How are you all enjoying the “FREEDOM” series so far? Are you taking time to do the homework questions and make some adjustments to increase your own freedoms? What has been your favorite so far? What are you struggling with on the list?

When it comes to our physical capabilities and skills, these will change throughout our life depending on our physical health and capacity, or if we’ve suffered a life changing illness and accident. However, we still owe it to yourself to do the best you can or have a plan to shore up your weaknesses. There is no judgement here; taking a deeper level of responsibility for yourself is one of the hallmarks of freedom as well as exercising your God given free will and decision making. It’s a good thing! These are areas that we must actively keep up on; they cannot be done once or delegated to other people.

Building our physical skills also brings a level of satisfaction of being able to help ourselves or others, keeps us from being overly reliant on others and their “systems”. It helps us be independent people in mind, body, and soul. There is nothing wrong with having people help us; for example, I am not a car mechanic, so I am double grateful for my top-notch mechanic! However, I can pay attention to things like keeping my tires properly inflated, noticing where the car might not be working well, or preparing for winter weather.

Ways to Create More Freedom in Your Physical Skillset and Living in a Free Country:

PART 1:

Physical Fitness

1. What is your current level of physical fitness?
2. Does your current level of fitness help or hinder your daily life?
3. Would your current level of fitness help or hinder you during an emergency situation?
4. What is your favorite exercise that you consistently engage in?
5. What is a form of exercise that you’d like to learn or try?
6. What is the physical fitness level of your family and closest friends? Could you rely on them for help or would you need to help them?

Emergency Situations- Natural Disasters, Armed Conflicts, etc

1. Would you be able to survive and thrive without electrical power for 72 hours?
1. What supplies would you need to have on hand to do that?
2. What skills would you need to learn and practice, such as safely operating a generator, building&starting a fire, cooking over a fire, filtering water, etc?
3. Do you know how to avoid danger, such as downed power lines or damaged trees that could fall over on your car or yourself?
2. Do you have a “go- bag” packed and ready to go at all times? You can have a different go bag for a natural disaster situation or a conflict situation
1. Do you know what essential items need to be part of a “go-bag”?
2. Do you have one for each member of your family?
3. If you had to leave your home within an hour, what essential paperwork would you want to take with you? How quickly could you access it?
4. Do you own a firearm or other protection device?
1. Can you competently use it under normal and stressful circumstances?
2. Do you know how to clean it and store/transport it safely?
3. Do you have your conceal carry permits and insurance?
4. Do you know your local and state laws and regulations around these?
5. Do you practice regularly with it?
6. Have you taken a conceal carry class, hunter safety, or self/home defense use?
5. Have you taken a physical self defense course or regularly practice karate, ju-jitsu or other self-strengthening exercises?
6. Do you have a family plan that you all practice in case of a fire or other emergency?
7. Are the entrances& exits in your house clear of any clutter of furniture?
1. Are you able to open every window in every room easily?
2. If you have to exit a window, do you have a ladder you can descend nearby?
8. Do you have a list of emergency contact numbers where every family member can access them? Are they already in your phone AND written?
9. If emergency services couldn’t get to you for over an hour, how would you handle a situation?
10. Do you have cash on hand or alternate way to pay for things on hand?

Home and Car Maintenance Basics

1. Do you keep your vehicles in good working order?            
1. Do you know how to change a tire? Do you practice regularly?
2. Do you know how to check the air in your tires or re-fill them if needed?
3. Do you know how to “jump” a car battery to get it started?
2. Do you know how to dig yourself out of being stuck in the mud or snow?
1. Do you have the tools in your car already to take care of this?
2. Do you keep a “winter kit” in your car that includes things like extra warm clothes, blankets, emergency foods&water, a flag, etc?
3. Do you know how to check or fix basic maintenance items around your home?
   1. Do you know how and when to shut it off?
   1. Do you have travel cages, food, water for your dogs&cats in case you have to leave due to a wildfire?
1. Do you know how to change a fire alarm or carbon monoxide alarm or make sure they are working?
2. Do you have extra batteries on hand for them?
3. Do you know how your water heater works and how to access it?
4. Where is the water shut off in your home?
5.  Can you change your furnace filters or clean other filters in your house?
6. If you had a broken window and needed to put a tarp over it, could you do that?
7. If you needed to caulk something, would you know what that is and how to do it?
8. Do you know how to clean a slow drain or plunge a toilet?
9. Do you know how to patch a hole in the wall or paint?
10. Do you know how to use some basic tools, such as a hammer, screwdriver, drill, saw, electrical tester, pliers, tape measure, etc.
11. Do you know how to clean your refrigerator and other appliances?
12. Do you know who to call for different items that might be broken around your home, such as a sewer, or electrical guy?
13. Do you know where your electrical breaker box is and how to turn breakers on/off? Are the breakers labelled?
14. Can you do basic math formulas such as square footage, etc? that apply to your physical space?
15. Is your property well maintained? Cleared of extra brush, trees, etc to help prevent wildfire danger?
16. If you have animals, do you keep your barns and fences well maintained and also have a plan in case of a natural disaster or emergency?
17. Do you do regular deep cleaning in your home and property?
18. Do you regularly de-clutter your home and possessions?

Taking great care of our physical homes helps support growing the value of our assets, creates calm and peaceful homes to rest and relax in, and where we can create and bloom in freedom.