Are You in Need of Professional Survival Training?
We all know that preparing for survival involves the development of a lot of different skills, and some have an easier time with picking them up than others. As more and more people continue to immerse themselves into prepping, a cottage industry related to survival training is also beginning to boom. There are countless programs out there that cover everything from field medicine to basic bushcraft skills, and many of them are more accessible and affordable than you may think.
The question is whether or not you stand to benefit from a little bit of professional guidance as you become more engaged in your own preparedness efforts.
Be Honest With Yourself
One way to identify areas that you’re either struggling with, resisting or procrastinating over is to take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses. It’s very easy to confuse wishful thinking and optimism when comparing our capabilities or competence with what skills we need to master. It’s not uncommon to assume that we will automatically spring into action and rise to the occasion once we encounter a survival situation.
However, as far too many people have discovered, survival skills can’t be turned on like a light switch without some hands-on experience first. The question is whether or not you are able to gain that experience to the degree where you feel confident about applying what you learned as a crisis unfolds. Chances are that all of us have strengths and weaknesses, and it’s those weaknesses that need to be addressed above all else.
Taking an honest look at where your struggles lie can indicate whether or not pursuing some courses or going to some workshops can pay off down the line.
Practice Makes Perfect
Aside from using some professional resources to learn new skills, they also provide the right environment for brushing up on what you already know. They also give you the opportunity to put what you know to practice as well. The more we practice, the less we will struggle during a real crisis. Sometimes some professional training may be just what we need to cement the skills that we already possess.
There’s Always Something new to Learn
One of the benefits of professional training involves being able merge different skill-sets and apply them to various situations. Despite our best thinking, planning and imagining of different survival situations, we are limited by our perceptions and areas of concentration. Consequently, we may not have a full-view of the big picture. For example, maybe you know how to build a fire or set up camp. However, do you know how to do so under less-than-ideal conditions that are far removed from your normal environment? Sometimes having a little bit of outside help can provide us with some perspective or a better appreciation for things that we didn’t think about on our own.
Write Down Weaknesses
Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses in terms of your overall preparedness efforts. Rank your skills based on your level of proficiency and comfort. You’ll quickly notice that there are a lot of things that you may only have a little bit of knowledge about. You’ll also discover some things that you’re better at than you originally thought. The goal is to have a list of things that you know you can use a little bit of help with. Then, you can start looking for the best way to hone those skills and grow.
Maybe a professional course is just what you need, or perhaps you can do it on your own. In any case, at least you will have a more focused assessment of where you stand now as well as where you want to be in terms of your capabilities.
Remember that there is no such thing is being too-prepared. On the other hand, not being prepared enough can have huge ramifications once the SHTF. Good survival courses don’t need to be expensive, time-consuming or involve being immersed into a wilderness survival situation. There are plenty of short, simple and focused programs out there that you can join in order to target those shortcomings and help you to become better-equipped in the field.
Take some time to think whether or not this is an option for you. Chances are that if we’re honest with ourselves, we can all benefit from a little professional or structured guidance, and making this investment now can pay big dividends later.
