How to Develop a Survival Mindset – Group Survival

Global Pandemics. Food insecurity. An always over-reaching Government attempting to take freedoms. World Super-Powers looking at each other like lunch. If you’re paying attention to the world, then you’re already seeing some of these signals. Now is the time for you to develop a survival mindset, and this article is going to relay some of that process to you. After all, the best time to plant a tree is right now.

If you are brand new to prepping, then this is written for you. It is also written for you if you have been in the space for a while, and are looking to develop your skills. Group survival and the survival mindset are going to be the primary focus here. On top of my own thoughts on the topics, I’m also going to drop some free resources that I think are worth your time.

Let’s dig into the Survival Mindset and why if you’re not already thinking about finding your tribe, you’re dead wrong.

What is a Survival Mindset?

Survival Mindset

A survival mindset is an all encompassing way of looking at life. It is a tool that you are born with. Every human-being, from every walk of life, is born with the will to survive embedded into their very DNA. This mindset is what allows us to overcome the primary four mental poisons of fear, confusion, hesitation, and surprise, that can halt anyone from surviving a potentially life threatening situation.

At it’s basest form, this mindset is engrained into our brains to make us avoid fear, pain, and ultimately death. It is a preservation instinct that we are born with. While we are indeed born with it, the survival mindset is a tool, that when sharpened and developed, can make the difference between life and death in most situations.

How Do You Develop and Improve the Survival Mindset?

As mentioned earlier, you’re born with a basic survival mindset. It’s an instinct that you just naturally have. Without it, we never would have made it this far as a society or species. Since you’re here however, I’m going to assume that you want to know how you can further improve this base instinct. The answers are actually simple. Research, training, practical application, real-world experience, and contemplation.

You’re already doing one of those steps right now. You’re researching the survival mindset, and group survival right now. Seeking out resources, and filling your brain with information is a critical first-step into the world of sharpening this base instinct. Training is also something I know many of you have done. You’ve done this by seeking out legitimate instructors. You know the instructors are legitimate too, because they take you out onto the range, and into the wilderness to give you practical application of the skills they trained you on.

Contemplation is last, and you’re probably wondering why I skipped real-world experience. Unfortunately, real-world experience is probably the thing you want the least to improve your base instinct of survival. It’s not every day that a nuclear bomb drops, or your world-view is changed forever because of a life threatening situation. If you’ve had real-world experience in using this base instinct, then you know why I put contemplation on the list. It’s a key part of learning from real-world experience. You relive the experience again in your brain housing group, and think about what you could have, or should have done differently. This is where the most growth will happen.

The Difference Between Real-World Experience and Practical Application.

Reality Contest

Very quickly, I need to touch on this subject. There is a distinct difference between real-world experience, and simple practical application. While it is easy to think of practical application as real-world experience, they are two different things. During practical application, you can can cancel the training at any point-in-time. If someone becomes a heat casualty, you can stop and assess the situation. Outsiders can step in and help you.

In this context, real-world experience means you are in a reality contest with the universe. If someone is injured, you can’t call 911 and get paramedics on scene. If you have no food or water, you simply suffer until you find a solution. You don’t get to pump the brakes with real-world experience. You either live or die at the end of it.

Now that the distinction is made, it is also important to note that contemplation can be an important part of learning from practical application as well. Replaying situations in your mind is an important step in the learning process, and will greatly improve your ability to sharpen the stone of your base survival mindset.

Free Resource: US Kinetic Survival Mindset EBook.

Survival Mindset US Kinetic

If you click the image above, it will take you to a more in-depth EBook written by Mike from US Kinetic. Mike was a former Reconnaissance Marine, and he is the founder of US Kinetic. The primary objective of his company is to marry the preparedness world and the tactical world together. All you need to do to get a copy of his free EBook is put your email address in above, and you’ll be sent the download right away.

On top of that, Mike does a really solid newsletter full of all kinds of information, so if you’re looking to sharpen your survival mindset, the above is a great resource for doing so.

Do You Need a Group for Survival?

Now, let’s discuss something a little less popular in the survival community. I’ve been in the prepping world for a long time, and something I’ve taken note of over the years is that a lot of new preppers have this lone wolf mentality. They think that because they took some classes, have some real-world experience, and own some firearms, they’re ready to take on the world. Personally, I think this is foolish.

Not to hurt anyone’s feelings, but there is true strength in numbers. What happens if you get sick? Who will take care of you? What happens when you need to sleep? Who will watch your back? What happens when you’re missing a vital skill? Are you honestly prepared to handle every single situation that could come up in a real-world survival scenario?

By this, I mean, do you possess the skills to shoot, move, and communicate? Do you also have a vast understanding of mechanical engineering? What about medical science, logistics, agriculture, botany? Chances are, even if you’re a jack-of-all-trades, you aren’t a master of many. Someone with a real survival mindset knows that they cannot be in every place at once, and they cannot master every skillset. This is where the group survival dynamic enters the picture. This is why you need a group.

How to Build Your Tribe.

Readyman Group Survival
Photo Courtesy: Readyman Media

In real-world survival you need a group. You need a tribe of people who will watch your back, and you need a diversely capable group who can accomplish any task. How do you build a tribe like this? Where do you even start trying to find the right kind of people? I don’t have the perfect answer for these questions, but I can at least point you in the right direction here.

First and foremost, you can find groups like U.S. Kinetic, and Readyman. These are groups of knowledgeable people who share information together, and form a tight bond with one another. Second, you can follow the steps provided by my good friend Paul Markel in his book The Patriot Fire Team, which you can read about by clicking that link. While nobody will have all of the answers, you can ticket this information in the research category I mentioned earlier in the article.

Get out there, build your tribe, sharpen your survival mindset, and prepare for the worst. We never know what tomorrow can bring.

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