Got a bug out bag? A Doomsday checklist? How long will your food supply last if there’s no electricity? Are you set to protect your electronics from an EMP? Do you have any apocalyptic livestock so you can weather an economic collapse? Do you have what it takes to butcher the bunny when Safeway closes? Is your bunker stocked? What?? No bunker?
Scary Stuff
I’m sure you’ve seen shows about many different types of survivalists, or “preppers,” preparing for the end of civilization. National Geographic airs Doomsday Preppers. This show explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. Unique in their beliefs, motivations, and strategies, preppers will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared to survive any of life’s uncertainties, from health epidemics to natural catastrophes.
Scary stuff. I know. What intrigues me about these shows isn’t the impending doom, or the fervency of the prepper’s beliefs, but the qualities of the preppers themselves. They are amazingly creative and adaptable. They take pride in being self-reliant and independent. It’s their self-reliance we can learn from in our journey to be more effective as leaders and individual contributors.
Self-Sufficiency
The self-reliance I am talking about is not about having extra money in the bank or tightening our energy usage belts or growing a victory garden or building a wind farm. (All that’s good and well-advised.)
The kind of self-sufficiency I’m talking about is being confident in yourself. Being confident in your Self – capital “S” – includes knowing you are sufficient, you are enough, you are not lacking. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t areas you can improve upon. It doesn’t mean walking around feeling superior and invulnerable. It means you are confident in your ability and power to (a) know where you are going (with your career, leadership, relationship, whatever), (b) know when you veer from that course you can and will self-correct and get back on track.
Being clear about where you are headed (the future you imagine for yourself) and how you want to show up while you are headed there is a Self-sufficiency that enables you to grow and develop … yes, to change. When you are ‘sufficient’, you can generate what it takes to change habits that no longer serve you. You can even risk changing career paths, even dropping out entirely, because you know you have what it takes to move in that direction.
This level of confidence isn’t granted by a title or entitlement or external recognition. This is a confidence generated from within – a confidence generated because you said so.
No wo/man is an island.
To be clear, I am not talking about being a loner. I’m not talking about withdrawing from participating in life, hunkering down in a dark corner, bow and arrow at the ready. I’m not talking about going it alone and rebuking support.
On the contrary. Being Self-sufficient requires knowing when to ask for support, when to say “no” when others would want you to say “yes”, and when to say “yes” when your inner critic says “no, don’t risk it.”
A Self-sufficient person …
- lends a hand even when it isn’t asked for directly and does it in a way that doesn’t offend
- feels nervous about delivering stretch results and uses that energy to move forward
- self-manages their commitments even when they could have gotten away with it
- tells the truth and denies the impulse to “look good” and cover up.
To be Self-sufficient, we need to know what we need to be and do our personal best.
Part of that knowledge comes from knowing our values (<– click here to learn more about the online values survey).
In working with very accomplished, successful people for the past 10 years, I’ve been observing the connection between values and performance. What I’ve seen is that when what we value is being fulfilled, we feel satisfied and in sync with ourselves. When we are in sync with our Selves, we handle setbacks better, we lean into challenges rather than shrink away, we listen openly. When our values aren’t been satisfied, we feel out of sorts, even threatened. When we feel threatened, we blame, shirk responsibility and deny our promises.
A Prepper’s List for Self-Leaders
I’ll say it again, if you want to lead others, you have to lead yourself first. Here’s a prepper’s list to do just that and be effective in these chaotic, change-manic times.
- Understand your values.
- Commit to a future that inspires you.
- Be your word.
- Tell the truth.
Where Doomsday preppers build bunkers to keep others out and arm themselves, Self-sufficient preppers build inviting environments that welcome others in and open up their minds and hearts to embrace diversity of perspective and talent … and yes, change.
How you prep, regardless of role or title, depends on the future you envision and your capacity to be Self-sufficient. Begin by knowing you are enough. You are sufficient.
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