If you ask a dozen different so-called “preppers” what the first thing you should do to start down the proverbial “prepper’s path”, you’ll probably get at least a dozen different answers. None of which would likely be wrong, per se, but all of them likely pass over the one, singular step that any person needs to take before identifying themself as a “prepper”.
The Prepper Mindset
It’s the mindset.
You might think some people are “preppers” if they “prepare” for some event. I’ve got news for you: they’re not.
Remember the Y2K scare? The event that was supposed to cause banks to stop being able to process payments, make planes suddenly fall from the sky, and cause computers everywhere to burst into flames? Okay, maybe that’s not exactly what they said was going to happen, but it was dire. People bought gasoline, generators, and prepared for chaos! But Y2K came and went without much fanfare, and hardly any chaos.
Remember Hurricane What’s-its-name? People raided the stores, bulked up on food and bottled water, and got ready for insanity. Then it didn’t make landfall in your area.
The Yellowstone Super Volcano is “overdue” for a massive “extinction level event” that’s going to kill 72% of everyone in its blast radius.
A solar flare will take out the power grid.
The Middle East will stop selling oil to us.
The “big earthquake” is going to hit.
ISIS is going to invade us.
The list goes on and on.
You’re doing it wrong!
If you’re prepping for something specific, you’re doing it wrong!
Notice anything in common? They’re all specific events. They all come and go – if they come at all.
Prepping isn’t preparing for something specific, it’s preparing for the unexpected… a thousand “unexpecteds”.
Prepping is looking around you and asking yourself, what would I do if the water didn’t run? How would I brush my teeth? How would I wash my hands? What would we use to clean our dishes? How would we flush our toilet?
Prepping is asking yourself what if the power went out? Where would I get my news? How would I heat or cool my home? How would I cook? What would I do about all the food in my fridge and freezer? How would I get water (since your culinary water could very well be pumped to your house)? How would I charge my phone? What would I do for light when the sun goes down?
When Normal isn’t Normal anymore
Prepping is taking everything that is “normal” right now, and asking what you’d do to handle a situation when “normal” isn’t normal anymore…
… then making a plan, and improving your situation – both now, and if times get rough.
Prepping is a journey, not a destination, and it all starts with the Prepper Mindset.
