Having lived off the grid for the last 7 years, you see ‘em come, and you see ‘em go. The dozens of people we’ve seen succeed in this lifestyle and the dozens of people we’ve seen fail has given us a keen eye to the attributes necessary to be a survivalist. Like we’ve told many people before, no matter how prepared you think you are, you’re gonna go through some changes! So after many years of observation, below are listed the 6 essential traits every survivalist should possess to be successful.
1. Tenacity (“stick-to-it-ness”). This more than anything else has beaten many a would-be survivalist. We knew a young couple from Texas who bought a 5-acre parcel in a very rural, mountain subdivision. They purchased a camper and a 40? shipping container and filled them with supplies. Before they ever made the move, the husband freaked out when he discovered that there were ants on the property! (Aren’t ants everywhere?) These weren’t fire ants, just plain old picnic ants, and it was a real problem for him, resulting in their abandoning the property for the comfort of their old apartment. The ants were just his way out of a situation he never was committed to in the first place.
As Sun Tzu said, “No one can ever be defeated who has made a strong resolve to win.”
2. Resourcefulness – In today’s modern world, being resourceful usually means knowing what aisle at Home Depot has that pair of pliers. What we’re talking about here is true resourcefulness. Resourcefulness like building a house out of local rocks and local adobe, taking apart another house to use the lumber for your roof. Resourcefulness like butchering a chicken, foraging for Navajo figs, yucca fruit and pinion nuts, and then creating a glorious dinner with them. Resourcefulness like seeing the potential in a junker truck or a broken washing machine to be used in a new way. There is a house outside of Taos that was built entirely out of adobe and the windows from an abandoned truck, total cost for the house, $200 for 20 bags of lime.
Resourcefulness is thinking outside the box.
3. Thick Skin – There will be countless people all around you who are more than willing to tell you you’re crazy. You need to understand that you’re the one who is seeing the world unveiled. Most people are very reluctant to admit that they are a product of television programming. Edward Bernaise coined the term, “programming,” because that’s exactly what he intended. TV was developed to program society to take certain actions, feel certain emotions, want certain items and live a certain way – and to fear those who do not.
Many people will try to validate their life choices by convincing you that you made the wrong choice, not them. Also, those who will try to take advantage of you are all too common. Many people who are conscious enough to be looking for a better way to live tend to be overly charitable. Be on the look out for those who are on the look out for you. Being kind is one thing, being a fool is another.
If you’ve been given the gift of a vision of a better life, don’t let someone take that away.
