Once you’ve decided to embrace your Preparedness Journey, it can be challenging to maintain focus and interest over the long term. You can’t be “at the ready” 24/7/365. Just like any lifestyle change, it can be exhilarating and energizing at first but can become boring and monotonous over time. The trick to success is to find ways to keep moving forward even if it feels like you’re standing still.
Set New Goals
When you first start on the journey, the amount of information you’re trying to absorb can be overwhelming. It becomes worse when you begin to understand how many things you didn’t know you didn’t know. People often set an initial goal like “I want to be more prepared” which seems specific at the time but becomes vague in retrospect.
Having big, vague goals can add to the stress of the process. Although you set the target with the best of intentions, as you start to drink from the proverbial “Prepping Firehose” you realize how quickly you’re drowning in information. The fastest way to feel like you’re able to come up for air and start swimming in the right direction is to reset your goals. We’ll do an article on goal setting in the future but for now think about small, measurable goals that will help you feel like you’re accomplishing something.
Focus on a New Area
There are tons of different areas and topics within the scope of “preparedness.” When you feel like you’ve run out of steam or can’t possibly do more research on Bug Out Bags try picking a new topic. Let your mind dive into something different. The change of pace will give you a boost of energy to explore something new.
This plan is similar to fitness trainers that advise you to mix up your workouts for better results. If you feel like you’ve exhausted multitools, start reading about gardening or common first-aid. Just as with a new exercise, you’re working toward your ultimate goal, you’re just keeping your mind fresh and on its toes (if a mind had toes of course).
Take a Break
Remember, this is a Preparedness Journey, not a Preparedness Race. Unlike most journeys, there is no defined destination. You determine your endpoint; you determine your stopping points. If you feel you’ve established a solid base of preparedness, take a week or two off. Google and Pinterest and Reddit and Facebook Groups will all be there when you get back.
Moderation is an essential tenant of a healthy lifestyle (at least according to most experts). However, because of what you feel may be at stake (the wellbeing of your family for instance) it may feel irresponsible to slow down or stop. When those moments happen, remind yourself of how much you’ve already accomplished and how much more prepared you already are. Although preparing for a “disaster day” is important, you have a lot more “non-disaster days” to spend and enjoy with the loved ones you’re prepping for. No one wants to bug-in with a burnout.
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