I’ve become quite the addict for a show called ‘To Catch a Predator’ as of lately because it’s quite funny and entertaining to watch (in a weird and twisted way). This show hooks me in simply because people make so many mistakes and just don’t seem to learn from them and I couldn’t have thought of a better way to start of my new series entitled - wait for it…. - wait for it….

Personal Development and You! [catchy title? nope, oh well]

I do need to clear up two little items before I continue - I’m a huge believer that Child Molesters should receive the death penalty as they are the “bad seeds” in society for which we have no point for and you can’t pull that line of “it was a one time accident.” You’re a sick son of a bitch, plain and simple!

Secondly, I’m not quite sure that ‘To Catch A Predator’ is simply out there to help families and future children by educating families and blah, blah, blah. If the ratings went down for Dateline NBC and viewers stopped watching ‘To Catch A Predator’ as a reality TV show, it would cease to exist. This is a industry built to turn a profit, if it’s not hot, it’s not going to stick around.

Excuses Are A Waste of Breath

In life, you’re constantly undergoing many (and I mean many) challenges in your day to day life that can often be quite difficult, but understanding them and defeating them is a must. During your time on Earth and dealing with these challenges, you often find making excuses as a quick answer to solve the problem at hand, but this is completely dangerous.

Take a look at ‘To Catch A Predator,’ the predators coming into the houses in each of the towns trying to solicit sex from a minor loves to make excuses! Each person coming into the house talking to Chris Hansen loves to make the following comments:

1. I didn’t come to do anything, I swear!
2. I’ve been stressed.
3. I’ve been depressed.
4. I knew it was wrong.
5. I struggled with myself.
6. I came here to talk (or mentor).
7. My mom is very sick.
8. My wife and I are having problems.
9. She told me it was Okay (or she “convinced” me).
10. I’m a very religious person.

There are five stages which most counselors will follow to understand the actions that human beings do on a day to day life if they are truly making a mistake and not simply trying to make excuses:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

Should you not be going through one of the above symptoms, you’re pretty much guaranteed to go to prison for atleast six to twelve months. Should you actually be suffering from one of the above, you can more than likely get counseling and some time in prison! It’s all about convincing people that you don’t want to commit the crime (or in our case commit the mistake) because you don’t want to face the punishment and the humiliation.

2. Trust Your Instincts:

Every time you watch an episode of ‘To Catch A Predator’ you’ll see somewhere between five to twenty people get caught in this sting, but you will not see much variation between each one.  People are all the same and often times just simply make the same mistakes over and over because they don’t trust their instincts.

Each little pervert walks in and is all ready to have sex with a minor and then - BAM! - Chris Hansen pops out from behind some hidden little area and says “Have a seat.” [Somehow, almost every time they just sit down with no questions either which I find odd] Then out comes the words “I knew this was a setup” or “I knew I was going to end up seeing you.” (They knew it was coming!)

The question in my head is if you know something bad is going to happen or what you’re doing is stupid, why do it? Life is all about the future being the past with the lights on and we just never take notice because we are so busy with our own lives. Learn from mistakes and trust your instincts because it can sometimes save you a lot of headache and misery.

Take Responsibility!

So you’ve made some mistakes, and I’ve already stated above, mistakes are just the road to misery but what really proves this fact?  Take a look at the show and watch how many people are repeat offenders and watch how much more incredible their punishment is for each offense.  In short, everything is going to happen for a reason and at times you might not understand those reasons, but it all works out for the best.

Not taking responsibility for actions though can simply cause you to dig away at yourself for days, weeks, months, or even years in some cases as you feel as if it was never resolved and your mind just simply isn’t happy.   Being up front with your problems and your mistake is the only way to go if you honesty want a clean conscience and want the ability to focus on the future and not the past.

Conclusion:

Learn, Learn, Learn! You have control over your life and whether your a pervert like the guys on ‘To Catch A Predator’ (which to me means you just need to be castrated) or you’re an average everyday geek, you still have the ability to make smart and educated choices, so do it!