Posts Tagged ‘Skill’
Survival Preparedness beyond just food and water
Permalink Preparing for TEOTWAWKI does not necessarily mean that one needs to be prepared for survival in the stone age. Sure, there are disaster scenarios whereby we could truly be sent back to surviving and being self-sufficient in a stone-age-like environment, however these particular scenarios have a lower probability of occurring than others. I believe that today’s ‘preppers’ range in variety from the casual (fairly high risk tolerance) to the extreme (very low risk tolerance). Surely, the extreme preppers will be far better prepared than the casual prepper if an extreme disaster strikes the world, however even the casual prepper will be far better off than the majority of the population who have not even contemplated such a life insurance policy. The higher probability disasters will be less devastating when it comes to survival itself (at least for the general majority). If you are unfortunate enough to be caught in the bulls-eye of such a disaster, you will have the hope that others will be able to help, since the disaster will be somewhat localized. A wider ranging catastrophic disaster is statistically less probable, but far more people will be caught in it when it occurs, and far more will consequently suffer. Everyone’s situation is unique. There are budget and time constraints that affects ones ability to develop and implement a plan of action. I do believe that a very good course of action to develop a survival preparedness plan is to first identify your existing skills. Think about how your skills could be put to work in a post-disaster scenario. Focus your survival preparedness plans to support your skill set. Having said that, really, the very first consideration is to simply store extra food – but I’m assuming you’ve already done that. Survival, post-disaster, does not need to be entirely back woods and stone age. Who says that we cannot plan for some creature comforts, and even a thriving post-disaster community? Apart from the very basic necessities to survive (shelter, fire, water, food), assuming one has enough supplies to make it through a number of months from basic storage, the real long term survival will come from ones skills and ability to contribute to a self sustaining community, and barter their services for consumables that are needed. This really is not much different from what we do today, except at a more basic level, and one where perhaps the paper currency will be worthless. Think of the situation as one where the worse and wider spread the disaster, the more value will be associated with practical and basic skills. For example, those who know how to successfully grow food, those who know how to leverage the tools around them to build and repair things, and the basic down-to-earth know-how skills will all be in demand. Here is an example from a MSB reader who would leverage his current skills in a post TEOTWAWKI world. I, being a person that enjoys his creature comforts would find living in such a manner (stone age) quite undesirable. I much prefer my plan to buy up a parcel of land in (location xyz) complete with natural gas well(s). This is more complicated than it sounds but I have spent a good many years of my life as a petroleum landman, whose job it is to examine land title ownership on producing and non-producing properties. With 100% ownership of a natural gas well you could divert said gas straight into your generator(s). Throw in a compressor and you could also fuel you vehicles, etc. In the event of severe climate change or lots of volcanic ash the food supply could come from hydroponics. Depending on the output of the well you could possibly support a small community indefinitely. Much preferable than the back to basics approach, albeit a lot more expensive. This is a good example of thinking ahead to possibly leveraging the skills and know-how that you already have, in order to place yourself in a better position than those that are simply trying to survive by getting enough food and water each day. Again, this isn’t much different than what we do today… many of us currently work jobs or have a career that is aligned with our skill set. I’m just saying to think of it in context of post-disaster, and think about how it could be put to use. Not many people will truly posses all of the skills necessary to live self-sufficient. It will take a community of people with a range of skills and abilities. I have a feeling that some preppers may go down the wrong road (so to speak) by believing that if they purchase or acquire enough survival preparedness supplies, that they will be set. I do believe that it is wise to have at least a minimal set of broad ranging supplies (starting with food and an assured water supply), but really the most valuable long term survival asset will be what you can do, what you know how to do, your skills that would contribute to a post-disaster life while rebuilding a community. Think about that. Are there things that you could acquire now, that would help accentuate what you know how to do? If you discover or believe that your current skill set would not be of much value in this scenario, then please do consider investing some of your time learning some basic practical hands-on skills. It really is a life insurance policy of sorts. Hopefully the insurance will never have to be called upon, but if it does, you will stand a better chance to survive and to help yourself and others rebuild. 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Posted in Disasters 
Tags: casual, Disaster, Food, life-insurance, Skill, Skills, survival preparedness, Time, Tools 
Comments OffHow to Tell a Joke is a Business Skill
How to Tell a Joke is a Business Skill
1. You and I are not interested in playing the Comedy Room.
2. However – discovering how to improvise our selling story is a closing-skill.
3. So what? We need to learn to organize a funny joke because it helps influence, convince, and persuade folks to accept our business or professional proposals. Not by being a comedian, but because it has the same three elements.
Secret of a Successful Joke
The framework: First, the Set-Up, Second, the plot, and Third, the Punchline.
The Set-Up is a logical beginning where we show agreement with the listener’s long-term beliefs and expectations.
Set-Up: A 12 year old comes to his father for help with his homework in using five specific words in five different sentences. Makes sense, right?
The Plot: The Pop seriously creates these five-sentences, but they are obviously wrong, and even jerky. Raises our curiosity – why did he do it?
The Punchline: The kid dopes out he has been scammed by his old man, and gets
mad. The Pop explains why he scammed the kid with wrong answers. Problem/Solution.
A Punchline offers a conclusion, payoff, and moral of the story (joke). It is an exaggerated point that makes us laugh at Pop’s Switcherzoo. We (listeners) are IN
on the joke. We GET it without thinking, analyzing or going to a dictionary.
My Aha! Experience
“Pop, can you help me with my homework? I got these five last words
I can’t figure out how to use each one in a sentence. “
“Sonny, you come to the right window. Gimme your problem. It is just as
important to know where to find the right answer, as learning itself.”
“Here, five easy words, but I have to use each one in a separate sentence.
First is Tsunami, that’s one I never saw before. Two, is Tutor. Number Three is
Denial, used as a legal term. Four is Defeat, used in a specific battle. Number
Five is Cataracts, which I don’t know at all.”
“Gimme that list. Are you ready? I’m not going to repeat it twice, so pay
attention.
Tsunami, it comes from Latin meaning Salt. I fried the Tsunami and eggs,
and added mustard on Italian bread for flavor.
Tutor, from the Latin for Horn. In the Bible, Joshua blew down the walls of
Jericho because he was a Tutor. Harry James played a mean trumpet, and he was a hot Tutor. See, two for one.
Denial runs 4,184 miles in Africa and feeds into the Mediterranean Sea. Oh
yeah, Denial separates into the White and Blue, and they collect in Egypt.
Defeat. George Washington had 2,300 Patriots at the Battle of Trenton,
against the Hessians on December 26, 1776 (day after Xmas). The Americans could not afford boots for their soldiers, who had to wrap Defeat with rags for the seven-mile march to Trenton, New Jersey.
Last, is Cataract. The word is taken from the name of a Native-American
chief and has come to mean luxury. General Motors owns the Trade Mark for
the name Cataract, since August 18, 1902.”
I sat there stunned, just 12 years old, but I knew Pop had scammed me.
“I will never ask you anything again. Thanks for nothing.”
“Wait – you don’t trust me and my answers?”
“No, I don’t trust you or anybody else after this.”
“Pay attention – this is an important moment in your life.
It is called an Aha! Experience. You don’t trust your own father, and nobody
else, right? You have to trust and depend only on yourself, right?”
“Yeah, right, so what?”
“Sonny, tomorrow I am going to sign you up at the New York Law School.
You have learned your first critical lesson about independent research.”
“That’s was my Pop. Yeah, I went to New York Law School graduated, and
passed the Bar (not Kelly’s) on the first crack.”
How to Persuade, Influence, And Convince
You will almost never read the following in a textbook, hear it from a professor,
or reach this conclusion by yourself. It is against the grain, contrarian, and counterintuitive. That is why it is important.
Thinking Bad, Knowing Good
Thinking is B-A-D if you want to persuade, convince or influence others to your ideas. You never want the client, a judge or jury, or a buyer to stop in the middle of your proposal to think, analyze or critically judge your proposal or defense argument.
Procrastination is another name for Think-ing. It delays and terminates the action
response you require. You language should communicate simple, basic ideas Automatically – without recourse to complexity and complications. As easy-as-pie.
Problem/Solution
Consider me an Oversimplifier – that is a compliment because Oprah, Dr. Phil, and
Jay Leno use Oversimplification – (generalizing) to thank for their superstar status.
We the public, from six-year olds to professionals, to Seniors with PhDs, H-A-T-E
thinking, school, and education. It has to be said if you want to learn how to Manipulate – folks to your ideas and proposals.
Wait! Ma-nip-u-late – that word has a negative aura of twisting someone’s arm to accept what you say. Yet everyone, every hour of the day is successfully or failing to
manipulate their adversary (client) to accept our version of the facts.
Lawyers must manipulate clients to hire them instead of 42,000 other competent counselors. What about manipulating Judges and Juries? Manipulate means to
persuade, convince, and influence. It also is a synonym for guide, direct and, negotiate. It is what Doers – do to succeed.
From intelligent folks to the other-kind, we all have problems – stuff that burns our
fundament, and causes us pain. We do not want complex explanations. What do we all want? Solutions, cures, and answers, right? Problem/Solution is our universal life goal. Answers, not pleasant conversation.
Endwords
Would you be more competitive if you could read three (3) books, articles and reports, in the time your peers can hardly finish one? How about doubling you
memory – permanently? Ask us how – now.
copyright © 2009
H. Bernard Wechsler
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