When considering preparedness, thoughts often begin and end with “What gear do I own and have with me that will assist in overcoming the challenges at hand?”
While gear is an important part of the preparedness equation, it is important to keep in mind that gear is only as effective as the skills behind it. Owning a lighter is not the same as knowing how to start a fire. Owning a whetstone is not the same as knowing how to sharpen a knife.
Crucially, your skills have the benefit of weighing nothing and always travelling with you. Whether you are out camping, travelling for a business trip, or stranded on a desert island, you’ll have the skills you have developed when you may have nothing else.
Everyone has skills unique to their everyday context. Likely, the skills you employ in your everyday life and job are some of the things you are most proficient at. Evaluate these, and then evaluate the potential scenarios you are preparing for. Identify gaps in your current skillset that, if filled, would have a high degree of usefulness in your preparedness context. Additionally, look for ways to incorporate these skills into your everyday life. This will allow you to effectively develop and maintain useful skills that apply not only in a “worst case scenario”, but also your day-to-day living.
After learning a new skill, a great way to further refine it is to teach it to others. The act of recalling and teaching information cements it deeply in your mind. Furthermore, increasing the skillset and knowledge level of those in your circles is a great way to increase the preparedness level of your family and community.
As always, the exact skills and degree of knowledge required is dependant on your context. Not everyone will find the same level of benefit from a highly specialized skill. By identify important skills and seeking out opportunities to learn them you can effectively increase your preparedness level in a way that gear alone is incapable of.
Get up, gear up, get after it™
~ Eric