Highlighting Safety Month, we wanted to focus on three things we love. Preparedness, Data and Stories. Author Ben Sherwood delivers on all in The Survivors Club!
Ben Sherwood studied data from survivors of all kinds of events to find the commonality. Who survived and why? The range of things life throws at each of us includes everything from losing a job in a recession, being diagnosed with cancer, surviving a plane wreck or a even a burning building. The science of studying the people who survived catastrophic events revealed amazing similarities.
The Survivors Club book leads us through the answers to two questions, ‘(1) What does it really take to survive? and (2) What kind of survivor are you?â€
- Part 1 tells the extraordinary stories of survivors and their traits that gave them the advantage to overcome improbable odds. Their data helps unlock the mystery of survival and teaches you about the 5 personality types and twelve tools of survival. These stories were amazing in detail and inspiring in their hope and faith.
- Part 2 builds on the same traits, but focuses on you, the reader, and helps you determine your Survival IQ. Ben Sherwood, includes an internet based test to determine your survivor personality type. Don’t worry… you can’t fail the test, but it helps you realize your strengths in an everyday situation or a major catastrophe. Ahem… some people have been known to skip to the test first. Just sayin’. Oh yeah, if you don’t win, there is a shorter version online.
We took the test and found… well, once you take the Survival Profile, you also get to read about other survivors of your same type and match your traits with theirs! Do you know which survivor you are most like?
And, a big hint before reading the book or taking the profile test. Everyone is a Survivor… everyone has inherent tools available to help them. The first step is identifying your tools and then learning to use them as your talents, your strengths. After reading stories of people who survived lion mauling, extraordinary combat situations and overcoming cancer, you will believe anything is possible. You will also learn how simple things can make the biggest difference in your safety and the best advice of all, ‘Do not waste a breath.â€
We hope you never need it, but we enjoyed reading how instincts, perspective and preparation can all make a difference in life threatening moments.
In honor of this month’s Safety Month, we’re giving away a copy of this book AND an emergency supply kit to keep in your trunk to help you take your emergency preparation to the max!
Join our Schipul Facebook fanpage and leave a comment here on this post about your favorite preparedness tip. What are you doing to keep your family, friends and business ready for anything? Do you have any survival stories you’d like to share?
Leave your comments here and we’ll be selecting a random commenter (after double checking they’re a member of our Facebook fanpage of course’ it’s also Schipul Fan Mania month!!) on Friday, June 26th at 2pm CST.
I don’t have a specific survival tip, but we do talk with our kids frequently about how to deal with emergency situations. Well, maybe I have one tip: Don’t panic!
We do try to keep some extra food in the pantry (mmmm…Spam) and have some water stored (which you have to rotate out from time to time), the usual kind of stuff.
While every emergency I’ve encountered doesn’t play out precisely as I imagined it would, be mentally prepared has helped me as much as having the proper supplies. It’s like a reflex.
OK, I read an excerpt from this in Esquire (I think) and was totally horrified by some of the stories. One woman fell on a knitting needle which punctured her sternum – and she was making jokes with the EMT on the way to the hospital. Moral of the story? I am not a member of the survivors club. And, I totally need to read the rest of the book.
Seems like good survival strategies but it didn't even touch on the most pressing survival situation we are going to have to face in our life time, the impending zombie apocalypse. Don't get my wrong I think this book will be essential to keeping the survival state of mind, once the virus is loose and people and society breaks down, but knowing how to start a fire in wet conditions, which weapons you should choose, and which locations are considered the safest, will be the most necessary we will all need once the undead begin to rise. Might I suggest The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks as a book to add to the book club. It is one of the few things worth having on your person at all times and worth reading on a continuous basis so your tactics are sharp. I try to keep a copy with me in every room in the house and some times with out noticing leaving extra copies in hotel rooms right next to the bibles. It is not only great for zombie defense but the tactics in that book will leave you miles ahead of the competition in any post apocalyptic situation you might come across. Other good tools are the movie 28 Days Later and the Video Game Left 4 Dead. Just thought I would give my two cents, and if nothing else remember the only way to completely kill a zombie is to completely destroy the brain.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/zombi…
Thanks to my lovely boyfriend Jason for that. You are ridiculous, but I love you.
I just wanted to say that at Schipul we stress having family emergency plans and just making one – pulling together all those phone numbers, adresses, pet microchip numbers, and other details has served as a great resource. Especially since I have only been in houston a few months, and I honestly didn’t know where the nearest police station or fire department was until I put my plan together!
Erin – the stories are easily prefaced and you can kind of see the ones you want to skip… but if you can get over the "ewww" factor, they all teach something. You will enjoy the book! Admission: I think I read the story of the Knitting needle with one hand on my chest.
Marie – Great to start teaching your kids at an early age. Thinking is much like muscle memory, practice and it will be a bit more familiar.
Jason – okay.. fine. now we have to start a movie of the month club and video of the month club? This is going to get time consuming, but I guess it is better to start with something easy like 28 Days Later before dealing with the overwhelming wasteland apocalyptic movie like the upcoming "The Road."
But, there's good news! We don't really have to worry about zombies in Texas! http://cannedlaffs.com/why-zombies-dont-attack-te… As for the rest of the country, they may want to pick up on your suggestions!
Ooops, guess I was supposed to comment here. I'll copy over my post left on facebook (please, all, DO watch the "literal video" take on Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart @ link below: even if you're not old enough to remember the original song/video, this is still a hoot: just the line "what the effing crap, that angel guy just felt me up!" is worth the price of admission!):
Christine Sahinen Portillo at 12:02pm June 20
Eagle Scout Ed, I'm glad to know you're such a safety nut. Me, too! Not ONLY do I work @ Safety Vision, I am also known by my family as "the Safety Officer." (One can never be too careful, can One?!) Here are my safety tips du jour: Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl; and you shouldn't fence at night, or you're gonna hurt the gymnasts! Check this out, it is a SCREAM:
. Enjoy (and if you haven't seen these, which you probably have, check YouTube for other literal videos by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aha and others: jolly good stuff!)
I really am a genuine safety nut. Since my girls starting driving, I've perpetually admonished them to "buckle up and watch out for idiots." I soon updated that to "…buckle up and watch out for idiots on cellphones." I've recently updated that to "…buckle up, watch out for idiots, and assume ANY driver could be texting." It's chronic, have you noticed? Very scary. So I leave you with, "watch out for idiots."
I like one of the comments above – DON'T PANIC! Plan ahead and, to copy the Boy Scout's motto, be prepared! Also, plan a communication plan NOW! I live alone but I am working on a communication plan made with my family should another hurricane or something worse come through. First, of course will be cell phones, but if cell phones don't work, we had to figure out something else since I don't have a land line. Social media (like twitter) is a great way to do this, except if cell phones don't work, the internet may not either. But it will at work, so as long as I can get there, I should have access to the web!
Another note – With it being so hot here in Houston, drink plenty of water and take breaks if you're working out in the sun. 15 minutes on a day like to day can really a.) burn you, and b.) dehydrate you if you aren't careful. Drink lots of water and avoid caffeine or other diuretics! Basically, if you can, stay in the AC 🙂