A while back, I was developing a class. I asked my then 8-year-old what makes someone a good person, and without missing a beat, the response I got was “Compassion.” That’s absolutely right, and it applies to prepping too, so I tried to think about a specific way to show compassion in a prepping context.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Think for a second about someone you know who takes credit for other people’s hard work. Now think about how much you enjoy interacting with this person. I’m guessing it’s not a lot.

In fact, you should strive to be the opposite of a credit-stealer. When I first thought about a way to capture this idea, I came up with “Deflect credit and absorb blame.” But since then I’ve softened it a bit, in a couple of ways. First, don’t just deflect credit – accept your part of the credit when things go right, just always be sure to shine the light on others who helped you.

And when things go wrong, don’t focus on blame – but do accept your portion of the responsibility, and don’t point the finger at others.

So what I landed on was “Share credit and absorb responsibility,” and I try to live by that.

Also – it bears saying again – watch out for people who do the opposite (take all the credit and none of the responsibility). They’re toxic. Luckily, I haven’t run into more than a handful of people like that, but it always raises a red flag for me.

So how does this relate to prepping? I’m glad you asked! In addition to all of the obvious survival skills you’ll need if things go haywire, relating to the people around you is a critical skill. And just like other skills, it requires practice.

That’s why I’m trying to include small tips in the blog here and there. When you’re out there in the world, going about your daily life, these are things you can practice. Next time someone gives you credit when you weren’t working alone, you have a choice: you can take sole credit, or you can do what I’m suggesting here and make sure they know about others’ contributions. And the next time you feel the urge to point the finger at someone else, consider taking a moment to reflect on your contribution to the situation.

Note: Obviously use good judgment here, as in all things. If someone is consistently messing up and it’s a pattern, I’m not saying cover for them. Similarly, if you really did do most of the work on something, make sure whoever’s in charge understands your contributions. But this is a general rule of thumb that I try to live by.

A related principle that maybe has a home here: Show appreciation. This can be big or small. Along your prepping journey, there will be people who help you out – by offering advice, by helping you get a platform, by teaching you a valuable skill. I guarantee you there are people out there right now who have had a positive influence on your life, career, or prepping journey who have absolutely no idea. Make a promise to yourself that after reading this post, you’ll send a text or an email or maybe a passenger pigeon to someone who’s helped you, to show your appreciation. Get comfortable saying thank you, and be specific when you do.

Hopefully this is the kind of compassion that my kiddo had in mind.