Preparedness Networking & Why
it’s Important
So why would preparedness networking
be beneficial for you? There are a lot of reasons really. People throughout the
preparedness community have different amounts of experience and expertise that
can be very beneficial to one another. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “iron sharpens iron”. As we all
here know, being prepared is vital. However starting out is not always easy,
because there is really so much to learn; especially if it is completely new to
you. When I first began preparing my favorite way to learn was through YouTube.
I would watch every video I could that had something to do with prepping or
survival. I have to be honest, not all of them were good. But you can find videos on there that are really
helpful. Seriously! You can learn to build off the grid systems, what to put in
a bug out bag, how to preserve foods, or even how to prep on the cheap! If you
haven’t checked it out, go for it; you’ll be surprised at what all is available
there.
There are tons and tons of great
ideas on there that I personally never thought of. An example is that I watched
videos on shelter building and I got the family to go outside and try to build
one. I’m sure the neighbors wondered what we were doing huddling under a tarp
in the middle of a warm spring day. But we learned and found ways to improve
our skills after several attempts.
Back to networking, let’s first talk
about online networking. As you already know you can find nearly everything
online, and when it comes to communicating with like-minded people this is no
exception. On social media sites like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and even
Pinterest there are prepping groups and pages, dedicated to help educate people
on preparedness. Not trying to play favorites here at all, but honestly the
actual websites I find myself at the most recently are MomwithaPrep, AreweCrazyorWhat?, Survival Sherpa, PreparingwithDave, Survivalist Prepper, Graywolf Survival and of course The Survival Mom. (just to reiterate,
these are only 7 of the many I follow, but they are definitely in my list of
top 10) I highly suggest everyone also
checking out Prepper Website and
the Facebook page called Prepared
Bloggers. Both of those sites are updated daily to bring you information
from various preparedness bloggers and the prepperwebsite.com page also has a
mega list of prepper and homesteading sites. Just scroll half way down and they
have the list and different categories for the sites. Using online resources
and avenues are a great way to find anything preparedness related. One tip is
when you go to any sites, interact! Ask questions and get the answers to any
questions you have. Take full advantage and ask the experts, that’s what
they’re there for after all.
Now let’s talk about in-person
networking. You would be surprised, or at least I have been, at the amount of
people I have met simply out and about who are preppers. Honestly, it’s just
totally out of the blue and it still catches me off guard but it’s pretty cool
to say the least. One time we went to an appliance repair shop that also
happened to sell refurbished items. We asked them if they had a treadle sewing
machine. He owner was curious about why we wanted a manual one. My husband told
him because if we lost power he would still have a way to make leather items
like holsters and such. The guy said are you guys preppers? We looked at each
other and replied yeah something like that. The guy got a big ol smile and said
me too, for over 30 years! You might be surprised to find people in your area
that are into preparedness also. Not only can you use this as an opportunity to
learn, but you can also teach them what you know. Maybe this can turn into a
friendship that when the stuff does hit the fan, you can have people you depend
on.
Don’t stop there, talk to people in
your own life to help them understand the importance of preparedness. Yes,
you’re going to have those that think you’re completely nuts and don’t see the
importance of what you’re doing. Don’t let that stop you, on to the next! I
talk to my friends and family about prepping and though a few think that I’m rambling on about either A: the end of the
world, B: the zombie apocalypse or C: I’m completely wasting my time and
effort; but some of them have taken steps to begin preparing themselves. The
more people you can teach, the more will be ready when something happens. Personally
I feel that this will also help to eliminate the amount of people who come
knocking on your door later. Help them now, helps them later. Involve others
and find a prepping group in your area. If there’s not one, start your
own. One good place to network is at
Prepper or survival expos. You really get the chance to meet new people that
are just like you. You also get to talk to vendors and get information from
them directly about their products so that you know which products are best.
That is networking!
So how do you talk to them? Consider
your tone, topic, and attitude. Just like with anything, if your tone is
aggressive and harsh, or worse patronizing you can totally forget them
listening to a word of what you have to say. Just be yourself. I tell people
that I am not prepping for the end of the world, and I am not. I am just preparing
for hardships or disasters of any kind. Then I might ask them a question, like
what would they do if they were faced with a disaster? Are they prepared to
sustain their family for a week if needed? Most say yeah, they’d get by okay, probably. But then what if that week
turned to one month, would they still be ready? Of course most are not. The
person has to relate to the topic, it has to be personal and hit home for the
wheels to start churning. Most people don’t live in the “what if’s” like many
preppers do, but they are interested in things that would affect their family
personally. I mentioned that it’s important to also consider your attitude.
Nobody likes a person with the wise guy mentality.
You can’t pressure anyone into preparedness;
it just doesn’t work no matter how much you love them and are worried for them.
And for goodness sakes, scare tactics are unnecessary. Preparedness shouldn’t
be about fear; it should help to prevent fear. The fear of; not having clean
water, food, necessities, or a secure location.
Having a good network of people that
you trust who are likeminded and are preparing too is important. Not only for
the learning and teaching aspects of it, but also the comradery and support
that comes along with it. There is a special understanding I think amongst
people in the preparedness community. They understand the concerns and
potentials ahead. And of course since they’re in the same mindset, they realize
you are completely normal. Lol So don’t be afraid to network and build those
relationships. Get out there, learn, teach, and enjoy. There’s a lot of us out
there who are striving to be more self-sufficient and just happen to be
preparing along the way too.
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