Spirit of Learning

SOAK IT UP!

One of the best things you can do for self sufficiency is to have a spirit of learning. I suppose it's like anything else in life you decide you want to do, there's no one that's going to force you to start a habit or give you a magic pill that will kick start a desire for knowledge. Maybe a way to get to some drive is to cirlce back to why learning would be good for you. Maybe by saying "I don't want to be stuck in a snowstorm" would be enough drive to do some digging on what the right emergency stache is for your vehicle. Maybe apply it on a scenario by scenario basis to kickstart a desire to learn. When something goes wrong, its certainly awesome when you have the knowledge right on the top of your brain to diagnose and fix the issue. Its definitely better than needing to use sources to look it up and infinitely better than needing to call someone to fix it for you in an emergency particularly if they're not available. So how do you get there? One way is to shift to a DIY mentality, and develop a desire learn what you need to about a given subject. In non-emergency times, take time to youtube it, chase down a solution for whatever the issue is. Obviously don't do things that are not legal or have high risk where you don't have experience, but wherever possible, take care of it on your own. 

As you go through time, by fixing one issue, then another, you'll pick up things that apply to other subjects. Fixing a shingle on the roof might prepare you for repairing some siding on the house. Not that these are emergencies, but by doing the things, they might better prepare you for something you need to do when it IS an emergency... You replace the shingles on the garage, might prepare you for when a branch pokes a hole in the roof of your house. no contractors available, maybe repairable on your own. 

I get a sense that many more folks today believe they don't have the skills to do repairs. So often I hear people talk about "I couldn't find a contractor", thats all good, if it's a luxury upgrade, finding a contractor to do the work might be good. But thinking back over time, lots of folkse have taken the initiative to do the work themselves. I find that attractive particularly in preparing yourself for some mild emergencies in life. 

So. Short version, somehow shifting mindset to a bit more DIY and devloping an inate desire to learn how to do some of these things will help in your journey!