The term “embrace the suck” is a term widely used in the military when talking about a job or task that is pointless, tiring or downright lame. As preppers it’s also important that we “embrace the suck” because not everything we watch or read is as easy as it seems.

We all see the pictures of a thriving garden or the perfect solar power setup, but we never see the behind the scenes work that went into the final product. Growing vegetables takes composting, weeding and constant attention. A solar setup takes more than a solar panel and a battery.

These behind the scenes details are the “suck” we need to embrace. These aren’t the flashy fun aspects of prepping, but they could be the difference between having a great final product, or a final product that leaves you disappointed.

SPP193 Why “Embracing the Suck” is Important to Preppers

Below is a list of bullet points we covered in the Survivalist Prepper Podcast this week. We also talked a little bit about Vault 7 and how it might affect us as preppers.

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Embracing the Suck Before an SHTF Event

The mundane tasks like weeding the garden, inventory, rotation and learning skills are important if we want to get things right. Cutting corners might save you time, but could lead to a less than satisfactory outcome.

Look at the big picture of each project and all the steps involved. A good example is our chickens. There is quite a bit more that goes into raising chickens than collecting eggs. You need to care for the chicks as they grow into chickens, they need a safe place to live (predators), they need a clean home, and need to be fed every day.

Anything you do can be a waste of time when you don’t pay attention to detail. These might seem unimportant during the process, but sometimes the small things are just as important as the big things. If you own a firearm, you also need to learn about firearms safety, cleaning and actually shooting it.

All this behind the scenes stuff, or the “suck” is also one reason preppers lose their motivation. We always think about the ripe tomatoes or what a fully stocked bug out bag will be like,  but we don’t think about the process of getting there. The process itself could lead us to just put it off until later, and then later never comes.

There is not always an easy solution when it comes to prepping, but that doesn’t mean we don’t try and find one. The truth is, there are some things you just can’t throw money at, and it will take a little hard work to get it done. You could just go out and buy a solar generator, but building a DIY solar generator will teach you how everything works together.

It’s really easy to talk yourself out of something because our brains are designed to keep us safe and fear the unknown. We always think about the worst thing that could happen. The odds are, nothing will ever be as bad (or hard) as our minds made it out to be.

Getting your family to “embrace the suck” is a challenge, but important as well. This doesn’t mean they need to be completely on board with prepping, it just means it would help them understand why you do it in the first place. Having them help you with the dirty work can also open up the dialog.

It’s also important to remember that it might not be as easy as that video makes it out to be, or the product is not all it’s cracked up to be. The people making the video have the luxury of editing out the mistakes and making it look super easy. There are also some products that are just too good to be true…You will not get a flashlight that lights up the neighborhood for $20.

Embracing the Suck After an SHTF Event

Embracing the suck after something has happened is quite a bit different than the initial planning. In a SHTF event it’s game time, and time for action. The middle of a disaster scenario is no time to be learning about something you should already know. This is the essence of why we prepare now, while things are good.

In a SHTF scenario we want to not just survive, but thrive. Everyone will have to adjust to their “new normal” but this doesn’t mean eating beans and rice everyday. If we can keep everything normal (whatever that may be) everyone will be more at ease, which means less stress for you.

A big part of planning and preparedness is digging deep into what the repercussions of a certain disaster might be.  An economic collapse might be the catalyst, but it doesn’t end there.  An economic collapse would cause food shortages, civil unrest and many other smaller scenarios we need to consider.

Whenever possible, we need to minimize those repercussions. This could be something as simple as having food stored, to something a little more detailed like securing the perimeter of your home. The more of these details we can check off our list, the better our chances will be.

Getting family to embrace the suck during a SHTF scenario is going to be easier than a disaster strikes because now they know you were right. The biggest challenge I see is dealing with the stress and grief of family members and ourselves. Each person will react differently in a disaster, and we need to take a different approach with each of them.

One final note is to remember that Everything is NOT going to go according to plan. More often than not, you will need to have the ability to adjust and pivot. We have the ability to write the script in our heads right now, but in a SHTF scenario we need to be as proactive as we possibly can.