We've got a mess, you know it and I know it.  Lots of folks are talking about hunkering down and getting prepared to survive.  I want to talk with you about survival for a few minutes.  Surviving isn't fun, it's hard work.  It means you are always working to stay alive, to provide the basics for yourself and your family.  It requires being on guard, always worried that something will be taken from you, that you are never safe.  Surviving isn't fun.

This past week my daughter and I have been without electricity in our home because I didn't have the money to pay the bill and the power company would't work with me.  In order to cook we've had to do it over a fire which is great unless it rains which it has done a few times this past week.  You don't realize how much your life is made easy by being able to simply throw a switch and have refrigeration and the ability to cook and see at night.  We've used candles for light and a cooler to keep things from spoiling.  This is survival.  It isn't fun.  It's hard work.

I finally made arrangements with the man who owns the property next door to run 400 ft of power cord so I could get my freezer and refrigerator back on.  This is so helpful as I was concerned that all the veggies I'd spent the summer putting in the freezer would spoil.  I can unplug the appliances to charge my laptop and get my internet back on to communicate through the web.  As I say, survival isn't fun, it's hard work.  It takes constant vigilance to keep life running in a smooth way where you can get food, a bath and see at night.

My car also went down so there was no way to walk the 30 miles to town to get work to pay these overdue bills.  Living in the country is great when you have transportation.  Without a car you are pretty much stuck in your ability to move out of your home and work for money to exchange for things you need.  Imagine living in a large city where you can't move about, can't see and have no place to grow your own food.

Why am I writing this?  Simple.  We have spent so much time and attention on getting ready to survive the coming hard times that we've forgotten how hard survival is and we've made no plans to thrive  Working together we fair better than going it alone.  Thankfully my neighbor allows me to run the power cord so I can function more normally.  Thankfully I have a garden and food laid back and a firepit and grill.  

While I have made provisions to assure that my daughter and I survive, I am also taking steps to assure our "thrival" in the days and years ahead.  I continue to host my radio shows and writing books.  I update my websites and promote my books and other products.  I'm reaching out to others and growing my support network so that no matter what comes in the days ahead I have help.  

Survival isn't fun, it's hard work.  Yesterday I bartered 6 hours of my time leaning over helping to plant 8,000 collard plants so I could continue to have a power cord bringing enough electricity to my home so I can live sorta normal until I sale enough to get my power back on.  I went to bed early last night too tired to do much other than sleep.  At almost 56 I promise you this is not what I had in mind to be doing right now. 

I share this with you to encourage you to not only get ready to survive, but to make plans to thrive.  Get your support group ready to help you and others.  With over 50 million Americans out of work and on food stamps, there are plenty of people already just trying to survive.  When the poopy hits the fan and more are hungry we need to have a network for our own protection and aid as well as ways to stay safe in our homes and communities. 

Get ready.. not just to survive but prepare to thrive.  We can make it through these hard times by working together to make life better for all of us.  We do have the power to do something different, let's use it to create something positive rather than just being angry and afraid.  Together we win.

Get your signed copy of my new book How To Thrive In A Survival Mindset World today!