9 Goals Worthy of New Year's Resolutions

As we move forward into a new year, and leave yet another behind, we hold the expectation that the next will be better. 

Admittedly the last two years were not great ones. Will 2022 be any different? It’s hard to say.

A lot of troublesome indicators remain, hinting that next year could be tough as well. 

Traditionally the arrival of the new year has also been the time to resolve to improve ourselves and our lives throughout the year. 

So, why not combine new resolutions for the new year with emergency preparations?

If the indicators are correct, and this next year does turn out to be a challenge, then take action, and resolve to be better at gathering supplies and preparing.

I’m not going to try to provide tips on setting goals. There’s all sorts of goal setting methods you can learn about online. You know you best. Find some way of creating goals or resolutions that work for you, a method you will follow to achievement.

However, I will offer nine suggestions that might help you consider what preparations you want to achieve this coming new year.

The 9 Worthies

1. Learn a new skill or improve one: If you don’t have the skills ( and I also include knowledge ) you will not survive long. The great thing about gaining new skills, or improving existing ones, is that anybody can learn them. With practice, and more practice, your skills will improve, it’s a natural result. Assess your abilities, pick one new skill you’ve always wanted to learn…and go for it. Once you feel confident you have that skill, move on to another.

2. Experiment and learn new cooking methods: This one lines up with the above suggestion — in the sense that cooking is a skill. But in case life turns upside down, you have to be familiar with alternative means and methods of cooking food without power, or your stove top. You may have stocked up on food, yet you need to have a way to prepare it all.

3. Learn to preserve your own food: Home food is the best food. If you already have a garden that yields a large amount, or you raise animals for food, then you’re probably preserving your own food already. In contrast, perhaps you don’t have the means or space to grow and raise your own food. There are ways to still preserve food on your own. For example, you can learn how to make pemmican, a survival food from the past. History is a wonderful resource for learning about survival foods. There are a lot of videos online that will teach you how to make those foods. Again, this just goes back to learning skills.

4. Take time to camp: Those skills we’ve been talking about learning, well, going out for a few camping trips is the place to practice those skills. Camping teaches you how to adapt to a different environment, and may show you what areas of knowledge or skills you’re lacking in. Plus, it’s fun to get away from it all for a short period.

5. Get in shape: Preparation is not solely about gathering supplies and knowledge. Physical fitness plays a major factor in a person’s chance for surviving disastrous situations. The more fit you are, the better your survival chances are. Truth is, most of us could do better in this. It’s not easy given the demands of work and family, but the necessity of fitness remains. 

6. Get some combat training: It’s an unfortunate fact that the worst of human nature tends to rise when disasters occur, whether natural or social. There are a lot of combat or defensive training schools now, most run by military veterans, where you can gain competence with firearms, and learn how to defend yourself and family. These days you just never know when you’ll have to defend your loved ones or yourself.

7. Update emergency kits: You may have enough emergency kits for everyone; however, it’s just as important to keep those kits up to date. The middle of an emergency is no time to learn you’re short of supplies or that they’ve expired. Make a goal to check your kits and rotate items if you need to.

8. Rotate food and water supplies: Just like emergency kits, rotate your water and food supplies, especially if you have items like pastas or canned food. Using a shelving or storage system where you rotate your supplies to avoid excessively old food.

9. Get to know your neighbors: Not saying you have to be best friends, but a little networking with your neighbors can provide some insight into how prepared they are, and whether you can work together or not during an emergency.

With a new year we all hope that it will be better than other years gone by. And whatever may come in 2022, and whatever resolutions you make, include a few preparation goals, whatever those may be.

Take time to look back and reflect on what was good about the year, and what wasn’t so great. With a new year is the chance and motivation to make it better than the last. Certain elements will always remain beyond our control. Fortunately we can also prepare to better deal with those events that are beyond our scope of control.

So, with the approaching new year, continue to learn skills, gather supplies, and remember Emergency Zone is here to help you with your preparations. 

See you in the New Year.