Traits of a Survivor....

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May 25, 2007
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Traits of the survivor include:

Commitment to Survive
When the going gets tough the most important survival skill is contained within your mind. You need to want to survive, no matter the situation and prospect of outcome. Survivors never give up.

Curiosity and Inquisitiveness
The desire to learn and discover how things work will hone your skills in a wide variety of subjects. Play is natures way of having you learn and develop skills in preparation for the real thing when your playful experience suddenly becomes the deciding factor in whether you make it or not.

Sense of Humor
What is known as Gallows humor has lightened the perceived load of many a survivor. Your sense of humor works as a pressure release mechanism. And if you can make light of your difficulties you are placing yourself above them, a good position from which to take the action you need to survive.

Dealing with Uncertainty
The ability to continue on through adversity even when there is conflicting information and uncertainty. The survivor takes action when action is required, trusting that as events unfold he can fine tune his approach and successfully achieve the desired outcome.

Getting Over It
The survivor mentality does not waste any time over past mistakes or losses. Dwelling in regrets and disappointments changes nothing and is counterproductive. The best way to survive is to do all you can for the situation you are in, and plan future action toward your best advantage.

Adaptive Capacity
Successful wilderness survivors have the ability to take charge and control the environment using their knowledge and materials at hand. They can improvise on the spot, quickly finding new workable ways where none existed before. Whatever happens, the best survivors tackle problems and find solutions.

Those who practice the survival arts become a special breed of person. The personality traits of the wilderness survivor spill over into successful everyday life. Survivors meet life’s challenges with confidence; they improvise, adapt, and overcome.
 
Don't forget lucky. Most collamities will kill indiscriminately.
 
Regarding the psychology of survival, I thought I'd relate a story about the "data dumping" that can happen after a traumatic event. It was a post-life and death survival situation. And, it was hilarious in this case. Edit: Decided to make it a new thread!
 
i agree with the OP here, and with the responses.

i strive to acheive the statements in teh OP everyday of my life. i like to think that to some degree i have achieved them, and i see that they do impact my everyday life positively.

i can only hope that i can further expand on these abilities as i grow older and wiser (or just senile and blissfully unaware of any problems. problem? not its just not what i was planning...)
 
Agreed.

The ability to think several steps ahead while focusing on what's directly in front of you is also of great value. It's kind of like chess...'cept your playing pieces are core temperature, hydration, etc. :D
 
Ron Hood advocates this: if you find yourself suddenly thrust into an emergency wilderness survival situation, first, pull down your pants, squat, and take a big ****. Why? Well, chances are, you'll have to, and it is a way of stopping and contemplating instead of rushing to panic. Plus, it will probably be strangely comical to you, which ties into the humor part.

When I was recovering from my car accident, not knowing if I'd ever get back to normal, I found and ordered "The Survivor Personality," a book by Al Siebert, Ph. D.

I consider it a must-read for anyone intersted in this aspect of survival, which is the key. Here's his website:
http://www.thrivenet.com/index.shtml
 
So I guess that when you hear someone describe they were in a traumatic event and says 'yeah I nearly Sh@! my pants', you can be sure they arn't a student of Ron Hood.
 
Don't forget lucky. Most collamities will kill indiscriminately.

I had to google this , I thought a collamite must be some sort of microscopic organisim. Google then asked "did you mean calamity?" :)
 
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