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Thursday, August 5, 2010

How can I convince you?

Over and over again, preparedness minded people ask the question, “How can I convince family members and loved ones that they need to be prepared for emergencies or something worse?”  These four strategies are ones that I have used with skeptics and those who have never given preparedness a thought.
communication How can I convince you?image by Ed Yourdon
1. Bring up the subject of insurance and talk about preparedness as a form of insurance. It can’t be canceled and the rates never go up.  Ask skeptics what types of insurance they have and how often they’ve had to use it.  If they’re like most people, they spend thousands of dollars on insurance each year and rarely have a major claim.  Why are insurance premiums an acceptable expense but preparedness foolish?
2. When the subject of the economy comes up, tell them about people you know who stocked up on food and supplies, paid off their debt, paid ahead on their utilities and were able to survive through a time of unemployment without losing their homes. We had to do that one month, so you can refer to me if you need to.  What if some of those families had been stocking up on extra food and supplies, had paid off debt, had pre-paid some of their expenses ahead of time, had eliminated extra expenses, all before an income crisis hit?  A loss of income is the Number One Emergency that every individual and family and family should be prepared for.
3. Natural disasters and severe weather cause all sorts of problems, and those who prepare in advance and think through the scenarios, what they will need, the decisions they’ll need to make are much better off than those who do not.  Everyone remembers Hurricane Katrina and those that were left homeless and helpless.  Most of us abhor the idea of being reliant on others, especially government officials.  For many people, preparing for an emergency is their first step toward preparedness.  Once they begin thinking, “What if…”, it’s a short journey to realizing the need to become for events that are even more possible.
not listening How can I convince you?image by iwona_kellie
4. Give up. In fact, if you talk TOO much about the whole idea, all you’re doing is planting more seeds in their minds about coming to your house when a disaster does strike. If you can buy enough of everything to support them, great. If not, there’s no point in going on and on about what you’re doing. Just be ready to say, “Sorry, we barely have enough for ourselves.”
And now for a few don’ts.
DON’T talk in Prepper.  TSHF, TEOTWAWKI, and the like will only make your views stranger to the skeptic and novice.
DON’T get defensive.  Instead, try to find out what is behind their skepticism and, sometimes, outright anger.  They may be far more fearful of the future than you realize and turn their emotions on anyone who voices their fears aloud.
DON’T let differences of opinions and beliefs ruin a relationship.  Your loved one may be watching you more closely than you realize, and any seeds you’ve planted in their minds may eventually sprout.
DON”T feel you must also prepare for everyone in your family circle, especially if you don’t have the means to do so.
DON’T become so obsessed with preparedness that you forget that life is still beautiful.
© 2010, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
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1 comment:

  1. It can become very disturbing trying to get family members to take the issues seriously. I have three adult sons and they could care less. This places an even greater burden on the parents as we are then forced to store much more then we normally would in order to provide for the children if necessary.

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