“Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it’s enough” Robert Heller
Trusting your instincts is one of the most important laws you are going to learn about in this book. Have you ever been hanging out with your boys at a night club or concert and got a strange feeling that shit was about to go down? I bet you that people started looking around or getting ready to leave. They felt that something was about to happen. They didn’t know where that feeling was coming from but they were going to listen to it. It’s called instincts, or a gut feeling. My father used to always say “Trust your gut, son.” It’s trying to tell you something that your eyes can’t see and your ass doesn’t want to deal with.
Black people seem to be born with this sense and we generally use it to keep ourselves out of danger. It is very rare that you hear a story on the news where a lot of black people got killed all at one time. Or trapped in a burning building or caught on a sinking ship. It’s because we can sense when something is wrong. The problem that we are now experiencing is that this natural sense is becoming dampened by drugs, alcohol and by being brainwashed by the media.
In the streets a player had to keep his wits about him and always have his mind operating as cool to 100% as possible. This was so he wouldn’t get “caught out there” or “slipping”. The dangers of not keeping your mind in shape was a result of death or jail time. I could write a whole book just from the stories of guys letting outside shit mess up their lives. Here are a few examples where not keeping your mind tight can get you messed up in the game:
Getting caught with Illegal substances or weapons on your person
Anytime you are in public you are a target for the cops. The worst thing you can do is get caught with drugs or a weapon of any kind on you. There are stop and frisk laws being passed all the time. These laws are giving cops the authority to just roll up on you and search you. This is especially dangerous for black and brown men. We are born suspects in America’s justice system’s eyes. Before you make any type of move remember to be clean of anything that can get you put in jail. Don’t even carry things that could be considered paraphernalia?
Leaving your cell phone laying around
I can’t stress this point enough. DON’T LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE LAYING AROUND! I don’t even leave mine laying around and it’s locked. There are only so many patterns or number codes you can remember and the people around you know you better then you realize. They will figure out your code and get into your shit. We keep all our secrets on our cell phones and smart phones these days. This is a big mistake. How many times have you been on Facebook or twitter and some chick is pissed off and putting her man on blast because she went through his phone and discovered he has been fucking the whole neighborhood? The best thing you can do is keep your phone on you at all times and limit the amount of information you keep on there.
Speaking about your moves in mixed company
This is for the guys that don’t know how to shut the fuck up. We have all seen the guy that has to run his mouth about everything him and his crew is doing. How many bricks he stacked or how many birds he flips this month. He is just a big ass target waiting to get robbed, arrested, or killed. Keep your mouth closed around people you know and don’t know. It’s usually the person you trust the most that will stick the knife in your back.
Sticking out like a sore thumb
When people are doing big things, they like to brag and boost and put on their shines. They take pictures holding guns in front of their homes. They show pictures of them bagging up that work. They show the new cars they bought, the expense trips and lots and lots of pictures of money. While they think they are making the haters mad, they are also catching the attention of the cops, feds, and the IRS. Don’t think for a second that these government agencies aren’t on all the socially media sites taking notes and building cases on people. Don’t publicize your illegal dealings. This should go without saying but we have a generation of male attention whores. There are news stories every month about guys getting locked up over their Instagram pictures and twitter posts.
Ways to recognize when your instincts are speaking to you
1. You suddenly get a strange feeling come over you.
2. You start to notice there are too many people around.
3. You have a feeling that you should go home.
4. People want you to go out but something is telling you to stay home.
5. You keep forgetting stuff when you’re about to leave and have to run back inside to get it.
I have at one time or another experienced everything on the list above. I won’t say that something bad has happened every time these things have occurred, but it has been plenty of times I was talked into going out with some friends but kept forgetting my wallet, or couldn’t find my I.D. or my favorite watch. It just seemed like a struggle to make it out the door. Then I would give up and stay in. I would get a call or text the same night or the following day telling me that there was a huge fight at the bar, the club got shot up or someone got into a bad accident. Wise men say that it’s better to error on the side of caution, and making it to my 30’s I couldn’t agree more. Take heed and listen to your instincts. They are trying to save you.
Peeping Game Tip #9
Your first choice is usually the best choice. Be decisive.