#1. Not Focusing On the Fitness Aspect

Most people think bunkers, guns and a stockpile when they hear or talk about survival and preparedness, but the reality is, things are a little more complex. When something happens, you need your strength to survive. When disaster is on your tail, you need to be able to run, duck, hide, jump, fend off attackers and carry heavy equipment.

You know that feeling that you get when you buy a new piece of equipment, such as a knife or a hatchet? The investment gives you a false sense of security… Just because you have it, that doesn’t mean you’ll know when and how to use it. Remember that skills always trump gadgets and gear.

If you’re not convinced, just watch some YouTube videos of people in various critical situations and see how important it is to be in shape. See how they jump, run and fight for their lives and imagine the level of strength you’d need to have to survive if you were in their place.

If you don’t want to spend money on a gym, you can do many bodyweight exercises at home. Plus, you can invest in some cheap weights and you can even make your own weights.

#2.Not Improving Their Driving Skills

Just imagine all the reasons you’ll have to use your car in the event of a catastrophe. Your kid might be in school and need to pick him up in record time. Your home might become uninhabitable and you’ll need to bug out to some other place, maybe a relative in another state. You might need to go to the supermarket one last time for supplies.

Many of us are poor drivers when under stress or upset. Just imagine what it’ll be like when you’re under extreme pressure or panic, and you also have to watch out for hundreds or even thousands of people in the same boat as you.

What can you do to improve your skills? Drive more, of course, and you can even take some more driving lessons. There’s also this concept called defensive driving, which teaches you how to handle your car in less than ideal circumstances. The reality is, many of us have never been in an extreme situation in our lives, let alone one while driving.

Needless to say, you should also have a properly equipped car, but one other thing you should do is learn the ins and outs of your city. You never know every possible way out of your city, every way of getting home or getting to the workplace of your spouse.

#3. Thinking That Things Will Get Better

If you’re already in a SHTF situation, with all the chaos going on, why would anyone assume things would improve? Chaos means no one knows what will happen. Chaos means things change minute after minute and the only sensitive thing to do is hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Before things will get better, they’ might have to get worse. You just never now.

#4.Talking About It

Preppers have a bad stigma but that shouldn’t stop you from preparing. Caring for your life and the life of your family is more important than not feeling guilty just because other people say so. Most people are in the rat race of life, glorified consumers whose ideas are formed by watching manipulative commercials and corrupt politicians. Their view of the world is that nothing bad will ever happen and ridicule those who disagree because they feel like everything we do is a waste of time.

I’m not going to bother telling all the reasons this isn’t true. I’m also not going to give you all the comebacks you could have – let’s leave these for another article. I’m just keeping my mouth shut and I recommend you do the same.

#5. Not Securing Their Home

You can have all the stuff you could ever need inside your house, garage and basement, but if someone decides to loot you, all of them will be gone in a heartbeat. There’s no need for a catastrophic event for someone to break into your home; things like these happen every day.

One way to protect yourself is to improve the security of your home (and there’s a ton of information on the topic). The other is to stop making the previous mistake: don’t talk about what you have and instruct your children to keep their lips sealed in school.

#6. Not Stockpiling Enough Water

If you have a 1 month stockpile of food but only a few days’ worth of water, bad news: you won’t last too long. Not unless you have some way of getting it, such as from a river or a well.

Even if you do, it’s still good to have some water jugs on hand, just in case. Keep in mind water is needed for much more than just drinking: doing laundry, showering, watering your garden. Plus, if you’re sick, you’re going to need a lot more.

The next step after having an emergency reserve is to grow it, but there are other things you can do. You can install a rainwater harvesting system, you can get a water filter and even one of those plastic bags that you put inside the bath tub when you hear the water is about to run out and fill it to the brim.

#7. Not Having a Plan

I don’t know what type of disaster you’re prepping for, but you need a plan of action for if and when it happens. The more you plan, the higher your chances of survival, despite not having enough money to buy the best gear or to get land to build a survival retreat.

A good survival plan should take care of all the things that might happen, including the ones people don’t want to talk about, such as a family member or a pet dying. Consider:

your age

the number of family members

your location

your climate

the time of year it happens

the neighbor you have

the people in your prepper group

and on and on and on.

#8. Not Taking Tragic Events into Consideration

Sure, we all follow the “two is one, one is none” rule and we pack several ways to get simple tasks done (such as starting a fire or staying warm)… but how many of us will be able to cope with a pet or a family member dying? How many of us have the mental strength to snap out of it and continue to survive despite losing a loved one? What would happen if something happened to you? Do you have arrangements for your spouse or kids? Do they know what to do and where to go in this case?

These are all questions we should ask ourselves more often, and then plan accordingly.

Final Word

These are just a few common survival and preparedness mistakes but, the reality, there’s an “infinite number” of blunders you can make. The best way is to discover them is to start prepping now, make those mistakes and learn from them. The sooner the better.

Stay safe,

Dan F. Sullivan

For more information or to read more from Dan ‘Survival’ Sullivan, visit SurvivalSullivan.com or visit the Survival Sullivan Facebook Page.

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