By michael - August, 18th 2014

I think we all prep for different reasons. I have tucked for unforeseen situations. There is no getting prepared for something.

You may have enough weapons and ammo stashed away to fight the next World War all by yourself… 

You may have fortified your home and have 3 different routes mapped out to get to your bug-out retreat…You may have a food stockpile that will see you, your family, heck, the whole darned neighborhood, through until the Second Coming…You may tirelessly watch militant YouTube videos that show you how to take down your opponent in 3 easy maneuvers…

But..

If you aren't realistic about your skills and your physical abilities, you are likely to be just as dead as the guy down the road who considers the two extra bags of Doritos in his pantry to be a food stockpile.

You need to know enough to realize just how much you don’t know.

It’s time for a prepper reality check. Be warned. You may not like it. And if you’re offended by this article, that could mean that you are one of the people I’m talking about.

#1 Have you practiced your skills?

It’s all well and good to understand the principles behind different skills. Heck, nearly everything I know, I learned from YouTube or by reading about it in a book.  However, I didn't TRULY know how to do any of those things until I actually did them, failed at them, and did them again until I was successful.

#2 Is your plan actually realistic?

One of my favorite quotes is by Mike Tyson.

Everyone’s got a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.Seriously. I want to cross stitch that on a pillow, because it’s so incredibly true. It could be a prepper mantra.  Plans nearly always go awry, and then you have to roll with it.

#3 Are you physically fit?

If, since your athletic glory days, all you’ve done is work at a desk job and play around at some occasional weekend warrioring, you are most likely going to collapse with a heart attack when bugging out with your family over a mountain. Unless you are regularly active…and by “active” I don’t mean going to the kitchen 6 times per evening to get another beer…you will not be able to withstand the physical rigors of SHTF.

#4 Do you have combat experience?

Life is nothing whatsoever like an action-adventure movie.  Furthermore, you are not an Arnold Schwarzenegger character, able to take on entire battalions and throw out a couple of witty one-liners while the bullets fly.

The only way you can be absolutely certain of how you’d react in a battle is if you’ve actually been in a combat situation. Without that background, you’re just guessing.

So you can plan your defense and believe confidently that you, all alone, can engage with the Golden Horde outside your spiked gates. But your victory may not be in the bag.

There’s bravery, and there’s stupidity. Sometimes there is far more wisdom in retreat, especially for the inexperienced and untrained person.  If there’s a battle that I’m unlikely to win, I’d much prefer to live to fight the battle on better terms – on my terms – another day. I have absolutely no issue with taking off out the back and retreating to safety. We could debate all day long whether this is cowardly or stupid, but I have kids to raise, and keeping them safe is my number one priority, not defending my property in a dramatic Alamo-style last stand.

Here are some legitimate questions:

• Do you shoot on a regular basis?
• Do you shoot at things that move on a regular basis?
• Do you shoot at things that shoot back on a regular basis?
• Are you physically fit? (see above)
• Are you trained in hand to hand combat or martial arts?
• Do you have recent experience fighting?

These thought processes can also make a big impact on our prepping endeavors. Regardless of what part of the prepping spectrum you are on, we have certain thoughts on the kind of prepared individual we want to end up being. When we don’t meet our expectations, we tend to grow frustrated and feel more inclined to give up.

Please Read this Article at NaturalBlaze.com

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