What is the easiest "Prep"?
- greatlivingstories
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
When it comes to being "prepped"—or my preferred term, Ready—the easiest preparations are the physical. Anyone with a credit card can buy "stuff."
"Stuff" is nice to have, but it can also get you killed. What do you do when the world goes south and you lose every bit of it? If you think it won't happen to you, ask the survivors of Katrina who watched their "stuff" be confiscated by the very people they thought were there to help. The hardest things to "prep" are your spiritual and mental foundations. Those cannot be bought; they must be built.
The Core of Calm® My concept of Readiness involves three intersecting spheres: Spiritual, Mental, and Physical.
Picture them as three spheres with Spiritual on the bottom, supporting the Mental and Physical layers above. Where they intersect at the center is a triangle. That triangle is the Core of Calm®. This is the point of complete balance.
The only way to endure the chaos of a disaster is to remain calm. When you are calm, you are a "hard target." You can process information logically and factually. When you are out of balance—when you are in Fear—your prefrontal cortex shuts down.
The prefrontal cortex is the "Commander" of your brain. It handles decision-making, planning, and emotional regulation. Without it, you are biologically impaired. You cannot respond; you can only react. This is why people "snap" and take bizarre, dangerous actions in a crisis. Their Commander has left the post.
Training for the "Asset" Almost everyone "trains" by shopping. I am not saying gear isn't important, but what if you can’t reach it? What if it’s lost? Just as you train First Aid or Fire Starting, you must train your spiritual and mental skills.
In my doctrine, two skills stand above the rest:
The Emergency Readiness Plan: This is a written, "cold-blooded" document created before the stress hits. It identifies your triggers, your logistics, and your required skills. Having this practiced builds muscle memory. When fear hits, you don't have to "think"—you just execute. This keeps the prefrontal cortex online.
Fear Control: It sounds insane to the untrained, but fear can be controlled. I know, because I’ve done it when the stakes were life and death.
Conclusion: If your survival plan is in a backpack, you aren’t ready—you’re just a target. True readiness is built from the inside out.
The Spiritual Pillar: The foundation. If you aren't right with your Creator, your mental strength has no floor. This is a free gift to be accepted, not a skill to be bought.
The Mental Pillar: A skill you must build. It’s about Engineering Certainty when everything is uncertain.
The Physical Pillar: The easiest to prep, but the first to collapse if the layers underneath are hollow.
I’ve spent 25 years in the dirt—from Cavalry Scout to Geospatial Intelligence Engineer. I’ve seen what happens when physically strong people "hit the fan" without spiritual or mental anchoring.
The one asset you always have is your skills and you.
I’m opening the doors to my Tactical Readiness Academy. We don't just teach you how to "identify tracks"—we teach you how to build a person who can walk out of anything with nothing and still survive.
Mission Start: Take the first class, SME Strategic Survival Doctrine: Engineering Certainty in an Uncertain World, for free at GL Skye Academy
• Ready to Begin? -> Readiness Checklist Link
• Want Community? -> Member Area Link
• Ready to Master? -> GL Skye Academy Link
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