I stumbled upon Channel 171 by accident. Watched the first show, and suddenly, it became my new favourite show. Channel 171 on DStv
is Discovery Investigation. They show a lot of shows about real life
criminals, crime and more. And while watching this station diligently, I
picked up a few lessons for this week’s Ten 10s. I’m not urging you to
commit crime, nor am I glorifying it, I just find that some things
learnt while watching these criminals, crimes or victims, provide great
lessons for life and business.
1. Be diligent and follow through
Be diligent? I watched a series where
one guy kept escaping from jail. He’d do this brilliant escape, then get
caught because he decided to take a break to have some beer or
sleep. Then I realised, you have to follow through, with everything you
do.
2. Keep quiet
Most criminals get caught because they
either revealed a secret to someone, or they started acting
suspiciously. Not everyone needs to know your business people,
especially your secrets. When in doubt, don’t speak!
3. You’ve got to know when to hold on…
And know when to fold up! One guy went
to the police to report a crime. Turns out he had been one of those
committing the crime. But he became a witness for the prosecution and
got a lighter sentence. In that instance, the first to come clean was
the one with the best deal. Sometimes things happen and you have to
throw in the towel. Time it!
4. Greed
Apart from psychosis, greed is one of
the top three reasons for crime. People killing to cash in on life
insurances or their parent’s wills and more. Greed WILL destroy you.
There is nothing wrong with ambition, but greed is a disease.
5. You are normal afterall
I remember the last argument I had with
my sister. Next morning we were laughing again. So when I watch 171 and
see people killing their siblings, parents, friends and colleagues, I’m
like, ‘o wow’. Next time you have a bad day at work or with
your spouse, just remember, everyone does. As long as you don’t do more
than just stay angry!
6. Be prepared, Be careful.
A lot of the criminals who got caught got caught for the most random things. Ted Bundy,
a serial killer, was arrested due to a traffic violation. One lady
forgot to pre-purchase tickets for her getaway and couldn’t get on a
flight when she needed to. And on and on it goes. So, think about how
well you have to prepare for that next job interview, pitch or
performance. You don’t want to get caught with your pants down!
7. Always call your lawyer stupid.
I watched CSI for the longest time and
always thought it was because it was fiction that people would just
start confessing without a lawyer present. I thought wrong! People would
talk to policemen without their lawyers present all the time and of
course, they either talked themselves straight to jail, or at least, out
of good pleas. It makes me realise though, making things legal is
always better, no matter the circumstance. Getting harassed at work?
Talk to a lawyer. Signing a contract? Show a lawyer. Whatever it is,
‘legal-it’.
8. Bad company corrupts!
From ‘Couples who kill’ to
random people turning bank robbers because their friends ‘made’ them do
it, one thing is clear- if you keep bad company, you will do bad
things. So ask yourself if your friends challenge you, or they make you
wake up the next day thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have done that!’
9. Fear is just as bad as anger
Some of the criminals featured on 171
reacted due to fear. Fear of capture, fear of losing a loved one
(through divorce), fear irrational or otherwise. Fear is natural but if
it starts to take over your life, you need to get a grip!!!
10. Every day is a blessing
I switch the television off daily just
thanking God for big mercies because there are no small ones. A woman
walks into a bar to have a good time and ends up being bludgeoned to
death, a man walks into a store at the wrong time and gets shot, a woman
sits in
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