Be Prepared, or Else

Stoic Quote of the Week

Practice yourself, for heaven's sake, in little things, and thence proceed to greater.

-Epictetus

What I learned this week:

Crisis averted, but it was a good reminder of why I do some things in preparation for an unseen event and what happens when I don't. Ms. Suzanne had a tire blowout on the highway coming back from Denver the other night. Fortunately, it wasn't a bad out of control blowout. It was dark and cold, though, and on a very busy highway. She managed to get off the highway and into a convenience store parking lot while she waited. When she called me to let me know, I went into action mode. In the meantime, she also called my son-in-law, who was only 20 min away, vice an hour for me. I grabbed my coat and gloves and jumped in my truck and was quickly reminded I had broken one of my rules; the truck was on empty. The other day, I returned from the ranch and was "too tired" to stop and fill the tank. My rule is that we never let our vehicles go below half a tank of fuel, especially in the wintertime. Half a tank of fuel can get you a long way if you must leave in a hurry, and I violated that rule, and now, instead of driving straight up the highway to change Ms. Suzanne's blown-out tire, I had to divert to a gas station. None of this was a crisis, but it was a good reminder of the importance of preparation and awareness of the environment and surroundings. This includes the little things that you can do, like a blanket, jacket, gloves, and a hat in your car in the wintertime and even some bottles of water in your car. It doesn't stop there, I have some friends who traveled to Europe for a long weekend trip whose bags were lost, and they had nothing. I travel all the time and catch myself on the rare occasion when I check a bag, not bringing a carry-on with my overnight and next-day essentials. When I hunt, I carry what most would consider too much, but most of that too much are things that will help me survive and return home if things ever go bad. We can get lulled into a false sense of security in life when the bad things don't happen. My bags will always be at my destination, my car won't break down, I won't get hurt in the backcountry, and the list goes on. When we get lulled into this false belief that it will not happen to me, that is when it happens. Always be prepared, be a good Boy Scout and be prepared. When that time happens, you will be thankful that you were prepared. Thanks for the help with changing Ms. Suzanne's tire, Patrick!

Planning thought of the week:

Preparation is part of the planning process. In the Army, we issue a warning order. The purpose of the warning order is to give the soldiers a heads-up about what the upcoming mission will be about. There are few details, and the mission statement can change. But the warning order gives the soldier just enough information to know what equipment they will need and what type of operation they should prepare for. Give your team as much time as possible to prepare before you tell them to execute.

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

Big game management in the city or suburbia is becoming more and more of a problem. Some people love the giant mule deer and whitetails lying in their yards; some even feed them. This proves that animals aren't dumb. Guess what they do, eat, sleep, procreate and have babies right there and stay there. They become semi-domesticated. This attracts all the other animals that go along with the food chain, from mice and raccoons to coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions. The problem isn't going away anytime soon and is a neighborhood hazard. The hazards range from deer being hit by cars to fluffy being eaten by a bobcat. By the way, I'm not talking about semi-rural areas like where I live. I'm talking about suburbia. Because it is suburbia, no one wants to allow hunters in to cull the deer herd. I tend to agree. Having hunted for a long time, I know that unless you use a very high-powered rifle, the animal will run and bleed and die in the most inopportune spot in the neighborhood. What we need is a business that captures and re-locates the deer, which will pull the other animals with them. This is a problem across the USA. You have to come up with a system to capture the animals and then sell that process to the city management and the neighborhood.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

Remember that being an entrepreneur doesn't mean that you have to have a new and innovative idea. You can buy a business or a franchise. Here is a great article about why owning a franchise is a great option for veterans. Top five reasons why Veterans should consider opening a franchise

Someone I met this week:

My ranch neighbor, Ed, is just the person you want to be your neighbor. I had a big project to do last weekend at the ranch that I knew would be hard work and take all day to complete. It involved a lot of heavy lifting and digging, and I was mentally prepared to be the only one doing the work with the occasional requested support to Ms. Suzanne. I didn't consider the fact that I have one of those neighbors at the ranch who doesn't wait for you to call him up and ask for help. He is the kind of guy that comes over and just helps. I've had neighbors in the past that will come over to see what I'm doing and watch me the whole time and barely hand me a wrench. Ed isn't that guy. Before I knew it, Ed had returned home with a bucket load of road base and tools to help with the digging. Then he grabbed a shovel and got down in the dirt with me. His help not only saved me hours, but it also saved a lot of physical effort and reminded me that this is the kind of neighbor you want living next store to you.

Link to current The Cam & Otis Show podcast episode, Ep 226 Reggie Walker - The Game Within the Game. Please note that we updated our show's webpage to https://www.youtube.com/@thecamandotisshow.

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