Thriving the Future – SkillsOverStuff

#SkillsOverStuff

How to develop skills rather than just buy more stuff

Have you heard the prepper phrase – “Two is One, and One is None”?

The idea is to have redundancy and a backup because if your main piece of stuff (a tool, a power generator, etc.) breaks then you are not without.

It is better to develop the skills to bridge that gap, rather than filling it with stuff.

You have a chainsaw. How often do you use it? Do you know how to sharpen the chain? Have you practiced this skill?

People buy a generator and put it in the garage and do not really use it until there is a storm. Then they are standing in the rain trying to figure out the generator or trying to get it to start, when they have not run it in over a year.

True story: I bought a generator, was ready to store it, and then I saw the instructions that you should run it for a few hours before putting a load on it. I tried to start it and the new generator wouldn’t start and it was leaking fuel from the carburetor. It was defective and it took months to get replaced. It was a good thing that I didn’t just put it in the garage without testing it first.

You have multiple forms of fire-starters in your bug out bag (BOB). Have you practiced using those fire-starters? I have dryer lint to use as kindling. After being in my BOB for a year, the dryer lint was not very easy to light.

Buy Stuff that will stand the test of time and use under tough conditions.

Some people take “Two is One, and One is None” seriously, and buy multiple things, but it is all cheap stuff.

Buy the best thing that you can afford, within reason.

Learn how to maintain your stuff

You have a shovel or an axe. Do you seal the wood handle? With older tools you may have to periodically coat the handle with linseed oil.

One things seems for sure – tough times are coming. Things may not be as easy to get as they once were. You may have to learn new skills to replace parts that were once easy to get (like a broken axe handle). Learn the skills to maintain your stuff. Instead of buying two axes, perhaps buy one nice axes and an extra wooden handle.


How to Develop Skills


  • Ep. 148 – How Do You Use AI? – with Eric Niday
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  • I Have Never Done a Soil Test in My Garden
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  • Ep. 118 – How to Build a Side Hustle by Buying a Mini-business or a Pre-made Website
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  • How to Grow Chestnut Trees From Seed
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  • Ep. 114 – Sometimes You Just Have to Embrace the Suck
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  • Ep. 105 – How to Propagate your own Trees, Plants, and Flowers for Free, and Sell the Extras as a Side Hustle
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  • Ep. 104 – How to Build a Nursery Side Hustle with Grant Payne – Part 1
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  • Ep. 103 – Urban Homesteading and Permaculture Consulting with Kerry from Strong Roots Resources
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  • Ep. 102 – Fight the Fear
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  • Homestead Aquaponics, Step by Step – The World’s Greatest Ebb and Flow Bed
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  • Ep. 87 – Learn the Skill of Saying No
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  • Ep. 77 – How to Grow Your Side Hustle
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  • Ep. 73 – How to Grow More of Your Own Food
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  • Ep. 72 – How to Breed a Landrace Chicken – with Perpend
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  • Ep. 70 – Head to Head: Two Friends Compare First Aid Kits and Medkits – Who is Better Prepared?
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  • Ep. 62 – 7 Tips to Thrive in the New Year
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  • Ep. 52 – Thriving The Future on FarmHopLife Podcast
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  • Thriving The Future Ep. 50 – Matt from FarmHopLife
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  • Thriving The Future Ep.37 – Planning the Fall Garden
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  • What Sex Is It? – Chicken Feather Sexing Techniques
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  • Thriving The Future Ep. 27 – Choosing the Right Plants for Your Land
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  • Thriving The Future Ep. 26 – Choosing the Right Land
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  • ThrivingTheFuture – Episode 15 – Building a Thriving Community
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  • ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 11 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
    Tips to overcome Imposter Syndrome and the Toolbox Fallacy That self doubt, as an entrepreneur, that you are not good enough or not an expert. It results in cutting yourself short – in pricing, in boldness, in success and thriving. Imposter Syndrome Everyone at some time struggles with Imposter Syndrome. From the entrepreneur to the kid having to present something at the front of the class. What is Imposter Syndrome? Self doubt Thinking that you are not good enough Being told that you are not an expert Competence – the willingness to try. Is confidence genetic or learned? What do …

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  • Making Autumn Olive Oxymel Medicinal
    Fight the cold and flu season with Autumn Olive Oxymel Autumn olive berries have a high amount of Vitamin C. The Ruby red variety has more lycopene than even tomatoes. I have autumn olive growing in my pasture. I harvested the berries in October and froze them for use in this recipe in the winter. Autumn Olive Oxymel Recipe Ingredients: Step 1 : Blend autumn olive and filtered water in a blender. Step 2: Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds and debris: Step 3: Add raw honey to taste. I add as much honey as I …

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  • ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 9 – Planning the Garden
    We just passed the Winter Solstice, and now is the time to plan the garden. Wait – it’s still winter?! You may think so, but, according to Clyde’s Garden Planner, several types need to start inside (“si” in this chart) in Feb. Time to plan and to buy seeds. Clyde’s Garden PLanner (Baker Creek) Seeds have “memory” This episode was recorded while we were on the road to an event (there is some road noise). This is how the podcast started – we were having deep conversations on the way to an event or meetup, and we said “it seems …

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  • ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 6 – Side Hustles – Know Your Customer
    Not everyone is your customer Side Hustles Mindset In the first episode in a new Side Hustles series, we take a look at the side hustles mindset. The market is not saturated! You just have to compete for attention. Providing value uses the 8 forms of Capital (experiential, intellectual, social). “The more value you give them, the more they owe you, and they know this subconconsciously”. Not everyone is your customer. (yes, really) Observe actions over words. Cash flow, and the reality check of accounts receivable. (not boring). Real marketing. Side Hustle Tips We share many tips and details that …

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  • ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 2 – Skills Over Stuff
    Developing a skills based mindset. “If you want to thrive, live life, do what you intend – develop a skills based mindset. Skills will help you thrive rather than just survive.” Listen on your favorite Podcast app: ThrivingTheFuture Episode 2 on iTunes ThrivingTheFuture on Spotify ThrivingTheFuture on Stitcher ThrivingTheFuture Episode 2 on Odysee ThrivingTheFuture Episode 2 on YouTube
  • How to Make Chocolate Mead
    The idea lightbulb came on for this chocolate mead based on the fermentation prep stage for making chocolate vinegar, from: Homebrewed Vinegar: How to Ferment 60 Delicious Varieties, Including Carrot-Ginger, Beet, Brown Banana, Pineapple, Corncob, Honey, and Apple Cider Vinegar by Kirsten K. Shockey: Wait…chocolate vinegar? Yes. The first step to making chocolate vinegar is to make a chocolate mead primary ferment with a chocolate nib tea before adding the raw vinegar or an existing vinegar mother. Chocolate Mead Recipe Prep time: About 20 minutes total (plus 4 hours wait for the chocolate nib tea to steep). Ingredients: Brewing the …

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  • No Expert but still Get Stuff Done #GSD workshop
    Skills over Stuff Among our group of friends we get together and do workshops to learn and share skills. We have done apple cider pressing, planting trees on contour, and, since we have farms, we have have processed chickens and ducks. We learn enough on the internet to get going and then figure the rest out together. We learn by doing. The key is to Get Stuff Done. Develop Skills over just collecting Stuff. Spreading those skills. Empowering others. Making a difference. It transfers tribal knowledge, which is especially important to impart to the younger members. You can have all …

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