may need to defend your life and you are prepared to do so. Everywhere I go I am scanning the area looking for what may be a threat, possible avenues of retreat and running scenarios through my mind. Condition white is where most creativity takes place. In condition white you are unaware and oblivious to your surroundings. You’re usually out walking taking in the sites, looking at the leaves on the ground or the clouds in the sky. I believe this is the state where creativity is fostered. Before I started living in condition yellow I wrote every day. I wrote short stories, poems, music and it was all easy for me. I was pretty damn good at it. Once I started living in yellow my creativity seemed to suffer. The amount of writing slowly started fading to the point to where I never did it and when I did it was really hard to do. Do I want to give up my situational awareness for my creativity? I honestly don’t think I can do that. After all attackers look for victims in condition white, and I promised myself I’d never be a victim.
For more information on the Combat Mindset - The Cooper Color Codes check out this link.
I don't think you necessary have to be clueless to be creative. One of the most interesting things I have learned to do is look strangers in the eye and smile. It makes you less of a target because you are engaging people and seeing their reactions makes for interesting character studies.
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