By Kellene Bishop

You’ve not doubt heard the saying “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.”  You could say that I live by this particular motto in my preparedness efforts. However, today I’m going to discuss with you a topic that I have never seen addressed in a preparedness venue—preparing for THE worst.  What is the “the worst?”

More than 200,000 American women every year—in a time of relative calm, comfort, and civil order—are raped. Yet, in every crisis scenario which has EVER occurred in our nation’s history in the last 70 years—such as hurricanes, earthquakes, financial collapse, etc—the numbers of rape reports increase substantially amidst the darkness of tragedy.  So, my question for you today is, what are you doing now to PREPARE to defend against THE Worst in your everyday life as well as during a time of great struggle?

Rape is a disgusting and horrifying crime, and to most women, their greatest nightmare. The very thought of the word repulses most. According to FBI records, more than 90,000 attacks are reported every year in the U.S. That number pales in comparison to what’s really happening. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 300,000 women are forced to survive a rape each year.  But according to other studies, less than one in three women reports their real-life nightmare to police or other authorities. As such it is believed that one in five women in the U.S. today, under the age of 26 will be raped. I share this tidbit of information to you only for the purpose of getting you, my dear readers, to begin to comprehend the reality of this dark side of human tragedy because only when we understand the reality of this particular criminal event can we begin to prepare against it—in defense of it.

It pains me to even feel like I have to address this topic. But over the last 2 years I’ve had several conversations with women, their husbands, their children etc. which lead me to believe that there is an alarming amount of naïveté among good families who are trying their best to prepare for tougher times. Let’s get real here for just a moment, even if you don’t believe that this horrific event can happen to yourself or someone you love dearly right now, you must believe it is possible amidst a more challenging time.  Yes, desperation breeds horrors—horrors that most women never want to think about.  Do you recall the litany of nightmare stories which occurred during hurricane Katrina? The single location of the Louisiana Superdome became a carnival land for deranged and disconnected males, committing rape against women, elderly, and even children as young as 10 years of age.  Later, as refugees migrated to the Houston Astrodome, the same grotesque acts occurred, along with beatings, theft, and other acts in defiance of human decency.  Clearly, we don’t live in Disneyland, Folks, and it certainly will NOT get better during a crisis. It WILL get worse. So, what are you doing to prepare for it?

Ladies, we’ve got to stop assuming that someone else will be there to defend us against such an act.  For those of us who feel sufficiently connected to a knight in shining armor, understand that during a time of crisis that knight is likely to be off fighting known dragons elsewhere in the form of filling sand bags, foraging for food, being a sentinel to a larger perimeter.  Even the imaginative minds of cartoon crime fighters have never tried to create a super hero that could be in all places at all times, so why do so many of my female and MALE friends believe that they will “be there” to defend against such a horrific occasion? The possibility of your husband, boyfriend, father, or some other protector being present at “just the right time” when such an attack is thrust upon you is minimal even in today’s relative social climate.  It is much less likely in a strained social environment. As such, women (young and old) must educate themselves (mentally and physically) as to how to defend and PREVENT such instances. No nonsense mental and physical education such as that taught by Women of Caliber, is critical to your everyday survival.

Ladies, rape is not just a brutal sexual act that you bravely endure, nor is it just about the physical assault that usually goes hand in hand. If you are lucky enough to physically survive such an event you will find yourself fighting an even darker enemy in the subsequent months and years. Victims of rape also find themselves continually abused by the psychological aftermath. Many woman survive the physical assault only to have their quality of life destroyed because of the emotional damage. Worse, is when these same women are raped who also are raising children.  Insecurity, fear, anger, and even self-loathing are often the “after shocks” which destroy the virtuous legacy a mother desired to pass on to her children.  A mother’s projection of the pain she’s endured will inevitably affect her children if she doesn’t receive proper care following her attack.  And yet such care is not likely to exist in a time of great turmoil. So, me dear readers, we all have a choice to make. Will we prevent such an act from even coming into play in either ours or our loved one’s  life, or will we risk “just crossing that bridge when we come to it” or deny that it even exists?

Gentlemen,—particularly those who have an aversion towards tools of “excessive force” and protection—are you willing to risk that such an event will never happen to your wives, daughters, or other loved ones so that you can remain inside your comfort zone? Most men do not want to even consider that such an event would ever happen to the women they care about—let alone whether or not they will be capable of coming to the rescue. As a result, too many men are ill-prepared in their own preparedness efforts against this dark story of society. Sadly, some are even non-supportive of their wives’ efforts to take their own self-defense more seriously. I assure everyone who reads this that whatever comfort you have now by avoiding such a reality in your own immediate circle of relationships or more extended, will be insignificant the instant you painfully exclaim, “If only!”

The rampant criminal acts that took place during the Depression were not associated with obtaining food, money, or other vital need.  In an unsure world, deviant persons are likely to engage in ANY kind of an act which makes them feel like they are in control again.  This is why rape becomes so prevalent in a scenario of social tragedy. Ultimately, rape is about control.  This is why you hear of these same horrid acts in present-day Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Haiti, and S. Africa.  These nations are out of control.  Many of their mealtimes are full of nothing but desperation. Dark souls are being driven to establish some semblance of control into their lives.
Please understand that rape is not a crime of strangers.  Sixty-four percent of the time the woman is raped by a trusted companion! That’s a particularly dangerous problem because the ripple effect brutalizes them once again at close range. Compounding the problem is that the woman frequently has deep emotional feelings and even sincere love for the attacker so the crime is never reported, opting instead to give the perpetrator another chance, allowing the nightmare to continue. The survivor sits alone in silence, darkness, and fear…unless…

What if women, in particular, stopped relying on knights in shining armor to protect them from this heinous crime? What if, instead, women took their safety into their own hands by becoming fully informed and educated on how to recognize a looming rape occurrence and how to successfully thwart it?   A physical self-defense series.  A self-defense firearm training class.  All of these are ideal counter-measures to ensure that a woman never has to become a survivor and be left to simply dance to the present music that’s played for them.  If a rape is fought back with skill and a pre-conditioned mind, then the survivor will be able to much better cope with the incident, leaving it behind with a sense of conquering evil rather than being trampled in its path. The same is true of the men in our lives who genuinely care about us.  If they hold the tools and the knowledge to prevent and fight back against a rape, then their lives also have the real peace that’s necessary to survive a time of turmoil. And particularly in this case, there’s a lot to be said for Peace in Preparedness.

Lest anyone think that I’m simply agitating a problem without offering a solution, I am purposefully being incomplete in my assessment of solutions in this particular article. How a person elects to defend themselves is a very personal decision—one that must be made with conviction.  While I won’t attempt to be secretive that I believe firmly in the effectiveness and even the necessity of using a firearm to defend against such occasions, I cannot project that same belief on others. But what I can do is to demonstrate the reality of the need for serious preparedness and hopefully aid in the education that’s necessary to make an informed decision in this regard.  Too often I hear folks ignorantly believe that “protection” is only necessary for those who are not willing to share their goods and supplies. Today I’m sharing with you that that notion is a fallacy and I hope and pray that you will take this information today to heart—if not applicable for your own benefit, perhaps in your efforts to assist others in making this difficult but necessary decision. Ultimately I hope that I won’t conjure up nightmares for you, rather you find yourselves recipients of the peace that comes with proper, realistic preparedness.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Here’s your emergency drill. Can you handle it?

As you know emergencies can never come at an opportune time.  They are always sudden. No music lingering in the background to tell you that they are just about to pounce on you, right? So here you are, having an ordinary day, when some lady on the internet tells you “Ok. It’s time for you to put on your big girl/boy pants and see just how serious you are about preparedness.”  So, are you ready?  Can you commit? Can you lengthen your stride and see just what kind of a mental, physical, and tangible state of preparedness you are in? Don’t worry though. This particular challenge will only affect that food area of your preparedness efforts. Ready?

Thirty days. No restaurants. No deli food. No pre-made stuff to purchase. Oh, and stay out of Costco’s sample section. You’ve got to cook it all your own based on what you’ve got right now? Ok. Ok. I’ll give you ONE day to prepare—but that’s it!

Are you scared? Are you yelling and swearing at the computer screen right now telling me there is NO way you’re going to do this?  If not now, then WHEN?  You have all of the rest of your comforts in life still.  You still get your car, electricity, Facebook, etc.  All you’re doing is living off of what you’ve got ready for yourself right now.

Here’s how you will benefit from this challenge.

1)      You will use what you’ve got and help cycle through it.

2)      You will force yourself to be creative and use what you’ve got on hand to make great meals.

3)      You will better learn the art of “waste not” living.

4)      You will learn what physical strength you need to monitor so that you have the strength to plan and cook each day.  Keep in mind that during this challenge you’ll still have access to a microwave, etc. So let’s not start whining yet, please.  But you will realize just how much physical energy it takes to have every morsel of food received come about only because of work.

5)      You will learn whether or not you’ve been storing items in which your family can actually live and thrive.

6)      You’ll learn the reality of the need for comfort foods and a variety of foods. I can’t stress this lesson enough. So many folks tell me that they have a years supply and then they tick off staples that you nor I would ever eat for a week, let alone  year—at least not if there was a Baskin-Robbins open.

7)      You’ll be more wise in the future in what you stock up on and you’ll learn that you can’t afford NOT to stock up when a good deal/sale comes your way.  This experience will definitely put things in their proper perspective.

8)      You’ll learn how to better organize your foods so that they are accessible and require the least amount of physical effort as possible or realistic. I find it strange that one of the first things people think about when they think about survival is oft times the most inaccessible supply to reach.

9)      Your family (particularly the little ones) will learn the value of “work to have” instead of just asking for it and “Voila! It’s there.”

10)  Lastly, you’ll learn “I can do it!” and that’s a lesson that no one else but yourself can teach you.

So why am I kicking up a new challenge for myself for the next 30 days? I know it won’t be easy, but I’m positive that it’s necessary. Here’s why I’m doing this for my own good.

My blasted health challenges have been annoying lately—to say the least. Additionally I’m married to a man that loathes to cook—even if it’s a box of macaroni and cheese. As a result of the two scenarios combined, I feel like we’ve been spending way too much money going out to eat. Even last night, when he got a steak burrito and I got a yummy mahi-mahi burrito, chips, beans, and a soda all for only $1.70 (thank you, coupons) I still felt guilty. I know that eating out isn’t healthy—no matter how great the food may be. Each time a person eats out they increase their chances of getting the “flu du jour” by over 50%. While that may seem like a safe bet to some, I don’t like the odds.

The other aspect that’s bothering me is that it’s likely that regardless of what survival scenario may ever come my way, I doubt I’ll be feeling any better than normal. So then what’s a girl to do? How will I eat when I’m married to “Lucille Ball in the kitchen”? I decided I didn’t like that vulnerability. It’s VERY likely that the primary caregiver in a family will get ill or injured at some point in a troubling time. For goodness sake, I burned my hand doing something that I do all the time and that about sent me over the edge. Yet burns, accidents, injuries and illnesses are much more pervasive in a “disaster” type of scenario. As such, I decided I had to engage in some Mental Preparedness and draw a line in the sand.

So, design this challenge to fit your needs, but don’t be wimpy about it. Worst case scenario make yourself refrain from non-do-it-yourself- foods all but once a week. Whatever you do PLEASE make it a REAL challenge. It shouldn’t be that hard knowing that you can go back to normal at the end of 30 days. You could just do a trial run and see just how long you could manage with what you’ve got on hands. If you are willing to give the trial a go, but run into an obstacle, go ahead, fix the problem and then proceed. Keep a list of what you run out of and when. Then you have a new hot spot to focus on in your preparedness efforts.

Here are my personal rules for this challenge. I will be independent in my food preparation and supplies. I will cook for myself over the next 30 days strictly from what I have on hand. And my Prince Charming is actually on board with me on this too (because he loves saving money more than he hates cooking—hee hee) and he has agreed to take care of some of the load as well. I will  have to live off of what I’ve got right now.  Yup. Right at this very minute I will create meals based on what I’ve got on hand and nothing else. So yes, that means when I’ve got company coming next month, I’ve got to get creative and confident so that I can feed them, too, the old fashioned way, for the entire time they are here. But isn’t that what I’ve been planning to do in my Food Preparedness efforts anyway?  So why not start now?  One caveat I will be giving myself however. Since I believe in working while the sun shines, I will still be making purchases via coupons—however, I am not allowed to use my purchases to accomplish this challenge AND I can only purchase items that are 75% or better off for this entire 30 days.

Some time ago we did a 14 day challenge similar to this.  But I think it needs to go longer—to be more of a push and a strengthening challenge.  After all, if I believe in preparing for a year, wouldn’t it be a good barometer reading to make sure that I can handle 30 days?

Keep in mind that this means no morning coffee or soda from the gas station. No bakery or deli items purchased at the store. And no free hot dog for the promotion at the car dealership either. *grin*  Use what you know is safe, is cooked properly, and is the best bang for your buck.

So, who’s going to give this a shot?  Think of this as taking control rather than giving up things that you think you love or need right now. Think of this as another step in reaching your goal of independence.  Oh, and did I mention that there’s a prize for one of you?

On July 25^th we will be taking all of the persons who made comments regarding THIS CHALLENGE on our blog or on Facebook and entering them to win one SUPER prize! What is it?  Its unlimited access to any of the live webinars I teach for the next 3 months!  –However many you want on whichever topic you want.  So feel free to let the rest of us know how the challenge is going for you because the more you comment, the more chances you have at winning. But know that the best prize is that which you will personally gain by going through this experience!

Onward, ever onward in our efforts of preparedness!

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

I have had a lot of e-mails requesting some ideas for folks to look at for self-employment.  As such, I’ve come up with a list of ideas and companies that have caught my eye over the past decade that I would certainly feel good about recommending. Please note, some of these are just ideas. Some of these are companies that I have elected to be involved with, if for no other reason that I hate to pay full price for anything if I can avoid it (yup—but I’m sure you knew that about me already). Please note that these ideas aren’t necessarily original in any way, shape or form. They are simply my opinion that has been formed over the last 10 years of having various ideas thrown at me. Obviously this is not an all-inclusive list. That would take forever and a whole lot of Peanut M&Ms for me to write. But my goal today is to give you some directions which may lead you to what you’re looking for or at least give you the springboard for better ideas.

One of the advances in technology that has really caught my interest is cellulose insulation. In my opinion, this stuff is awesome and has been featured in Extreme Home Makeover. It’s a paper product that is made from recycled and special chemically treated newspapers. It’s extremely fire retardant. I once watched a guy use a blow torch on it and it still took a long time to catch fire. It’s also impervious to mold development.  (A big plus in my book.) It also provides a better sound barrier and much better insulation for warm and cold months. If I were starting over, I would certainly take a look at becoming a local distributor for such a product and be putting it in peoples homes for more security and safety. (For more information, just search for “cellulose insulation” on the internet.)

Coupons are so hot right now and they don’t show a sign of declining as inflation and unemployment rates increase. If I had the time, I would create a coupon shopping service similar to that of The Savvy Shopper Deals in areas in which she hasn’t been able to penetrate yet. It would require shopping (tough job, eh?), reading the Sunday ads, making arrangements with the local newspapers for discounts for subscribers you send them. But it would sure be fun in my book. Savvy Shopper has gone national, but so far she only covers a few states.  I think this would be a blast and if I had the time to create a software/search like she’s got on her site, I would do it in a heart beat. (Go to savvyshopperdeals.com and take a look. You might get a few ideas. Making a good idea better is how we’ve managed to get a lot of our modern technology today!)

Due to the ever encroaching immorality that is being forced upon our children in public schools, I would consider writing quality home-schooling materials for parents all over the nation.  Do the research, create the teaching activities and the curriculum necessary and then sell the published works digitally. I believe that homeschooling is about to hit an unprecedented peak in the near future.  (For more information, I would recommend doing a little reading on some forums that cater to homeschooling parents.)

Another idea, I would form a foundation in which I could do fundraising for a cause I could believe in and be driven by my passion.  A modest annual pay can easily be extracted from donations and then you could get paid to raise money for a cause that you’re passionate about. When it comes to a cause that I feel strongly about, I have no inhibitions asking for money. The key to successful money raising is to ask for just a little bit from a whole lot of people. This is one situation in which some good old-fashioned elbow grease outperforms stuffed shirts any day. (For more information, research what you need to do to organize a 501-c foundation and get going with your passion.)

Everybody uses electricity, right—at least until an EMP strikes or a financial collapse occurs. *sigh*   Well, due to deregulation in the gas and electricity sectors in many states, a few new companies are springing up which market to homeowners a very simple concept—“How would you like to save hundreds of dollars a month on your gas and/or electricity?” That would be an easy sell, don’t you think? One of the companies that has caught my eye more so than others is called Ignite. As I understand it, they have simply taken the opportunity that the deregulation has created and market to homeowners to simply switch the billing portion of a customer’s monthly energy bill.  The customer gets the exact same power from the exact same company they did previously, and the exact same service number for when problems may arise. The only change the customers make is where they send their monthly payment. And yet that little change saves homeowners a whole lot of money since the deregulation has eliminated all of the layers of hands trying to get a piece of your monthly electric/gas bill. I’d say this would be one opportunity that meets the test of “inflation proof” business. I think it also meets the criteria of having time for your family, no inventory, residual income, etc. (For more information, I confidently recommend you contacting a Diana Owens, one of the seasoned pros. You can e-mail her. (ResidualEnergy at ymail dot com.)

I don’t know about you, but I’m always thinking that I will sit down and write a nice note to someone, but for some reason I never get around to it.  I can’t believe what a whiney butt I’ve become when it comes to actually sitting down and writing a few kind words. I actually get hand cramps after the first sentence. *wah!*  Well, now I have not more reason to whine. While this venture may not be “recession proof” it may meet some of your other objectives. Send Out Cards is company that I think is worthy of a glance for folks who want to do something casually and part-time that gives them a non-serious work path. Send Out Cards allows you to purchase a bulk amount of pre-made cards, including postage, and then you just type in your message and then click—it gets mailed immediately and you get to be the most thoughtful person in the world. Hee hee.  (For more information on this, I would direct you to https://www.sendoutcards.com/casey)

If your passion is nutrition, there are several products that you can focus on. Whether you market your favorite powdered green drink to folks (See Green Smoothie Girl on youTube), or you market the nutritional benefits of Reliv, the possibilities are endless. And in this case, having extra inventory wouldn’t be a bad thing, right? You could live off of powdered greens or Reliv products or Sunrider, and so many others.  So it would also serve as a great deal of peace of mind knowing that you’ve got what you need for several months.  Typically such companies only require a few hundred dollars in investment as opposed to tens of thousands of other types of businesses. I would consider this kind of option a wise path to take if you felt that you could be passionate and fully engaged in what you’d be marketing and sharing with others.

I have a friend of mine who is passionate about fashion and business—thus making her a perfect candidate to become a professional image consultant. While fashion is not exactly my cup of tea, it suits her perfectly and she feels great helping other people feel better about themselves. Likewise, given my interest in the use of essential oils, it’s only natural that I align myself with a quality essential oil manufacturer—after all, if I’m going to buy the products, I might as well get them for wholesale, right? While I won’t pursue it as a businessgiven my present workload–I’ll leave that to my husband–, I can certainly appreciate the merit in others doing so.  I mean really, getting to work with essential oils to help people feel better is like being a kid in a candy store in my book. Hee hee (Yes, some of us are that warped.)

If I were handy at fixing things such as computers, household appliances, etc, I would not hesitate to market myself as a “Honey Do” contractor. There are a heck of a lot of single women out there who would love to pay for a Mr. Fix-it guy. The only obstacle in this regard is making sure that the customers know how to find you—something often overlooked when it comes to men marketing their “fix it” skills.

I have a dear friend of mine who was a hardened Marine through and through. He was tough, ornery, and a big mass of meanness given the nature of his assignments in several locations throughout the world. When he came home from Afghanistan, he felt completely out of his element and simply unfit for life in a “real job.”  The best thing he could do for himself was use the talents that he learned as a soldier and pass them on to civilians who were interested in their own physical and home security. I’m happy to say that he’s not anywhere near as mean as he used to be and he’s been able to support his wife and two children with this particular path.

I also believe there is great financial security in learning some of the older arts such as shoe making, woodworking, expert gardening, baking, candy making and cooking. Come on ladies, how cool would it be if you could design your ideal pair of shoes and have some handy-dandy person custom make them for you?

Whatever path you choose, you would be wise to view it as a job that you have created for yourself and to establish your work day accordingly. Outline the hours and the results that you need to accomplish each day. Don’t deviate from that even when your business is doing well. Be sure you keep the proper perspective when it comes to earning money.  No one goes to work for someone else and tells themselves “now, I’m going to get rich, quick”, right?  So why do people mistakenly tell themselves this when they take on a business opportunity?  If you do find yourself with a stroke of great wealth, I beg you to be wise with it, and never assume that there’s more where that came from. Treat every day as if it may be your last good paying day. Don’t spend more and expand your business too soon. Make such decisions based on cash in hand, not projections for the future.  Pay yourself like any structured form of employment would. Invest in making more money and more security for you and your family instead of on toys that only suck more money out of you.  The hardest time to be frugal is when your bank account is bulging with money. But the financial decisions you make during this trial of prosperity will either lift you up for future successes, or be your downfall when curve balls come your way.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky at preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

“Learning to Say Yes, and No”

By Kellene Bishop

When I say that self-employment equals independence, I’m referring to an independence which applies to many areas of our lives. Self-employment is not only “job security”, but it also gives you the time to be with your family, to determine who you will or won’t work with, etc. I know there are a lot of self-employed individuals who may take exception to this assertion, but I’m 100% positive that I’m correct in this regard. I suspect that those who are slaves to their self-employment have simply established their customers’ expectations in such a manner in which they are slaves to the customers more than they want to be.  To help you maximize your independence in your self-employment choice, I suggest that you start out right. To do so, consider the following suggestions when determining what self-employment path you are willing to take. I’ll save the “how to do what you want, when you want, at the price you want” for another article in the future. So today, we’re going to give you the list of considerations, and then tomorrow we’re going to finish this series with the direct financial benefits that self-employed persons can enjoy.

The most important step that you MUST take in order to determine what you want to do for your self-employment pursuit is to FIRST decide what you do NOT want. The reason being is that entrepreneurs are easily distracted with what I call “bright shiny objects.”  Their vision is easily distracted simply because a willing entrepreneur can be good at a whole lot of things. And once they are recognized as being an entrepreneur, then a whole lot of opportunities get thrown at them.  This isn’t a bad thing. It certainly should not be misconstrued as an insult.  Instead, it’s just the nature of the entrepreneurial community. We are drawn towards other entrepreneurs; where you wouldn’t expect people to have a 9 to 5 “J.O.B.” (“Just Over Broke) to talk passionately and almost non-stop about how they spent their working hours, you can expect that kind of passion from an entrepreneur. It’s not what they do, usually. It’s who they are. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take a passionate Amway salesperson at my dinner table over a person who’s miserable and stuck at a “real job” any day. In fact, I’m so conditioned to this type of world, I literally find myself feeling sorry for those folks who punch in at a time clock doing something they don’t enjoy.  I know. I’m warped. But I’ll take it.

OK. Back to my point. What I’m trying to make clear is that is it imperative that you first decide what you will NOT do, then narrow things down to what you want to do.  Your “yeses” mean nothing if you can’t say no. For example: you don’t want to travel, have to carry huge amounts of inventory, or have to hold parties. Ok. That eliminates a lot.  If you’re currently in business for yourself, evaluate what it is that you are doing that you don’t like, or that isn’t profitable.  Tweak it so that it is enjoyable and profitable, or get rid of it. Someone who loves what they are doing will always be more competitive than someone who hates what they are doing. The prevention of money hemorrhaging is just as important as avoiding doing something that sucks all of the life and joy out of you.

Next, take an accounting of what you are really good at AND what you really enjoy. Yes, this is a time to be brutally honest—for the good and the bad.  My mother always told me that the only thing worse than being alone is being with the wrong person. If you’re not cut out for a particular type of work, and yet that’s what you invest all of your spare time investing in, then you will feel like you are married to the spouse from hell-O! In my opinion, this is why a lot of self-employed persons get frustrated and quit. They focus on the money they can make rather than the joy that they have doing it. Money never replaces joy.  I know this for a fact!  Give me a client who loves what they do, and I can definitely turn their business into a successful one. But give me a client that hates what they do, and I refuse to take them on as a consulting client.  Go ahead and make a list out of all of this. Make a list of all of your talents OR passions. I find that what someone lacks in talent can often be masked with the right measure of passion, and that the talent follows.

Next, determine how much you need to earn monthly in order for it to be worth your time.  Like I shared in the last segment of this series, I was surprised at how easily a “real job” could be replaced with a little bit of work ethic and talent.  I was able to earn MORE money working for myself than I was sitting at a computer punching in meaningless digits all day long.  I firmly believe, after consulting with entrepreneurs for 4 years now, that the same can be had in virtually every other type of self-employment opportunity.

You need this number though because Reality must have a say in what you pursue.  Use this number to consider various opportunities that you may consider.

Next—yup, this self-employment thing takes time and consideration—determine the criteria that you definitely want to be a part of your life. Benefits such as “time to go camping whenever I want”, or “whatever I sell, it’s got to help people long-term” or some other considerations like that.  In spite of the fact that my husband is so multi-talented, he wasn’t able to really focus until he made his list of criteria and was willing to stick with them. He wanted to make sure that whatever he did would help people be better prepared, safer, and able to enjoy more genuine patriotic freedom.  I’d say he hit the nail on the head.

Is what you’re doing helping other people or just making money for some main company? Are your efforts quickly and fairly rewarded so that you can take care of you and your family? Does what you’re doing coincide with your own moral compass?  For example, many years ago I had the opportunity to audition for Sony Records. Yes, THE Sony Records. I auditioned, and it went great. We were ready to move forward.  But just about that same time I finally met a man that I would considering marrying. He and I discussed it. And while having a record label was a longtime dream, being a focused wife and mother was more important to me. And I simply did not want to do either of those duties poorly as the result of a corporate contract. (By the way, I’ve never regretted that decision.)

Now, see how you can do something that can fill a specific, narrow niche. Believe it or not, the more narrow your niche is that you cater to, the more money you will make. I guarantee that! The more NICHED your product or service can be, the more successful you will be and the more money you will be able to charge for your service.  For example, while getting a puppy groomed at Petco may run about $35, one could easily charge $50-$75 for actually traveling to a person’s home and performing the service there. Even better is if you SPECIALIZED in poodles or some other unique type of breed.  In fact, the same person could specialize even more closely by specializing in the grooming of pure breed show dogs only.  For example, my husband and I both teach Utah Concealed Firearm Permit classes. And such classes have been “pimped down” to as low as $40.  But I only teach women AND I teach them more than just what they need to get “permission”  from the state of Utah. I teach them vital skills as well. As such, my classes are $150 and I have plenty of women willing to pay that so that they don’t have to mess around with testosterone in the class and it allows them to leave the class feeling like they can actually handle a firearm.  This narrow niche approach makes sense and CENTS in all areas of business.

Last but not least, go for it, but go for it professionally.   The smallest little attention to details makes a world of difference to your customer base: Know them by name, be personable, be responsive, etc.  Take the time and effort to promote and present yourself professionally. There have been countless times in my life in which I was able to charge as much as 100 times more for my product or services than my so-called competitors simply because of the professional image I put on what I presented.  Note, I did not say “PERFECT.” I’m not telling you to wait until you have a big advertising and marketing budget and PLEASE don’t wait until you are perfectly polished. That will come with time and you’re leaving a lot of money on the table in the meantime—more importantly, you’re leaving a lot of independence outside while you wait for everything to be “perfect.”  I’m telling you to do whatever it is that you do, do it professionally.  Do it personably—yes, as rugged and rough as your personality may be, it’s what people are craving nowadays—REAL PEOPLE.  It beats a toll free number and a computer any day.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Oh, the choices we make…

Today we continue in our Self-Employment Equals Independence series by addressing what types of criteria one should consider when electing to add a facet of self-employment to their life.

First of all, allow me to reiterate that I understand that it isn’t realistic for someone to just instantly switch from working for someone else to working for themselves.  To such persons I would implore that they at least commit to adding a facet of self-employment to their life.  Add a way that you can produce a necessary good or service to others and earn money from doing so—even if it’s on a very part-time basis.  In such a case, I’m not concerned so much with the amount of time one invests, so much as I am the fact that they know that if something were to drastically change, they would have a simple “Plan B” to fall back on.  In my opinion, this is critical in order to have true independence from vulnerabilities.

So what should folks consider when stretching their entrepreneurial muscles? Here are my hard rules:

1)      It must be enjoyable: There are many opportunities out there that can earn you some respectable sums of money. But I’ve earned those sums before; and I have made only enough to get by. I assure you that when I work at something that I love and enjoy, so long as my basic needs are met, I’m much, much happier.

2)      Meet a REAL need: Identify a need, and then meet that need. I also always ask myself if what I’m doing is meaningful to my community. If  can meet both of those needs, then I’m most assuredly content with what I’m doing. Truthfully, there has never been a more simple yet successful formula for entrepreneurial success.  If you can’t see how people would need your product or service, you won’t be very convincing in entreating others to do business with you.  Additionally, in considering this need, may I suggest that you focus on tangible asset production rather than just services?  I’m not saying that services do not fill a need. But if I had my druthers, I would steer the most of entrepreneurial pursuits towards tangible good production/sales OR the services which FIX/REPAIR such tangible goods that people need everyday.  Here’s why.

Over the last two years, the amount of U.S. exports has declined consistently. Why? Because we have less in the form of tangible goods that the rest of the world needs, after all, you don’t export “services.”  This is indicative of the problem we have of not producing as much as we used to, and that we’re cut off with limited access to business capital lending.  In 1970 about 1 in 4 American workers had jobs in the manufacturing sector. By 2005 that number dropped to 1 in ten.  We’ve gone from manufacturing of real goods –with manufacturing being our flagship enterprise—to now becoming the world’s beast of financial services.  Yup. The U.S. is now the kingpin of world financial services.  (And we’re doing that so very well, right? *gasp*) The most significant issue with that is that services are not tangible. They are not necessary in all conditions of life elsewhere in the world.

Financial services in particular do not meet any of the most basic of human needs.  Unfortunately, regardless of the number of financial services companies that we create here, we cannot escape indisputable laws of independence. “A country that makes nothing will inevitably amount to nothing.”—Patrick Buchanan  The lack of our willingness and capability to produce real, necessary items, has manifested itself dramatically in our economic state. For example, my husband specifically chose to focus on the sale of preparedness goods because he knew that worst case scenario, he’d simply have more supplies on hand that he needed for the care of his own family.  A person focusing on the sale of an obscure, one-time service, would not be as fortunate if things were to get tough.

Mind you, I’m not saying that tangible goods are the only option, I’d be happy if any of you wrote me and told me that you bailed on the job to pursue your self-employment full time—regardless of what it was that you were doing. I’m just saying that a business which deals in tangible goods that are needed by others are the epitome of the best option for entrepreneurs.

Having said that though, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring attention to the fact that even a choice to deal in tangible goods can still be improved upon. For example, making jewelry, selling cosmetics, or selling fuel additives may earn money. But if the fit hits the shan, being stuck with a bunch of jewelry or makeup someday would not help you thrive in such a scenario. If that is your choice, your passion, and your enjoyment, then be sure that you keep as little inventory on hand as you can get away with and invest your personal monies that will ensure you thrive should a serious crisis ever manifest itself.  Still, it’s a heck of a lot easier to sell jewelry at a garage sale than graphic design abilities. So be sure that you shore up your own personal strengths to help compensate for those vulnerabilities.

3)      Lastly, I recommend that whatever you do, you start small. Don’t go into debt to start a business. Business debt is the NUMBER one reason why small businesses fail.  I don’t care if you are offered 15 or 30 day terms from your suppliers. Don’t take that offer. Pay as you go.  Grow only as fast as you can literally afford to pay to grow along the way.  Contrary to the stupidity we see paraded across our televisions regularly, it makes little sense to solve economic problems by adding more debt to our life. Self-employment pursuits are about independence. Don’t’ shackle your independence by marrying to slavery first. It’s obviously not a good way to start any profitable relationship. Understand that your greatest asset is your physical WORK and your knowledge about the skill or asset that you’ll be offering. Work with those two assets first and then use money that you earn to expand from there.

Bottom line, I strongly implore folks to consider a self-employment route for income. We simply can’t wait around for the government to create a job for us. Governments can’t create jobs. American entrepreneurs do. In fact, numerous studies have found that throughout the last 40 years, entrepreneurs created over 80% of all NEW jobs! So, if you want to make your own family more secure, pursue this route. In the process you’ll also be adding to the safety and economic strength of your nation.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

By Kellene Bishop

The unemployment reports you’ve been hearing are just plain wrong—for so many reasons—but specifically they are wrong because some persons are beginning to discover that being employed by another is a risky business nowadays. As such, they are taking measures into their own hands and choosing to become self-employed.  Even more important is that some courageous souls are leaving their present jobs in exchange for self-employment. Why? Because they are wise enough to recognize the value in the Law of the Harvest, and have made determinations on who they can really trust.

Trust—a  dicey word nowadays when it comes to money. But think about it.  Will your retirement really be there when you’re done working? Will you get conveniently terminated just prior to retirement? Will your company’s marketing and public relations efforts be sufficient so that you still have a job tomorrow?  Will they create a product that continues to sell or will they screw up royally and create a product that becomes the next recall of the hour? Will your company become the object of a fierce lawsuit and lose everything? Will you suddenly be required to take non-paid furlough days? Will your health benefits get canceled? Will you be replaced by someone else who’s desperate for a job and willing to work for 30% less than you are presently getting paid?  How about a freeze on pay raises regardless of merit or work load? Some are even having to worry as to whether or not their paychecks will clear. Talk about stress, right? It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when the longer you’re with a company you have to worry that you might get replaced by someone younger, healthier, and more desperate than you just so the company can save a few bucks. I swear it wasn’t too long ago in which seniority meant stability with a company.  But that picture sure has changed nowadays. Is there an alternative reality?

What if there was a world in which you get to set your own hours, your own dress code, and when you take your breaks, You never have to demean your role as a parent or helpful friend by asking for time off so that you can be there for an important event.  You never have to compound the grief of a loved one passing by calling in to people who don’t really care about you, just to ask them permission to pay your respects. You can promote yourself any day. You can expand or narrow your work on whatever you want to focus.  You can wear purple polka-dotted PJ’s and munch on kettle corn while you get paid what you’re worth, not what some arbitrary budget dictates. You get to decide who you will and won’t work with. Oh, and you’re the #1 employee every day of the year. Such a world really does exist. It’s called being SELF-EMPLOYED.

Clearly, there are some downsides to self-employment of course. Anyone who’s done it will tell you that you don’t really work for yourself, you work for all of your customers.  You don’t get to call in sick.  And you have to foot the bill for your entire health care costs. You MUST be self-disciplined with no one to report to except your mortgage company, utility companies, hunger pangs, and an undeniable desire for resting on something other than the hard, cold floor.  In many cases you work longer and harder than you ever did at a “real job.” The ultimate hard part is that when you’re self-employed, your boss knows you too well and won’t let you get away with anything. But when all is said and done, that harder, longer work provides a heck of a lot more LIFE and real LIVING and feeling in your soul than reporting for the same job everyday that you have absolutely no control over.  Yeah, it’s funny. True independence has that effect on people.

Seriously though. The number one reason why folks do not consider self-employment is that they don’t trust themselves to be able to put food on their own table consistently.  It’s a huge mental shift to go from an “automatic paycheck” to one that is solely contingent on how hard and smart you work.  But if you think about it, who is more reliable to take care of you and your needs nowadays than YOU?  Which is it? You or that company you work for? Yes I realize that the company you work for may have more contacts, money, and experience than you might at being self-employed. But contacts are fickle. Experience is relative to the job you’re performing, and money—well surely you’ve noticed by now that money doesn’t mean success.  Think about it.  How many banks have failed lately, and yet they had the luxury of legally charging mounds of money for AIR. You’ve got to be a special kind of stupid to fail at that kind of gig.  You don’t have to look far in the news to see that even those companies with deep pockets can crumble overnight. Goldman Sachs was the Golden Child of Wall Street for crying out loud, and yet they were just as vulnerable to the dangers of their own ego.  So, let me ask you this again, who’s more reliable to provide for your family than you?  Who cares about your family more than you?  Who’s more motivated to provide for your family than you? OK. So this really boils down to trust.  Let me see if I can help you out there a bit.

When it comes to infusing an economy with new ideas, additional streams of money, and stable employment, who is really able to make a difference? A company that has to go through layers of bureaucratic red tape, or an idea that can be executed by a lone, agile, entrepreneur?

In a world in which “too big to fail” has come to mean “bend over, taxpayers” do you really think that you don’t have a better chance at succeeding on your own, doing something that you feel passionate about, and providing a tangible good or service that people need?  Really? ‘Cause when I look around, I’m thinking that it doesn’t take a whole lot to do a better job than the soulless, “big money” companies out there.  What is that old saying? “It’s easy to look like an eagle when you’re hanging out with a flock of turkeys.” Well, what I’m trying to say right now folks is that things are so incredibly volatile in the “real job” world that you ARE hanging out with a flock of turkeys.  Thus it won’t take much for you to soar and break from the pack as an eagle!

I can remember when I took my first real entrepreneurial jump. Nearly 20 years ago I found myself in Augusta, Maine, sitting at an uncomfortable makeshift desk punching in numbers as fast as my fingers would dance on ten keys, for 8 hours a day. The numbers didn’t mean anything to me.  The company didn’t mean anything to me. Adding insult to injury, I was working with a real, honest to goodness bully who saw it as her lot in life to inject a taste of hell into mine. Even worse, the pay only represented another month’s existence in a cramped 2 room apartment with a Honda Accord that had the rear bumper clinging to life with some duct tape. During this time I had interviewed for another job—but this job was straight commission.  For every business membership I sold, I would be paid $50 in commission.  As I sat there and mindlessly punched in those numbers at my desk the day after my interview, I started calculating something completely different.  “What if,” I dared to ask myself. “What if I could sell only 4 memberships a week? I’d make more than I’m making now. And if I could sell six memberships a week, I could actually afford a new apartment and a new car. (Yes, I had different values back then. *grin*) Surely, if I treated this prospective job like this job and contacted X number of business a day, I could sell 4 memberships in 40 hours.  I wouldn’t have any more back pain. I could actually interact with people. I could wear business suits. I could have intelligent conversations.” Yup. I totally psyched myself up.  To be forthright with myself, I realized that the only part I was scared of was whether or not I could trust myself to sell 4 memberships per week.  I decided that afternoon that if I couldn’t trust myself to take care of myself, then I had no value to anyone else either. So I went for it.

That first week of work was a typical January winter day in the middle of Maine. Three feet of snow had been dumped on our area.  But I had rent to pay and groceries to buy.  Frankly, I was afraid NOT to work that day for fear that I would miss my non-negotiable goal of 4 sales for the week.  So I trudged out in the snow going door to door talking with small business owners who were light on customers that day due to the weather.  By the end of my first day I had sold 5 memberships!  The only negative feeling I had amidst the high I felt was the regret that I had waited so long to gamble on my own worth.  By the end of the week I had sold several times that number of memberships.  It was quite humorous actually when I called my new boss to tell him how many I had sold that week. He thought I was mistaken in how I calculated my number of sales. He told me that no one had ever sold that many memberships in month, let alone a week.  I responded to him “Well, I guess they were simply lacking in enough belief and motivation.”

Now here’s where you come in.  Being self-employed, even if it’s just a side job in addition to your “real job” is the beginning of a grand realization—it’s the realization that the Law of the Harvest is just as real and applicable today as it was when our country was first formed.  Nothing will change that because the Law of the Harvest is a principle of truth. We will always reap what we sow. As such, don’t you think it’s more reliable, more trustworthy, and more worthy of your consideration for YOU to be one doing the sowing rather than relying on someone else to do it for you?

I have been a commission-based professional for nearly all of my adult life.  I have enjoyed the high of making great money in a month. And you know what? I can honestly say that I have NEVER not receive a worthy return in exchange for hard, smart work. I have learned that the Law of the Harvest never lets me down. It always works for you if you will work with it. Even better, there are a compounded number of rewards in doing so in the form of enjoyment, dignity, worth, and satisfaction.

In the next part of this series, I will discuss what type of self-employment paths you may want to consider.

‘Til then—may your sowing today reward you with peace in preparedness for all of your tomorrows.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Why I Refuse to Have Anything to do With Oprah

This is a multi-part series that will specifically address the aspect of self-employment and why it’s critical to our independence—even if only pursued on a minor level. I will also be sharing information on how to make a self-employment status more profitable and how to better manage the taxation thereof as well.

For starters, I realize that the title of this article may constitute some type of a first degree offense with some people, perhaps even some of you. But the article title does at least imply that I will explain why such is the case. After reading it, perhaps you will come to the same path as I have. Oh, and lest you think I’ve been drinking too much sugar, I assure you this has EVERYTHING to do with Preparedness.

The other day the talk radio news I listen to mentioned a poll that was recently taken which stated that only 1 in 3 Americans felt happy about their state of life at present. The majority of those polled stated specifically that they felt helpless about what’s going on in Washington and they were stressed about money. Surely we have plenty of blame to go around right now as to why this level of distress runs rampant in so many hearts at present, but let’s look at what is really the root of it (as manifested in voluntary vulnerabilities) and see what we can do to reclaim an independent life from these uncomfortable circumstances. Yes there exists the villainous Bernie Madoff , Enron, George Soros, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac problems out there that have fleeced the wealth of America for a long time. But I believe that while such persons need to be accountable for their actions, it’s even more critical that we accept responsibility for the appropriate level of culpability we have played in being negatively affected by these unfortunate circumstances.  After all, true independence always demands accountability. (I’ll get into more of that in just a moment.)

This is where Oprah comes in. Look at her persona, the themes of her shows, the giving away of exorbitant prizes, etc.  In my view, it’s all a celebration and grandstanding of the state of victimization.  I simply do not abide by such a notion.  I believe firmly that there are no victims, only volunteers. I think a situation of victimhood is really in the eyes of the whiner and those who serve as enablers. Do we really find virtue in such a mindset? Do we really want to foster such a mentality?

Like him, love him, or loathe him,  Obama made it to the White House not because of any accomplishments or experience that proved him to be a leader of the this great nation. He literally had a ZERO resume in that regard. Instead he actually had several alarming aspects to his background which went completely ignored—why? Because he catered to the willingness of the majority voters in our nation to accept and coddle the so-called victims of this nation.  Those who were willing to accept that they were victims of a “hard life and tough times” saw him as their personal piggy bank.

Many persons now find themselves in over their head with a mortgage that is significantly higher than the value of their home, calling themselves victims of overzealous brokers or banks. In fact, they are not victims, but willing participants in the “getting something for nothing game.”  Many are now left paying oversized mortgage payments because their home equity was stripped by a manipulated series of events by truly evil doers.  Ideally, these homeowners will benefit from all of this in realizing that a home made of dirt, brick, and sticks is NOT an asset that appreciates in real value just by standing still, but is actually nothing more than a roof over our heads.

Folks. This isn’t pretty, and it may ruffle some feathers, but the fact is, as Americans we (and those who live in other 1^st world nations) haven’t even begun to know what really being a victim is.  A victim is not someone who finds themselves under the thumb of an incompetent political leader—especially when they did little or nothing to ensure an alternative outcome.  A victim is not someone who got laid off from a job because of exported employment—especially when there is a dearth of valuable, tangible manufactured goods in our nation that can be created and sold with little education requirements. A victim is not someone who finds themselves unable to pay for quality health care because the costs are too high when they have had abundant choices for better health their entire lives. 

A true victim is someone who literally CAN NOT even go to the community bathroom in their village without fear of being raped and battered; not able to safely harvest what little they’ve been able to plant due to genuine fear that they will be shot dead in the process; or a the person who has absolutely no say about their political state of affairs without surely being sentenced to death.  The appalling thing is that even in the areas in which true victims may dwell, women still go on living and caring for others in their lives.  Villagers still plant crops every season hoping and praying that somehow this season may be different. And many have lost their lives simply by standing firm in their beliefs about freedom.

We truly do have it easy here folks. More importantly, we truly do have the ability to be independent and prepared on an everyday basis from all that we feel vulnerable to at present.  So in this particular series, I intend to walk through the path that can lead the willing there with some professional and amateur insights—creating true independence along the way. Whatever your trade or business, whatever your hobby or passion, we can convert that into a successful state of independence through self-employment that will provide for us based upon our own harvests, and not the ill-gotten gains of others.

Till next time—may you have peace in your everyday preparedness.

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 Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you have figured out by now that I’m not one of the gloom and doomers. In fact, I try diligently to simply take a situation, examine it, and try to determine how I can best avoid an undesirable consequence and vulnerability to it simply by being better prepared. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, “preparedness is about peace, not panic.”

I still stand by that belief and I’d like you to remember that as I direct you towards an interesting article I read today.  True to the typical brainless “preppers” hype  the article was posted on someone else’s “emergency preparedness” site as an incentive for everyone to dig nuclear bomb shelters or create full-sized Faraday cages “asap”. But when I read the article I felt that it simply gave us a nice, gentle reminder that we are indeed vulnerable to a loss of the electrical or computerized power which keeps our nation civilized.  On April 20, 2010, the Sacramento Press reported that the CIA Director conveyed the reality of our vulnerability to international hacker terrorists and admitted that it’s a full-time job preventing them from collapsing our nation financially, physically, and throwing our society back to the early 1900’s.  (See full article here: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/25185/CIA_Director_tells_CaptoCap_delegates_Cyber_attack_could_be_next_Pearl_Harbor)

For those of you who have not participated in my “Lights Out, Now What?” webinar, I want to remind everyone that there’s a speedy and unavoidable domino effect when and if our financial or electrical system is interrupted.  Because our financial doings are so heavily reliant on all of our modes of communication—to the point that even a mere hour without electricity can cost our economy billions of dollars—if our communication lines are downed for more than 72 hours nationally, it would cause a financial collapse. If a financial collapse occurs, then a national blackout is a natural consequence which will follow quickly on the heels of such a disaster.  If a significant power outage occurs in just one regional grid in the U.S. then that will also cause a financial collapse. A cluster of hard copy research which I read last year suggested the due to the present regional power grids not being strong enough to carry their respective areas on their own, rather are intended to carry the weight as a nationally collective whole, then if our entire nation were to go black at the same time, the task of bringing everything back online is estimated to take a mere 36 months. Apparently no single grid on its own can handle the weight of supporting the surrounding grids long enough to power up the next ones.  (Remember the blackouts that occurred throughout the Western States a couple of years ago simply because a part of the California grid wasn’t functioning well?) With over 250,000 trucking companies in the U.S. and the fact that our economic system relies heavily on such systems, then it is also intimated that if our fuel costs were to exceed $4.00 a gallon, at least 17 % of the trucking companies would have to shut down. Very few transportation companies have the capital to take such a cost increase in a “must have” category of running their businesses.  (Apparently even the trucking companies run their business with a thin margin of profit just like our very own households have done for decades.) Keep in mind that the airlines just got hit with billions of dollars of losses from the recent “volcano black out”—this after they had already opted for the cannibalization pricing practice of taxing their customers for essentials such as luggage, in-flight entertainment, 1 ounce of padding known as a pillow, and 2 ounces of mysteriously colored air known as a blanket. Imagine what even a short-term power outage could do to that industry, especially if it is coupled with a sharp increase in fuel costs.

 So, once again, don’t panic.  Instead, calmly determine how you are able to insulate yourself now from as little vulnerability as possible.  How can you make yourself more independent when it comes to providing environmental control, security, cooking, heat, light, medical aid, and necessary commerce transactions in your life? To answer that, look at what has been done in past history when the luxury of electricity and the internet was not so abundant. Look at what some third world and even European countries do today in order to mitigate the high cost of fuel and sporadic accessibility to power.  Solar power, alternative fuels, butane stoves, pressure cookers, kerosene lanterns. These items aren’t “emergency preparedness” tools for many areas of the world. These are tools of wisdom used in everyday living for real people like you and me. So, take a moment to review the posted article. Ask yourself how you may be vulnerable to the “what ifs” and then determine what you can do today with the control and freedom that you now have to alter those vulnerabilities into strengths of independence.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

The news as of late does a great job reminding me why preparedness really does need to be an everyday focus. We’ve clearly seen that we can’t stop thinking about preparedness just because we are going on a vacation to Paris. Look at the consequences that so many are enduring all because of a volcano from across the ocean.  In reviewing the 10 Principles of Preparedness and comparing it to those who are stranded in airports or international cities, look at which aspects of Preparedness they are challenged with.

Spiritual, yup. It’s very trying as we are forced to make friends with hundreds of strangers quickly. Only ones belief system will provide a measure of sanity and peace.

Mental, yup. A great trial for many is occupying their mind. Some were well served by thinking soon enough of alternative ways to travel to their desired destination. Some were well served by mentally anticipating possible obstacles on their trip. Their skills and mental fortitude will enable them to ride out this curve ball that life has thrown them.

Physical, yes, indeed. There are a great many physical challenges caused by a lack of sleep and a dependence on cigarettes, caffeine, and other stimulants.

Medical—serious problem there.  For those who took just enough medication on their trip, there could be more serious problems looming.  I wonder what the newspaper stories would read like if all they did was focus on the medical need this travel interruption is causing. All of the thousands and thousands of dollars being spent by stranded passengers as they have to rely on ambulatory or emergency services all because of this unprecedented travel delay. To make matters worse, the availability of something as simple as water and reliable sanitation services has compromised the airports entire sewage system. I cringe to think that there may be persons traveling who are ill who are spreading it to the masses that they are now stranded with in the airports or elsewhere.

Clothing/Shelter, oh yeah. In fact, this is the most draining need on the airport and cities where travelers are stranded. Simply having a place to sleep in safety is sorely compromised as many attempt to sleep on an airport floor with the television voices looming.  Along these same lines, let’s not forget the aspect of sanitation that is causing an enormous taxation on the available facilities. I’ve frequently read of passengers begging for something as simple as a towel so that they can bathe suitably in a sink. Imagine the plight of the mothers with their children in tow who ran out of diapers, never foreseeing this series of events.

Fuel, yes!  (Remember, fuel is power as well) Many stranded passengers are claiming that the air is thick, sticky, and hot due to an over taxation of the environmental conditioning systems.  Usually the space they are stranded in gets a break overnight to aerate out all of the highly used air.  But not now. It’s getting recycled at the same pace as it usually is and as best as I can tell, nothing is being done to take into consideration the need for any environmental control changes.

Water and food needs are definitely going unmet—for all ages.  Think of the parents with children in tow, thinking that they only needed to feed them for a day or so during their travels. Now all of the sudden they’ve got to pay top dollar just for the most basic of nutrition while they wait out this act of nature. All stranded travelers are left with what their pocketbooks can afford. Most are attempting to stay close by to the airport in the event that they are able to get out sooner. This means that they are also staying close to the most exorbitant prices for food.  How I’m sure many of them wish they had stashed just a little bit more comfort food, a water container, or other like preparations before they left home.  Having two dogs, I cringe at the thought that someone has to endure these circumstances with a furry companion nearby. How absolutely stressful this scenario must be.

Financial Preparedness—wow. Who would have thought that the forced stay in the airport would take up nearly as much money as the entire trip?! And yet that is what many passengers are reporting.  Not to mention the terrible financial hit that the airports are taking in losing over $200 million dollars per day!  No wonder they are being a bit stingy with the handing out of peanuts, blankets, pillows, etc to their stranded travelers.  Those who work for the airlines no doubt will receive some type of compensation during their forced stay on the ground, but imagine the trickle effect that this grounding has on employed persons.  Unable to get back to their jobs. Unable to perform their contracted services.  As an employer there’s only so much one can do before they have to say “I’m sorry, but I have to hire someone else because I have a business to run.” The consequences of this delay brings not only lost revenue, but unrecoverable revenue to an industry and a people that can ill abide it.

Communication—All I can say is thank goodness there are still pay phones at the airports (for the most part).  Imagine what would have happened, or what kind of troubleshooting could take place, without the need for communication.  Even the simplest of communication between one human being to another is important to our survival.

So, in hindsight, I simple encourage us all to stop and think before we take a *harmless* trip.  There is much that can go wrong. Your job is to be as prepared for them as possible.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Earlier this week I was uncharacteristically mesmerized by a sports article.  Phil Mickelson, a highly accomplished professional golfer, was thrown a proverbial curve ball of bad luck just before he attempted to make a putt.  The green was clean and unhampered as he carefully connected with the golf ball, just before it was to head into the hole, a very small errant leaf blew onto the green landing directly in the balls path—causing just enough of a diversion that Mickelson missed an easy shot.  The pictures in the article tell the whole story.  Some call it a freak stroke of bad luck.  I call it Life’s Reality Check.

On the opposite side of things, I had what some may call a stroke of good luck. The other day I was teaching a live cooking class for a local business.  I always send my ingredient list ahead of time so that they can have everything ready for me.  One of the dishes that I was going to make out of freeze-dried foods was a Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder.  Obviously, in such a dish, the corn would be important, right. Well, without telling me, the business simply did not furnish the corn—not in a freeze-dried format or any other.  There was nothing. No note.  No substitute. Nothing.  So here I am in front a classroom of people without my star ingredient for corn chowder.  I noticed that the store carried pre-cooked beans that you only need to soak for about 20 minutes in hot or cold water prior to eating. So I decided on the fly to make a chicken chili using the pre-cooked black beans that were on hand.  As it turned out, the revised plan turned out DELICIOUS and is now one of my favorite easy dishes that I plan to make repeatedly. I’m actually happy for the missing ingredient mishap.

So, what do I believe is Life’s Reality Check?  I believe it’s the teacher in our lives that tells us that no matter how planned out we have things, life tends to throw us a curve ball.  One may believe they are intended for greatness as a doctor or a lawyer only to find themselves derailed into another highly fulfilling career—as in Warren Brown’s case (Government attorney turned star of Food Network’s Sugar Rush and Cakelove series.) Perhaps there could be a 12 year old who creates her list of criteria for her “Dream Guy” only to end up marrying the REAL man of her dreams who didn’t meet the 70% of the list requirements. (As in my case with my Prince Charming)  My point is two-fold. 

onsFirst: Preparedness doesn’t come into play when we’re confronted with the opportunity for action—whether it be faced with housing down-on-their-luck family members, escaping a house fire, or suddenly discovering that you have to have 5 dozen cookies made for your third grader. Preparedness begins in our soul.  The time to be prepared is BEFORE the events come into our life. Yes, the events themselves will help us prepare for the next step and the next, but when the opportunity presents itself and requires us to show ourselves what we’re made of, the time for preparation is over.  We either have it or we don’t.

Second: In spite of all of our best planning, we will still get thrown curve balls. An errant leaf, a car accident, and surprise visit from a long lost friend, or an idea that comes out of the blue that changes your life.  These kinds of moments require our spiritual and mental preparedness to accept them, embrace them, and work through them with all of the grace and integrity we can muster.  It would be a shame if we were being led to a moment of joy and happiness or growth and peace only to go kicking and screaming, right? Kind of ruins the ambiance of the moment, eh?

I look back on several areas of my life, and if I were to pinpoint an area of regret, it would be that I didn’t roll with more punches.  I wish that I had learned sooner the wisdom of “That which doesn’t kill me will make me stronger.”  Or another of my favorite quotes, “Don’t pray for God to move the mountain, ask Him for a rope and a pair of hiking boots instead.” I wish that I could go back through some of my challenges with more maturity and more acceptance.  I’m sure I could have grown more personally and been a better influence on those I have loved.

I think it’s interesting to note that Phil Mickelson didn’t throw a temper tantrum when he missed his putt. He didn’t curse or swear. He simply accepted that this little leaf just landed where it was going to land and that was it. And yet conversely, in this same meet, Tiger Woods, who had much better “luck” still carried on with verbal assault and 2-year old without a nap style of behavior—in spite of never encountering a fluke act of nature.

In the spirit of Preparedness, I hope that we can learn to better accept the curveballs that get thrown at us and demonstrate our acceptance of them by doing our best to prepare for them now.  Fortifying our spiritual and mental strength, along with all of the other Principles of Preparedness, will serve as proof that we have indeed chosen to accept Life’s Reality Checks and are committed to thrive as a result of them.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.