Fears of an economic collapse, gun control laws, rising inflation, and the popularity of the “Doomsday Preppers” TV show have a lot more people thinking about emergency preparedness these days. A record number of people are buying supplies and trying to adopt the preparer lifestyle, but to be truly prepared, you must first learn to think like a preparer.
Learning to think like a trainer or a survivor involves much more than buying weapons and camouflage clothing. Thinking like a coach means that you are trying to stay one step ahead of what is happening and constantly focusing on survival and life priorities.
The word “survival” often makes people think they are lost in the wilderness or something dramatic, but in the sense of the word here, I am talking about economic and social survival. In other words, survive and make ends meet and safeguard your family.
Thinking like a trainer or survivor will help you to be a much better trainer or survivor, but it is more important than you might initially imagine.
A good example is the young man who plays basketball, imagining that he is Michael Jordan. He buys the shoes and as he approaches the free throw line he bounces the ball like Michael Jordan and stands like Michael Jordan and shoots like Michael Jordan, all in an effort to be as good as his idol.
The problem is, “acting like” Michael Jordan won’t improve your basketball game – just practicing like Michael Jordan will. It’s the countless hours of exercises, trays, and practice that makes you successful, not outward appearances.
The same goes for being a trainer or a survivor. Going to gun shows and wearing the cool clothes and bumper stickers will do nothing to safeguard you and your family when the “sewage” hits the fan.
To be prepared and ensure the survival of your family, you must learn to think like a coach. Unfortunately, that is sometimes very boring.
Thinking like a cook means you know how many calories each day each member of your family needs to survive harsh conditions, and what balance of inexpensive foods you can store will provide those calories.
Thinking like a preparer means that you understand the number of watts required by the necessary appliances in your home and are making a plan to generate those watts when the power goes out.
It also means that you understand all the types of waterborne pathogens that can kill or make your family sick, and exactly how to neutralize those insects so that you have clean drinking water.
It’s not really glamorous to be a trainer or a survivor, but if you learn to think like one, your family will always be protected and you can rest easy. And when you’re resting easy, knowing your essentials are well taken care of, you can spend some of your free time visiting a gun show and shopping for some camo shirts!