Who Am I?
About Me
Hello, my name is Mike. I’m in my 30’s, a husband and a father. I started getting into the outdoors when I was very young. I remember my dad taking my brother and I camping, fishing, hiking, shooting…. I was fortunate enough to have a dad who was involved in my life and shared with me what he enjoyed doing.
I was also enrolled in Cub Scouts and loved it. I went through the Cub Scouts and right into Boy Scouts. It was more of the same, but even better. As I grew older and learned more, the adventures became more real and thrilling.
It was during my time in the Boy Scouts that I learned I had a real passion for the outdoors. More than that however, my passion to be alone in the outdoors grew. I discovered that while I enjoyed being with others I thrived in a very small tight knit group or alone all together. This realization made me aware I needed to develop additional tools to stay safe and be prepared for more potential hazards.
I read books, reached out to leaders and mentors and drank up everything I could get my hands on that had to do with the outdoors and coping with what the environment offered. My readings took me into military field manuals and I began to bridge the gap from boyhood passion into adult drive and determination. The field manuals sparked my interest enough to prepare for a career in the military. Of course by this time I had discovered what appealed to me the most were the elite teams and units within the branches of the Armed Forces. I went to several recruiters from the different branches to see what they had to say, although secretly I had already made up my mind. I took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and it confirmed my feelings.
Fast forward a few years and I spent some time in foreign countries, graduated from a good university, got married, got a job and now I have two great kids. Having been all over the world my eyes were increasingly opened to the importance of being ready for staying alive and keeping my family alive and safe.
From the time I had my first introduction to the military field manuals to the time I spent overseas I had one of my biggest revelations. For some, this is no revelation at all but, for me it was a true experience of clarity. People do not survive, thrive or succeed from training and knowledge alone. I had come across the book Man’s Search for Happiness by Viktor Frankl years ago and it had started the spark in me that there was more to survival than what we physically deal with, we must have the mental ability to steel oneself against stress, negativity, fear and depression.
It was a whole new fascination. A way to survive without the dire need, without the catastrophe. Finding uses for techniques in everyday life.
Explaining the parallel between the physical and mental preparation is my main goal to anyone who might be interested. The link to survival or success in everyday life and beyond is what drove me, almost against my will, to create this website. I hope you find it enjoyable, educational and useful.