A big part of emergency preparedness is having the tools and materials you need to do what needs to be done in a serious situation. Our Custom Preparedness Planning service focuses on this with a checklist of almost 350 preparedness items. However, acquiring stuff is not the same as being prepared. Your stuff + your family + your community + your knowledge, that’s preparedness.

We have covered community in another article, and it is very important. But as a member of the community, what are you doing to enhance your knowledge and skills, to enhance your value to your family and the community?

You see, as an employer, I don’t just value an employee’s ability to do some task. I need employees who can do certain tasks, but also learn new tasks as the need arises. Being is not enough. Growth is mandatory.

Ask yourself, “How have I grown in the past year?” Have you taken a class? Have you learned a skill? Have you taken up a new hobby?

As human beings, if we are not growing, spiritually, mentally, and physically, then we are dying. You are either in drive or reverse. There is no neutral for human beings. Some people are content to sit in front of the television and slowly waste away, until their entire life is summarized by a ten sentence obituary. That’s not me, and I sincerely hope it’s not you.

Think how you can increase your value to your community in a preparedness context. What skill could you add? I know a master welder, and would like to learn some basic welding from him. I can build mechanical and electrical things, but I’ve never welded, and that would be a useful skill. I also know very little about first aid and medical issues, and need to expand my skills there. I’ve been gardening for some time, but there are always new foods and plants I can learn how to grow, because every plant is different. And I would like to learn more about wild edible and medicinal plants.

At Prudent Supply, we are offering mostly free classes to help you expand your knowledge and skill. Are you taking advantage of those? Our classes are taught by local experts who show you how to get started, teach you the basics, and take away most of the uncertainty of doing something new. Please take advantage of these classes. See our class information page for details and a schedule.

“But I’m too old to learn a bunch of new stuff!” Baloney! People go back to college in middle and old age all the time. People learn new skills all the time. Researchers have found “when a composite measure of mental abilities is used, learning ability does not decrease until the sixth or even seventh decade for most individuals.” You just need the desire to learn! Pick an area that interests you. Even if it’s only partially preparedness related, get started learning! That will get your brain into gear, loosen that mental machinery, and make it easier to learn other things.

Check out our classes at Prudent Supply. There are also many classes taught at the local community college, and so many things you can learn online through videos and web sites. Identify an area of preparedness where you are weak, and concentrate on that. You’ll look back a year from now and be surprised at all the new skills you have developed!

And after you have learned something new, teach it to someone else!