Tag Archives: lifestyle planning

Episode-752- Courtney Clay on Unschooling

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Modern Survival| 45 Comments
Episode-752- Courtney Clay on Unschooling [ 1:01:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Courtney and Her Son Cedar

Courtney Clay was “unschooled” for her entire childhood, and received great benefit from this method of self-directed learning.  Now 29 years old she is raising a  2-year-old son of her own.

She is also enthusiastic about sustainability, nature-based community, self-sufficiency, enjoying wild food and all of nature’s healthy, free gifts, and growing and preparing my own nourishing food.

When asked about herself Courtney puts it this way,

“I am a mother, adventurer, and lover of life. I am passionate about my family, community, infinite sustainability, optimal nourishment, and finding truth, empowerment and joy in all my life experiences”.

She also runs an awesome blog called Ecstatic Mothering that can be found at http://chocotrixie.blogspot.com where she discusses alternatives for bring u children in a cookie cutter world where despite what we are told, one size certainly does not fit all.

Join Us Today As We Discuss…

  • Do we need to force children to learn or will they just do it if we let them?
  • How do unschoolers learn fundamentals with out traditional structure?
  • Do unschoolers ever go to college?
  • How do unschoolers/homeschoolers develop a social life?
  • Is school really a way to learn about socializing in the “real world”?
  • Do children institutionalize parents in old age because that is what they were taught?
  • What is the difference in an education and graduation?
  • Are we kidding ourselves with the “everyone needs college” mantra?
  • Have we lost the “community teaching” of our ancestors?
  • What can we learn about learning from “primitive” peoples?

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-751- Common Sense vs. Consumerism

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Modern Survival| 23 Comments
Episode-751- Common Sense vs. Consumerism [ 58:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today I wanted to take a moment to take a look at the concept of consumerism and how it directly conflicts with the preparedness lifestyle.  Now don’t get me wrong I am a capitalist libertarian, I believe in the free market but I also believe in making informed consumer decisions.

Consumerism is the opposite of that, consumerism is a heard mentality where providers and producers spend time competing for existing market share and replacing products that are still functional.  An informed consumer market requires producers and providers to innovate and create better longer lasting products and services.

Join me today as I discuss…

  • Early Retirement Extreme – a book that got me thinking this way
    • Are we in a “climax stage” as in Permaculture
    • Are companies innovating or competing in existing markets
    • Working Man v. Salary Man v. Business Man v. Renaissance Man
  • How our grandparents evaluated a purchase of a product
    • Do I need it
    • Does anything I have fill the role now
    • How long will it last
    • What will it do for me and my family
    • How long must I work to pay for it
    • If I don’t buy it what difference will it really make
  • How companies market products today
    • Can we create a fad/cult following around it
    • What existing market share can we capture with it
    • Can we build a market to sell subsequent products to
    • Is it a consumable or designed to fail
    • How cheaply can we manufacture it
    • Can we outsource most of the work
    • Will it last long enough to avoid returns
    • Can we sell it for less than the competition
    • Or can we justify a premium at little to no internal cost
  • How do we avoid the consumerist trap and still have fun and cool stuff
    • Avoiding debt solves most of the problems
    • Have a 48 hour waiting period on major purchases
    • Ask the questions our grandparents did

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-747- One Nation Filled With Ants

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Modern Survival| 44 Comments
Episode-747- One Nation Filled With Ants [ 1:05:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Can America Become One Full of Ants Once Again?

Can America Become One Full of Ants Once Again?

We had a blast at the Denver Self Reliance Expo and can’t wait to meet more of you guys at the Salt Lake City Expo coming up on the 7th and 8th of October.   During the show we released our new T-Shirts, the back of which have a flag where all the stars are replaced with ants, under the flag is the slogan, “One Nation Filled with Ants”.  You can see an example of this here.

We also had this message on our banner at the booth.  I would say the reactions people had to it could be broken down into three groups.

  1. About 50% of the people got it, instantly.
  2. About 25% got it when asked, “Remember the story of “The Grasshopper and the Ant”.
  3. About 25% had never even heard of the Grasshopper and the Ant”

The last group really shocked me, I simply could not imagine that 25% of people in general let alone 25% at a prepper expo would not be familiar with the old fable.  Overall this is what inspired today’s show.

Join me Today as we Discuss…

  • A reminder of the old fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper
  • How we became one nation full of grasshoppers
  • Are we turning a corner if so in which direction
  • Can a divided nation be full of ants
  • Is belief in America belief in government or the fed
  • If we come out better than we are now, is it worth the pain
  • What is “winter in July” and how long can it last
  • What can we personally due to be prepared to rebuild
  • Opting out vs. opting out of the expectation of others
  • How we really can become “One Nation, Filled With Ants”, yet again

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

 

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Episode-744- Building a Business to Create Economic Freedom

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Modern Survival| 37 Comments
Episode-744- Building a Business to Create Economic Freedom [ 1:17:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For the last three years all talk in regard to employment and business has been pretty bad.  Yet in the depths of this recession many businesses are thriving.  These include mega corps, small businesses and what I consider “micro businesses”.

To me a “micro business” is a one or two man show.  Such businesses can often end up being nothing more than a hobby unless they are built by the owner with the same passion Henry Ford put into the Model T.  Yet for those who really commit, those who really build with unyielding passion there has never been a time better than now to create economic freedom.

In our community many people want more freedom, perhaps a little homestead and most of all the ability to focus on what really matters, their families and communities.  This is also the real world though and we have to “keep a roof over head and food on the table”.  Join me today as I discuss how building a business can create the freedom to really live the way you choose and above all grant you geographic freedom.

Join Me Today As I Discuss…

  • Why the time is now better than any other
  • Why no matter your business the web is key
  • Social media is simply becoming communications
  • The death of the “gate keepers”
  • The commitment required
  • Why “doing what you love” works
  • Why “doing what you know” also works
  • Why the system is more important than the subject
  • Why poverty is NOT a virtue
  • Three things you need to know about your audience
    • Who are they
    • What do they want
    • How do they want it
  • What your audience most wants today
    • Affinity
    • Authenticity
    • Action Items
  • All products can be classified as one of two types
    • Needed
    • Wanted (focus on these)
  • The golden trifecta of product marketing
    • Entertaining
    • Life Changing
    • Profit Yielding

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

 

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Episode-739- Changing The Way We Help Children Learn

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Modern Survival| 78 Comments
Episode-739- Changing The Way We Help Children Learn [ 1:16:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I was originally going to call this “changing the way we teach our children”, but when I went to type that, I realized it missed the entire point.   To me this is one of the biggest problems of the modern education system we teach instead of encouraging learning.

When you teach you “push” information when you encourage a person to learn you are “pulled” by them to learn more.  Have you ever wondered about this fact…

No person asks questions that start with why, what and how more than a child.

Now given that is the case why do kids always end up bored in school, how do they get from wanting to know the why of everything to bored apathetic teens in just a few years of school?  Can we really blame them when the results of our system are so uniform?

Today’s episode was inspired by a comment in response to the segment I did yesterday on “unschooling”.  Unschooling is where children are largely self directed in their learning and study what they are most interested in.  Most of the feedback was great but one commenter left the following comment…

“Dear Jack,

Your remarks on ”One step beyond homeschooling – unschooling” are completely wrong and disturbing, not that expected you to be perfect.

Let the ”children discover what they like” is nothing more than parents skipping their parenting responsibility to educate their children and a petty excuse.

Parents have the responsibility to orientate their children because they do have life experience, in contrast the Children have almost no experience and lots of romanticism … how does the child discover what he wants? By analyzing his own ignorance ?

Another problem is that it opens the door for children to escape reality by studying ”cool”, but ultimately irrelevant subjects, in order to escape their petty lives. This going to create a lot of little Nicolo Machiavelli, who become philosophers because their lives sucked.

In short : Unschooling is a petty excuse for parents to escape their responsibility, children do not have not enough life experience or stability to make important life decisions and this will certainly result in children escaping reality in BS studies, just like the example of your article studying ”exo-geology”.”

I find this view very myopic and very limiting, today’s show explains why and expands on the concept of putting people (kids are PEOPLE) in charge of their own learning.

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-732- Leadership and Its Role for American Survival

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Modern Survival| 37 Comments
Episode-732- Leadership and Its Role for American Survival [ 1:02:33 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No not the leadership of our vaulted elected officials, our military commanders or even your boss at work.  No today I am talking about personal, family and general community level leadership.

Lee Iaccoca wrote a book called “Where Have All The Leaders Gone”, there are some shocking revelations about Cuba and Castro’s multiple attempts to work with the US in it but other than that it is basically a political piece on why we need a new leader in the White House, a real leader who knows what it means to lead.

My thought when I hear this question though, “where have all the leaders gone” turns to the average American male and to a slightly lesser degree the average American female.  Where is leadership in the home, where is leadership in our neighborhoods, where is it at the ground level?

At one time the American man was the epitome of leadership, standing at the front of his family, willing to make any sacrifice and more importantly willing to make any tough decision, this has been largely replaced with an attitude of “whatever”.  So what happened, how do we fix it and what is the payoff if we do.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • It all started when equal rights were mixed up with equal ability
  • Men must again be men and woman must realize they are not men
  • Survival of our nation, culture and family unit is at stake here
  • Every problem we have caused or aggravated by a leadership deficit
  • Leading is not ruling, it is not dictating it is based on action
  • All authority is granted, leaders must earn their authority
  • All good leaders also must know how to be led
  • A good leader can’t do everything and he/she knows it
  • The tale of two communities of shepherds
  • Great leaders must be determined, strong and compassionate

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-716- Where are you Going to Build that Better Life

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Modern Survival| 8 Comments
Episode-716- Where are you Going to Build that Better Life [ 1:27:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Of course my stance is well known on the best place to live and or ride out a major SHTF but I also say all the time,

“Your personal philosophy is more important for you than mine! You are the master of your own life and if you don’t agree with my views, great, define, understand and implement your own.

The biggest thing you can do is understand that you are in control of your life and that what you do matters. Those two factors have the greatest impact on individual survival across every demographic you can imagine.”

So with that in mind I thought I might do a show about the positive and negative aspects about living and dealing with various levels of disaster in five major types of areas.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • Urban – The Good
    • Resources rich
    • First to receive aid
    • Density of social groups
    • Easy transportation options
    • Help is generally close by
    • Abundance of materials
  • Urban – The Bad
    • Magnets for those in need in a disaster
    • Population density risks
    • Expensive cost of living – in “safe” areas
    • Government regulation density
    • Food scarcity
    • Crime rates even in “good tines”
    • Space is at a premium
    • Many city governments are nearly bankrupt
  • Suburban – The Good
    • Generally solid neighborhood structure
    • Land is sufficient for home growing
    • Can be affordable
    • Reasonable access to career opportunities
    • Generally low crime rates (subject to many things)
    • Access to the good parts of urban with less of the bad
    • Fast responder times
  • Suburban- The Bad
    • High taxes
    • Regulation density
    • HOAs
    • Nosy/Meddling neighbors
    • Population density
    • Many are also nearly bankrupt
  • Small Town – The Good
    • Almost all of the good of suburban with less of the bad
    • Generally less regulation dense but that is changing
    • Lower crime rates
    • Generally more self sufficient people
    • More affordable property
    • Lower taxes – (sometimes)
    • Often still have reasonable access to cities (1-3 hours)
    • Reasonable response times for first responders
    • Reasonable employment opportunities
    • Access to remote and rural areas
    • Strong cultures of community
  • Small Town – The Bad
    • Still have a potential for mob attitude in a SHTF
    • Less career opportunity especially for the “employee”
    • Less resources available
    • Many still have significant regulation density
    • False senses of security, preparedness and sustainability
    • Many are also nearly bankrupt
  • True Rural – The Good
    • Affordable living
    • Strong community
    • Low regulation density
    • Low taxes and land costs
    • Greater native preparedness
    • Greater access to “wild areas”
    • Access to larger towns – small cities
    • Law enforcement officers are “laid back”
    • Low population densities
    • Highly self reliant
  • True Rural – The Bad
    • Generally at the bottom of priority of response
    • Poor career opportunities (generally)
    • May take time to be accepted in the community
    • More likely to loose services or just not have them
    • Cost of commuting for resources
    • Man made resource poor (comparatively speaking)
    • Less “social group” diversity
  • Remote – The Good
    • Extensive freedom
    • Low population density
    • Large amounts of cheap and usable land
    • Extremely high self reliance quotient
    • The community that does exist is strong
    • Generally surrounded by “wild areas”
    • Natural resources are often highly available
  • Remote – The Bad
    • Career opportunities may be non existent
    • Absolutely the last to receive aid, sometimes never
    • Can be flat out lonely
    • Distance to supplies can be extreme
    • You are easier to victimize if the opportunity occurs
    • Difficult to raise children
    • High construction costs

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-706- Getting The Life You Want So You Can Live It

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Modern Survival| 34 Comments
Episode-706- Getting The Life You Want So You Can Live It [ 1:14:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

From the very beginning I have made The Survival Podcast a positive presentably of survival and preparedness planning with the slogan…

“Helping you live the life you want, if times get tough, or even if they don’t”

It breaks all the rules of marketing for a tag line, it is too long, it is clunky and most who try to repeat it don’t get it right.  Coke’s marketing department with there slick, “It’s the Real Thing” would laugh at me as would the guys at Hertz that sum it up with “We’re #1″ and the Saatchi Brothers who sum up an entire brand with one “love word” would scoff to no end.

Yet it works, it embodies the show spirit and the community spirit.  Why?

  1. I broke the rules, I had to the entire show is about breaking the fake rules we are told we have to follow in life.
  2. It’s true, it is real, it is genuine and it makes sense to people.  Hording a ton of crap is pointless but building a life that is both reward and prepared makes sense.

So once in a while like today, I have to spend some time talking about how you get “the life you want” in the first place.  The life style we teach here will lead you there, properly followed there is no where else you can end up, but how about changing the slogan just for today to….

“Helping you live the life you want NOW, if times get tough, or even if they don’t”

So that is what we are going to do today, focus on the proper mind set so what ever it is you want that life to be you can get there, perhaps not NOW as in this second but some time soon, not down the road in the realm of commercials by Investment Advisers, when you are old and gray or perhaps dead.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • First you have to know what you want
  • You must accept that it is possible for you personally
  • You must unite dreams with reality
  • You must take responsibility for your own education
  • You must embrace failure
  • You must understand the power of adapt, improvise and overcome
  • You must take action
  • You must track your progress
  • You must be prepared to be surrounded by people who are wrong
  • Your vision must be yours if you are a couple it must be yours collectively
  • Understand you are guaranteed success but not specific success

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-690- Not the End but a Massive Shift of the World as we Know It

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Modern Survival| 30 Comments
Episode-690- Not the End but a Massive Shift of the World as we Know It [ 1:06:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

One of the favorite topics on prepper forums and in doomer literature is TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it).  I think what many fail to focus on with this is the (as we know it) portion.  The fact is the world as people of their time knew it has ended many times, it will continue to end.

At one time a Roman citizen was the most advantaged in the world, so also there was a time when it was a great to be a Greek, an Aztec or a member of the Hopi Tribe.  None of these civilizations really “ended” they shifted and adapted, the decedents are here with us.  In the case of the Greeks they are now on the verge of bankruptcy but we still have Greece.  The Aztecs may be gone but their descendants are part of the blood of Mexican and Latin American citizens today as are many of their customs.

Shifts are strange, at times they benefit us, sometimes they harm us and sometimes they can all but destroy us.  Some our subtle and some are massive and even tiny shifts can cause massive change over time.  The only constant in shifts it they ALWAYS occur, they never stop and we will always have to deal with them.

Today’s show covers a few such shifts but mainly focuses on being prepared for them, no matter what form they may take.

Join me today to discuss…

  • A special farewell to my friend and brother Ron Hood
  • Why shifts must occur
  • Some current economic shifts
  • Some current cultural shifts
  • Some current climate shifts
  • Lessons from history
  • The truth about our economic future
  • How shifts don’t have to be bad but are for most people
  • Preparedness is really about needs first, wants second and luxury third

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-680- 14 Steps to the Personal Libertarian Lifestyle

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Modern Survival| 93 Comments
Episode-680- 14 Steps to the Personal Libertarian Lifestyle [ 1:13:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Every day it seems I get information from people about more encroachment by government on individual rights, wide spread government and private sector surveillance etc.  As I look around sometimes it feels that liberty is dying and on some levels the average person couldn’t care less.   It is a depressing thought and one I don’t allow to take root because I view it as an emotional cancer.

Liberty isn’t a life form it is a way of life!

Liberty cannot die, it can only be forgotten, ignored, scorned or attacked but an idea can never die as long as one person has the courage or even the potential to remember it.  So my belief is while our population is not currently interested in liberty as a whole, there is hope and there are many of us who are.  It is up to us to live in liberty in spite of the system around us.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • The real beauty of libertarianism
  • The current threats to liberty
    • Debt/Taxes
    • Surveillance/Intrusion
    • Apathy
    • Libertarians living in defeat
  • The Personal Libertarian Lifestyle
    • Believe and do as you please (with in the law)
    • Spread your belief example, never with force
    • Create independence from the systems
    • Solve your own problems when ever you can
    • Vote for what you believe in, not who you think can win
    • Know why you believe what you believe
    • Accept challenges to what you believe but require facts
    • Never submit to government authority voluntarily (legally resist)
    • Create your own systems, your own networks, etc.
    • Value education and be a self directed learner at all times
    • Let no man speak for you or put words in your mouth
    • Accept that others many ignore, demean or attack you
    • Argue ideas, do not ague the validity of the individual
    • Remember no matter what anyone says, what you do matters

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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