Motivational Monday #60 - Defining Emergencies

What does an emergency look like to you?

Prepared Binder - Home Edition

I think it is a valid question, because everyone has a different opinion.  For one person the lack of morning coffee can be considered an emergency, but for others it would take a power outage in the middle of a snow storm.  (I'm looking at you North East America...)  Others would consider sudden medical issues to be an emergency, while others would think of fire or theft.

Each of us has a worst case scenario.  We have that one thing we hope will never happen because we don't know what we would do.  If you are like most of us, you don't want to think about that worst case scenario very often because it scares you.

So take a minute and think about it anyway.  I know it isn't going to be fun, but try.  Think of the things you can't control, and then look at what you can.  Think of what you can do to make it more manageable.  Think of what you can do to prepare.

Now go act. Start doing the things you can now so that later you will have one less worry.

When my grandfather died we were glad to know he had everything ready to go.  Money was organized, bills were paid, a trust was written, an executor was established and the process was fairly seamless.  He knew that he wouldn't be able to control his own death, but he was able to control how his family would deal with the aftermath.

I know we are coming up on the holiday season, and for many of us that means we start thinking more of family.  We reminisce about the memories of holidays past.  We think of happy time and also those which were sad.  It may seem like an odd time to think about emergency preparedness, but really, it is the perfect time.  While thinking of those we care about it is easy to think about why we should prepare.  We prepare because we love them and want to make sure they are taken care of.

So identify your emergencies, think about who you are planning for, and get to it!