As the son of a son of a sailor

I went out on the sea for adventure

Expanding the view of the captain and crew

Like a man just released from indenture

As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin’ man

I have chalked up many a mile

Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks

And I learned much from both of their styles

–Jimmy Buffet, Son of a Son of a Sailor

With Jimmy Buffet playing on the radio, we set “sail” in January in our forty-foot diesel pusher RV. With the roads as our sea, we set out for adventure, and more: we set out to change our lifestyle.

My family stopped collecting things and starting collecting experiences. And we are liberated.

The process of leaving the house included going through nearly every single thing we “owned.” It was an exhausting process filled with memories, discussions and the sober realization that it is easy to collect things. While we found some great purchases and reminded ourselves of great times over the last decade, we also realized we had unwittingly accumulated a lot of stuff.

The process of simplifying our possessions was powerful. As we fired up the diesel and headed south in search of warmer weather, we resolved to do thee things:

1. Simplify our lifestyle and schooling (road school is for all of us, not just the kids)
2. Streamline our fitness and nutrition
3. Simplify our business

In the short few months we have been “on the road,” we have managed to make great progress on all three goals. Pursuit of these may be a constant journey that evolves over time, but we live each day to the fullest and cherish the time we have with each other and those we meet on our journey.

Streamlining our lives, nutrition and fitness have obvious benefits. For me, the real breakthrough came on the business front.

It started in December, before we left, while speaking with a friend. After listening to my goals, he left me with these words from Bruce Lee:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Sometimes the right words shared at the right time make the difference. For me, this was instantly profound, powerful and put my quest into context. I had run a successful business practicing a lot of kicks. It was time to mature and find what my “one kick.”

After a few weeks of active thinking, writing/journaling and speaking with friends (including clients), it the path that blended professional speaking, writing, training, information security, adult learning and my background in Human Ecology came into focus. A few more conversations and it became as clear to me as it had been to others: I needed to focus on awareness.

It is no secret I am disappointed with the industry efforts at “security awareness training.” More often than not, the traditional attempts waste money and even increase risk! I refused to simply do what everyone else was doing.

My “one kick” is Awareness that Worksâ„¢

So I took more time to consider my entire experience and the elements that worked. I am excited to share the result: Awareness that Worksâ„¢

Awareness that Worksâ„¢ connects people to the consequences of their actions, creating a shift in thinking that inspires behavior change. Individuals achieve understanding in their own context, and then are guided, shaped, and supported with materials and training tailored to them.

To be effective, awareness needs to be separated from training. This provides some concrete benefits and sets the stage for the right messaging, training and support to not only influence behaviors, but to provide needed insights and information to the organization.

I want to work with people who have a mandate for awareness and are ready to work with me to move the cost of working with people to an investment. The approach I created to guide organizations – tailored to the unique aspects of each – works so well that it pays for itself. In fact, I guarantee it.

This is my focus. 100% of my time, energy, effort, and research go into how we work together. And with this focus, I plan to write and share more.

I’m excited about the initial results – and the conversations about awareness I share every day.

Consider yourself invited!

If you are focused on addressing awareness (and the subsequent training), I want to speak with you. No strings, no selling. Just discussing.

And our journey continues.

The current plan (which is always subject to change) is to spend a few more weeks in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We’re enjoying the beach, finishing up repairs to the RV, and focusing on the launch of Awareness that Works™.

Soon, we head back on the roads for adventure. No doubt we’ll “chalk up many a mile” – blending with reading, writing, sharing and learning. The campfires will be many and the conversations plenty.

Life is good.

Welcome to the continuation of the Into the Breach: Protect Your Business by Managing People, Information and Risk audio series. (Click this link) to learn more about this how this book solves today’s challenges and pick up a complete copy. This series, underwritten by Configuresoft, now part of EMC, is the full and unabridged audio version of Into the Breach, written by Michael Santarcangelo and read by the author. Join us for a new chapter released on the first Tuesday of each month (there are 13 chapters total).

In chapter 3 : Breaking the Security Diet

Breaking the security diet is recognition that what happens in organizations today is more akin to a crash diet than a healthy approach to securing information. In this chapter, Michael reveals the high cost of this “fad diet” approach and shines a light on the new fad diet: encryption. However, there is a solution, and Michael explains how to break the fad diet, improve leadership and engage individuals. A pivotal chapter in the book, designed to create a fundamental change in the way organizations and individuals protect information.

Put the power of Into the Breach to work for you

After listening to this segment of Into the Breach, keep the energy going and support the shift in thinking and inspire behavior change by

1. Engage with Michael on twitter (http://twitter.com/catalyst)
2. Subscribe to The Security Catalyst podcast & blog to get more insights; ask a question and get an answer!