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The Power of Awareness: And Other Secrets from the World's Foremost Spies, Detectives, and Special Operators on How to Stay Safe and Save Your Life
A spy is suddenly aware she's being stalked through the streets of an overseas city. A special ops soldier intuitively recognizes something's "off" during a high-risk mission. In these life-threatening situations experts know exactly how to use their senses and what actions to take. At the intersection of The Gift of Fear and Make Your Bed , The Power of Awareness will make sure you will, too.
In his empowering book, Dan Schilling shares how to identify and avoid threats using situational awareness and intuition just like the pros. Told with wit and wisdom, this compelling guide uses harrowing stories from Dan's special operations career and those of other experts to outline six easily implemented rules you can apply anywhere to improve your personal safety.
It incorporates exercises to understand how situational awareness works in real life, how to better listen to your intuition, and when confronted by a criminal how to make a plan and take action with confidence—so you can escape the threat before it's too late.
He also includes tools on how to secure your home or hotel room, use public transportation, plan international travel, and reduce your criminal target appeal and exposure, in addition to how to escape an active shooter situation. As a bonus, you'll even learn how to survive a date without getting murdered.
By the last page you'll know that your own Power of Awareness can save your life.
In his empowering book, Dan Schilling shares how to identify and avoid threats using situational awareness and intuition just like the pros. Told with wit and wisdom, this compelling guide uses harrowing stories from Dan's special operations career and those of other experts to outline six easily implemented rules you can apply anywhere to improve your personal safety.
It incorporates exercises to understand how situational awareness works in real life, how to better listen to your intuition, and when confronted by a criminal how to make a plan and take action with confidence—so you can escape the threat before it's too late.
He also includes tools on how to secure your home or hotel room, use public transportation, plan international travel, and reduce your criminal target appeal and exposure, in addition to how to escape an active shooter situation. As a bonus, you'll even learn how to survive a date without getting murdered.
By the last page you'll know that your own Power of Awareness can save your life.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2021
97 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 13, 2021
Not that Americans need any more to fear and fret over, but one of their toughest, Dan Schilling, has written a book about awareness. Schilling is a 30-year, top secret, special ops combat controller, conducting clandestine missions all over the world. His book, The Power of Awareness, is a lively, often sarcastic and even funny guide to being awake to the possibilities, wherever you find yourself. It is fast paced, and actually, full of suspense.
Schilling weaves about a dozen stories in and out throughout the book. They all read like Hollywood action films, where the viewer absolutely knows something is going to happen, but must wait for it. It’s not your average lecture on safety first.
Some of the stories are well known, like mass murderer Ted Bundy and how he got all those women in his power, or the Columbine mass murders. But many are his own experiences, and those of his colleagues. They all have lessons to teach the reader — and the author — who admits to lapses both expensive and near fatal. Humans are not always on their game.
He breaks safety and survival down to six rules. Possibly the most important is the first one, Situational Awareness (SA). Be observant. Look for things and people and actions that don’t fit. Have an idea of where to head if things take a bad turn. It’s not an exercise or a test, but rather a habit, an attitude, a muscle everyone has let soften. His stories show how very much of a difference SA can make.
He is also big on intuition. He says “Instinct is the automatic fight-or-flee reaction when someone punches you, and intuition is knowing they were going to do that.” It seems humans have great intuition, and often deny it when it signals danger. Hair stands up; the stomach cramps. Denying intuition proves to be the wrong thing to do again and again. If someone gives you the creeps, steer clear, kind of thing. If the place doesn’t feel right, get out. Schilling says “Situational awareness and your intuition are your power of awareness. And your power of awareness is your personal safety.”
But readers should know that psychology is proving that human judgment is extremely faulty. Even the simplest models outperform human judgment essentially every time. So intuition and instinct are actually rather iffy.
Another place where Schilling’s advice counters the conventional wisdom is in rape. He says fight as hard as you can. Make him understand in the strongest terms you are serious about this and will make it as difficult for him as is humanly possible. For decades, we have been told the opposite: don’t fight, just let it happen quickly and with the least damage. Go limp and make it uninteresting. Save your own life, which is, after all, at real risk. Schilling does not talk about this entirely different approach.
Beyond Situational Awareness and Intuition, there are rules for determining if there is a problem, developing a plan, acting decisively, and R&R – regroup and recover.
I particularly liked the chapter on developing a plan. There are different kinds of plans. There are the advance plans that relate to SA, seeing where the exits are, knowing where to find an authority figure (cop, guard, bouncer, manager…), and where to run to. Sitting where mirrors and glass can provide far wider views. Then, there’s planning during a situation, taking just a few seconds to decide where to go and what to do given the chance. Last and least, hatching a plan on the fly, according to the action.
The main thing is have a plan. Having no plan is worse than useless. It can be dangerous to yourself and others. Being able to follow a plan gives you focus. The idea is to get out, and as far away as possible. Safety, he says, equals distance.
A fine example of a plan was a female colleague (agent) in Kuwait, who found she was being followed by several Kuwaiti men (almost certainly because she had no veil and didn’t look Kuwaiti). She confirmed it by walking an irrational path that no tourist would take (a Surveillance Detection Route), and the men were still there behind her. She headed into a crowded souk for safety, and found a couple of large men she could identify from a distance as Americans (By their swagger she knew they were soldiers on leave). She went right up to them and asked them to accompany her back to her car, because some Kuwaiti men were creeping her out. They did, and she escaped to tell the tale.
Another interesting tip is the sneer. Someone whose upper lip rises at one end, in an involuntary sneer, is not your friend. People who sneer are exhibiting contempt. Contempt is a precursor to making you a victim. It’s how soldiers learn to kill without remorse. If someone gives you the creeps – because they are sneering – that is all the cue you need to exit.
There is also advice on digital dating and cellphone safety. Basically, protect yourself and leave yourself an out, whether it’s a bad match or losing your phone. The devil’s in the details that readers might not think of in the midst of it all. Schilling wants readers to think about them, repeatedly, until they become second nature.
For a man who pulls a gun out of the front of his pants and tucks it under his thigh when the barber drapes the sheet over him, and who has made his living by the gun for three decades, Schilling is surprisingly concerned about guns in the USA. He points out that the 331 million Americans own 393 million guns, more than all the private arms in all the other countries of the world combined. He says only one million of the guns are registered, so the vast majority of guns and gun owners are unknown to police. Deaths by guns are running at 120 per hundred thousand, numbers in the pandemic range. Americans are eight times more likely to be shot in a mass shooting than being hit by lightning. Just sayin’.
Schilling is quite expert at keeping up the suspense. He rarely tells a story all the way through. He will leave the reader hanging, and pick up the thread 30 pages later, in reference to some other point. He ties off three or four of the stories only at the end of the book, having kept the reader’s interest with a paragraph or two of progress here and there. It all makes for an unusually entertaining serious book.
David Wineberg
Schilling weaves about a dozen stories in and out throughout the book. They all read like Hollywood action films, where the viewer absolutely knows something is going to happen, but must wait for it. It’s not your average lecture on safety first.
Some of the stories are well known, like mass murderer Ted Bundy and how he got all those women in his power, or the Columbine mass murders. But many are his own experiences, and those of his colleagues. They all have lessons to teach the reader — and the author — who admits to lapses both expensive and near fatal. Humans are not always on their game.
He breaks safety and survival down to six rules. Possibly the most important is the first one, Situational Awareness (SA). Be observant. Look for things and people and actions that don’t fit. Have an idea of where to head if things take a bad turn. It’s not an exercise or a test, but rather a habit, an attitude, a muscle everyone has let soften. His stories show how very much of a difference SA can make.
He is also big on intuition. He says “Instinct is the automatic fight-or-flee reaction when someone punches you, and intuition is knowing they were going to do that.” It seems humans have great intuition, and often deny it when it signals danger. Hair stands up; the stomach cramps. Denying intuition proves to be the wrong thing to do again and again. If someone gives you the creeps, steer clear, kind of thing. If the place doesn’t feel right, get out. Schilling says “Situational awareness and your intuition are your power of awareness. And your power of awareness is your personal safety.”
But readers should know that psychology is proving that human judgment is extremely faulty. Even the simplest models outperform human judgment essentially every time. So intuition and instinct are actually rather iffy.
Another place where Schilling’s advice counters the conventional wisdom is in rape. He says fight as hard as you can. Make him understand in the strongest terms you are serious about this and will make it as difficult for him as is humanly possible. For decades, we have been told the opposite: don’t fight, just let it happen quickly and with the least damage. Go limp and make it uninteresting. Save your own life, which is, after all, at real risk. Schilling does not talk about this entirely different approach.
Beyond Situational Awareness and Intuition, there are rules for determining if there is a problem, developing a plan, acting decisively, and R&R – regroup and recover.
I particularly liked the chapter on developing a plan. There are different kinds of plans. There are the advance plans that relate to SA, seeing where the exits are, knowing where to find an authority figure (cop, guard, bouncer, manager…), and where to run to. Sitting where mirrors and glass can provide far wider views. Then, there’s planning during a situation, taking just a few seconds to decide where to go and what to do given the chance. Last and least, hatching a plan on the fly, according to the action.
The main thing is have a plan. Having no plan is worse than useless. It can be dangerous to yourself and others. Being able to follow a plan gives you focus. The idea is to get out, and as far away as possible. Safety, he says, equals distance.
A fine example of a plan was a female colleague (agent) in Kuwait, who found she was being followed by several Kuwaiti men (almost certainly because she had no veil and didn’t look Kuwaiti). She confirmed it by walking an irrational path that no tourist would take (a Surveillance Detection Route), and the men were still there behind her. She headed into a crowded souk for safety, and found a couple of large men she could identify from a distance as Americans (By their swagger she knew they were soldiers on leave). She went right up to them and asked them to accompany her back to her car, because some Kuwaiti men were creeping her out. They did, and she escaped to tell the tale.
Another interesting tip is the sneer. Someone whose upper lip rises at one end, in an involuntary sneer, is not your friend. People who sneer are exhibiting contempt. Contempt is a precursor to making you a victim. It’s how soldiers learn to kill without remorse. If someone gives you the creeps – because they are sneering – that is all the cue you need to exit.
There is also advice on digital dating and cellphone safety. Basically, protect yourself and leave yourself an out, whether it’s a bad match or losing your phone. The devil’s in the details that readers might not think of in the midst of it all. Schilling wants readers to think about them, repeatedly, until they become second nature.
For a man who pulls a gun out of the front of his pants and tucks it under his thigh when the barber drapes the sheet over him, and who has made his living by the gun for three decades, Schilling is surprisingly concerned about guns in the USA. He points out that the 331 million Americans own 393 million guns, more than all the private arms in all the other countries of the world combined. He says only one million of the guns are registered, so the vast majority of guns and gun owners are unknown to police. Deaths by guns are running at 120 per hundred thousand, numbers in the pandemic range. Americans are eight times more likely to be shot in a mass shooting than being hit by lightning. Just sayin’.
Schilling is quite expert at keeping up the suspense. He rarely tells a story all the way through. He will leave the reader hanging, and pick up the thread 30 pages later, in reference to some other point. He ties off three or four of the stories only at the end of the book, having kept the reader’s interest with a paragraph or two of progress here and there. It all makes for an unusually entertaining serious book.
David Wineberg
February 23, 2022
My reading is still in progress but definitely wanted to comment. I am reading this mainly to get an idea of how LARP characters of mine in the field of espionage would act. (Good to know at least one of them is very correct in her being constantly alert) There is some helpful advice in here, and things with regards to being alert and intuition are spot-on.
That said, some of the things Schilling said with regards to issues women face like sexual predators rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, being aware of your surroundings helps. However, he fixates about how the women that got victimized ignored their inner voice because they did not want to appear impolite or bitchy. Here's the thing... people literally raise girls to be nice and discourage assertive, "mean" or "rude" behavior in them. Anything other than perfectly nice and polite gets a girl punished. Girls are toldthat boys showing abusive behavior towards them just like them. Girls are told to not offend and ruffle feathers. When these girls grow up to become women that date, they are criticized for friendzoning men they have no interest in and told stuff like "just give him a chance"- even when the inner voice is setting off alarm bells.
Let's also consider the one area where the rapist targeted petite blonde women a lot. Having read a lot of true crime, I notice that petite is an adjective used in the target profile quite a lot. Petite, and often slim and slender as well. Naturally slim and slender, not because they do a lot of sports or exercise which burns calories. Now, consider this... why might a predator favor petite and slim, slender women? Could it possibly be because he knows tall, athletic, and/or stockily-built women have too much of a chance of fighting back and either turning the tables on him or at the very least be able to break for it? Think about it- if the predator is 5'10 and 170 pounds, is he going to go for the 5'9", 150-pound woman, or the 5'1", 100-pound woman? And... height, and to a decent extent weight and build (soft and stocky endomorph, slim ectomorph, muscular mesomorph, and combination builds) are determined purely by genetics.
Let's also consider the fact that those perceived as girls are discouraged from challenging themselves physically. The tasks calling for strength are given to boys, even before puberty when the physical strength differences between genders is a lot more negligible.. and heck, it's entirely possible that influences why perceived girls fall behind perceived boys during puberty. Boys are rewarded for challenging themselves physically and while girls are punished for aggressive behavior, boys are not. The word aggressive is used a lot more liberally with girls. The way perceived girls are raised sets them up to be victimized, and people perceived as boys are raised in a way that encourages aggressive behavior.
Goodness, for my own anecdote, there were three boys in sixth grade that were verbally and sometimes physically abusive towards me. Naturally, I tried my best to avoid them knowing they'd try to retraumatize and revictimize me. The useless idiots I had for teachers, of course, were victim-blamey and tried to make me think being nice to the bullies would make them stop. Of course, I'd learned from the younger years that was not true, so avoidance of them was my best bet. Then one especially outrageously shortsighted teacher decided to force me to be on a group project with them, because apparently making a peer abuse target do groupwork with her abusers as the others in the group would "help the abuse target girl develop social skills." Predictably, the results were disastrous. Granted, things might be a BIT better now, owing to the 00s activism against schools tolerating peer abuse, and girls are slightly less discouraged to be strong than they were in the 90s and 00s when I was a kid, but there is still a long way to go.
TLDR: one should not just be telling women not to put fear of being seen as impolite before their instincts, but also calling out the system that is the reason women do that to begin with.
That said, some of the things Schilling said with regards to issues women face like sexual predators rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, being aware of your surroundings helps. However, he fixates about how the women that got victimized ignored their inner voice because they did not want to appear impolite or bitchy. Here's the thing... people literally raise girls to be nice and discourage assertive, "mean" or "rude" behavior in them. Anything other than perfectly nice and polite gets a girl punished. Girls are toldthat boys showing abusive behavior towards them just like them. Girls are told to not offend and ruffle feathers. When these girls grow up to become women that date, they are criticized for friendzoning men they have no interest in and told stuff like "just give him a chance"- even when the inner voice is setting off alarm bells.
Let's also consider the one area where the rapist targeted petite blonde women a lot. Having read a lot of true crime, I notice that petite is an adjective used in the target profile quite a lot. Petite, and often slim and slender as well. Naturally slim and slender, not because they do a lot of sports or exercise which burns calories. Now, consider this... why might a predator favor petite and slim, slender women? Could it possibly be because he knows tall, athletic, and/or stockily-built women have too much of a chance of fighting back and either turning the tables on him or at the very least be able to break for it? Think about it- if the predator is 5'10 and 170 pounds, is he going to go for the 5'9", 150-pound woman, or the 5'1", 100-pound woman? And... height, and to a decent extent weight and build (soft and stocky endomorph, slim ectomorph, muscular mesomorph, and combination builds) are determined purely by genetics.
Let's also consider the fact that those perceived as girls are discouraged from challenging themselves physically. The tasks calling for strength are given to boys, even before puberty when the physical strength differences between genders is a lot more negligible.. and heck, it's entirely possible that influences why perceived girls fall behind perceived boys during puberty. Boys are rewarded for challenging themselves physically and while girls are punished for aggressive behavior, boys are not. The word aggressive is used a lot more liberally with girls. The way perceived girls are raised sets them up to be victimized, and people perceived as boys are raised in a way that encourages aggressive behavior.
Goodness, for my own anecdote, there were three boys in sixth grade that were verbally and sometimes physically abusive towards me. Naturally, I tried my best to avoid them knowing they'd try to retraumatize and revictimize me. The useless idiots I had for teachers, of course, were victim-blamey and tried to make me think being nice to the bullies would make them stop. Of course, I'd learned from the younger years that was not true, so avoidance of them was my best bet. Then one especially outrageously shortsighted teacher decided to force me to be on a group project with them, because apparently making a peer abuse target do groupwork with her abusers as the others in the group would "help the abuse target girl develop social skills." Predictably, the results were disastrous. Granted, things might be a BIT better now, owing to the 00s activism against schools tolerating peer abuse, and girls are slightly less discouraged to be strong than they were in the 90s and 00s when I was a kid, but there is still a long way to go.
TLDR: one should not just be telling women not to put fear of being seen as impolite before their instincts, but also calling out the system that is the reason women do that to begin with.
September 14, 2021
Useful and engaging. Doesn't try to kid you that you will turn into a Spec Ops hardman by reading one book, but instead focuses on what you can do.
Key points:
- Be Situationally Aware
- Trust and Use Your Intuition
- Determine If You Have a Problem
- Develop a Plan
- Act Decisively
- Regroup and Recover
Key points:
- Be Situationally Aware
- Trust and Use Your Intuition
- Determine If You Have a Problem
- Develop a Plan
- Act Decisively
- Regroup and Recover
January 21, 2022
My favorite thing about this book is he writes how I imagine his personality would be....with military precision and without beating around the bush. I loved the real life situations he uses to discuss each topic and definitely came away with some tips I hope never to use in the future. I may even purchase a tactical pen to keep on hand. Because you just know never know...dun dun dun.
December 5, 2025
I picked this up on the last day of the Big Bad Wolf sale in the Philippines, as I believed it could be didactic as regards safety awareness - and it was.
There are three major steps: know, prepare, and act. Each of these steps have substeps, but the bulk of the book is focused around the first two: situational awareness and intuition often work hand in hand to prepare oneself for any situation. Schilling provides an Eisenhower matrix for us to be more aware, and it is most important to be watchful in familiar but unsafe areas and especially so in unfamiliar and unsafe areas. The more treacherous, however, are familiar but unsafe areas. In both these areas it is important for us to be attentive and watch out for potential problems even before they occur.
Prepare revolves around identifying whether there is a problem in the first place, and then planning afterward. Schilling reiterates that a hasty plan is better than no plan at all provided that it is followed by decisive action.
He also provides tools to bolster one's confidence and self, and these still revolve around preparation and pre-planning. The examples he provides are relevant, but what is most pertinent is that when we are traveling in public transportation, we should avoid being immersed in our cellphones.
There are three major steps: know, prepare, and act. Each of these steps have substeps, but the bulk of the book is focused around the first two: situational awareness and intuition often work hand in hand to prepare oneself for any situation. Schilling provides an Eisenhower matrix for us to be more aware, and it is most important to be watchful in familiar but unsafe areas and especially so in unfamiliar and unsafe areas. The more treacherous, however, are familiar but unsafe areas. In both these areas it is important for us to be attentive and watch out for potential problems even before they occur.
Prepare revolves around identifying whether there is a problem in the first place, and then planning afterward. Schilling reiterates that a hasty plan is better than no plan at all provided that it is followed by decisive action.
He also provides tools to bolster one's confidence and self, and these still revolve around preparation and pre-planning. The examples he provides are relevant, but what is most pertinent is that when we are traveling in public transportation, we should avoid being immersed in our cellphones.
May 1, 2025
If you’re in an unfamiliar restaurant, what should you pay attention to? If you become aware that someone is following you, how should you confront that person? In any potential threat, confrontation, or attack, what is the best course of action?
Dan Schilling, a former USAF Combat Controller (basically a member of US Elite Special Forces), distilled his training and 30 years of experience in special operations into six safety rules. They are discussed in detail in his book, The Power of Awareness.
Rule 1: Be situationally aware
Rule 2: Trust and Use Your Intuition
Rule 3: Determine if You Have a Problem
Rule 4: Develop a Plan
Rule 5: Act Decisively
Rule 6: Regroup & Recover
While this may not be the definitive book on personal safety, if it helps you become more aware of your surroundings and trust your intuition more, it might just spare you a lot of trouble in the long run.
Dan Schilling, a former USAF Combat Controller (basically a member of US Elite Special Forces), distilled his training and 30 years of experience in special operations into six safety rules. They are discussed in detail in his book, The Power of Awareness.
Rule 1: Be situationally aware
Rule 2: Trust and Use Your Intuition
Rule 3: Determine if You Have a Problem
Rule 4: Develop a Plan
Rule 5: Act Decisively
Rule 6: Regroup & Recover
While this may not be the definitive book on personal safety, if it helps you become more aware of your surroundings and trust your intuition more, it might just spare you a lot of trouble in the long run.
August 28, 2021
An interesting and helpful book on how to develop and hone your sense of Situational Awareness. The author uses several checklists and rules to outline his message and interspersed throughout the book are examples of these rules in action. I found this very helpful both as a research text for my spy characters and as a tool to use in my day-to-day life. Would recommend!
January 16, 2023
Schilling takes his specialized training from the SOF community and makes it accessible to every day people. “How to stay safe and save your life,” the subtitle truly accurate, with appendices choc-ful-of checklists and principles to integrate into your daily life to become more aware of your environment.
November 30, 2024
Dan Schilling is a retired Air Force Combat Controller with a wealth of experience and information and writes in such a quick, easy to read manner. His previous book “Alone at Dawn” was phenomenal. This book is no exception. It’s worth the read for anybody who wants to improve their situational awareness, and by extension, their safety and security in an unpredictable world.
December 12, 2021
It has some practical advise for personal safety, using awareness, intuition, preparation. Some interesting stories and examples. The only time I've been attacked was from people throwing rocks at my car from a train trestle. I avoid that area at night now.
December 21, 2021
Fans of Gavin de Becker's "The Gift of Fear" will love this perfect companion that provides more practical solutions that make you and your loved ones safe. Whenever an Air Force Combat Controller speaks, make sure you listen.
February 27, 2022
This is probably the most useful and entertaining book on the subject of personal safety for civilians, because it will appeal to the widest possible audience while covering the fundamentals effectively. It is not academic or written for professional consumers.
April 25, 2022
A quick read that includes all the basics of situational awareness and reacting before or during a dangerous event. A good reminder of the main ways to prepare, be aware, and respond to keep yourself as safe as possible.
July 30, 2022
Really great audiobook- I learned a lot about how to practice spacial awareness and general thought processes to have in new and familiar spaces. I'd highly recommend listening to it or reading it a few times to really drive home the exercises/skillets it teaches.
December 31, 2022
Very Practical Interesting Read.
Read this as a January bookclub recommendation from A Girl and A Gun organization. learned a lot about personal safety and responsibilities. Great information
Read this as a January bookclub recommendation from A Girl and A Gun organization. learned a lot about personal safety and responsibilities. Great information
June 23, 2021
Loved the book. Engaging, practical, and very helpful.
September 17, 2021
I don’t like the writing, got bored. The author likes to overdramatise things for effect. Uses too many superlatives. I didn’t find the information useful or relatable.
November 30, 2021
Easy to read and highly informative.
January 27, 2022
Somethings should be obvious when it comes to awareness, but Dan Schilling showcases how we continually miss the little things that could one day save our lives. Great read.
April 30, 2022
It's a wild world, stay safe out there! 🐆🏞️⛑️
May 9, 2022
Good book for someone who doesn't know anything about situational awareness. I think some of the advice falls flat but most of it can be used in the appropriate setting.
March 30, 2023
Schilling delivers information everyone should know with the perfect blend of seriousness and humor. I will be sending this around the family for them to read as well.
April 2, 2023
DNF @44%
October 20, 2023
Lots of useful tips!
August 19, 2025
Easy and excellent read with great tips to incorporate situational awareness in your everyday life.
December 12, 2025
I think this book is quite helpful and should be taken a chance on. I would probably like to return to this book once in a while to make sure I retain its teachings.
June 21, 2022
This is a very useful book that I have recommended to many friends, especially women.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews