There are a lot of things happening in the world right now. From a preparedness standpoint, if you’re not paying attention and aware of what’s going on, you might be living in la-la land. Or—and this is the trap I see more often—you’re so overwhelmed by all the chaos everywhere that you don’t know where to start.
I’ve been in this space for a long time, and I’ve watched what happens when people first wake up to the need for preparedness. They either check out completely because they can’t handle thinking about it, or they get so fearful that they become almost catatonic. They’re frozen. They don’t know what to do or where to begin. Neither response serves you or your family when it matters most.
That’s why I’ve been talking more about fearless preparedness lately. Because one of the things that happens really easily, really early on in this journey, is that fear-based prepping takes over. It’s propagated by all the videos out there with the doom porn, all the articles predicting the end of the world tomorrow, all the podcasts screaming doom, doom, doom. And I wanted to come at this from a completely different angle.
The List That Keeps Growing (And Why It Can Paralyze You)
Let me run through just some of what’s happening in the world right now. We’ve got the Israel and Iran conflict that’s gone hot and continues to look like it will involve the whole Middle East. The Russia-Ukraine war is still grinding on with drones bombing deep into Russian territory. There’s the ongoing situation in Gaza. The Sudan conflict—an ongoing civil war that barely gets coverage despite the humanitarian crisis. Taiwan and China tensions that some say could escalate while attention is focused elsewhere.
Then there’s the economic instability. Trade wars. Tariffs. The US deficit crisis. Global economic strain that isn’t just an American problem—economies around the world are in chaos. Political and social unrest. Protests. European political shifts. Natural disasters like floods, fires, and extreme heat. The sun popping off CMEs and solar flares. Health concerns from new variants to bird flu. Food security issues. Supply chain problems. Water security threats. Cybersecurity risks with foreign actors potentially in our networks.
And I haven’t even touched what you might be dealing with on a personal level. Maybe you’re at a job where you’re afraid of layoffs. Maybe you’re dealing with a medical condition on top of everything else or strained relationships with family members. Maybe it’s living paycheck to paycheck where a $200 flat tire throws everything into chaos.
When I’ve shared this kind of list with people before, some have told me straight up: “Todd, I don’t want to hear that because if I start listening to it, I won’t be able to sleep.” And I get it. I’ve been there myself.
The Walmart Moment That Sticks in My Mind
I remember walking through the halls at work, watching life go on around me, and all I could think about was how people had no clue how bad things could get. I was living in constant anxiety. I’ve gone to the grocery store and while I’m supposed to be picking up basics, all I can think is: What if an EMP struck right now? What if a solar flare wiped out the grid?
That kind of thinking will eat you alive. And here’s what I finally figured out—worrying about an EMP or an economic collapse or nuclear war doesn’t make you any more prepared. It just makes you miserable and ineffective.
The breakthrough came when I started thinking about preparedness in the light of the circle of influence versus the circle of concern, a concept from Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The idea is simple but powerful: there are things that concern you, and there are things you can actually influence. Proactive people focus their energy on what they can control. Reactive people exhaust themselves worrying about what they can’t.
The circle of concern includes all the world events—the floods, the fires, the geopolitics, the wars, the economy, other people’s opinions, the weather. You might worry about these things. They might cause you stress and anxiety. But you can’t do anything about them. And here’s the real issue: focusing too much on these things leads to feelings of helplessness, frustration, and anxiety. That’s why people tell me they can’t think about this stuff—they’d be of no use to anyone because they’d be worried all the time.
Where Fearless Preparedness Actually Lives
The circle of influence is smaller, and that’s okay. It represents the things you can control and directly impact—your actions, your reactions, your choices, how you respond to situations. By focusing here, you can actually create positive change and expand your influence over time.
This is where fearless preparedness lives. Not in the doom scrolling. Not in the anxiety spiral. In the things you can actually do.
Let me give you a concrete example. A beginner prepper living in the circle of concern thinks: “What if there’s a nuclear war? If bombs hit my city, would the fallout reach my suburb?” That’s pure worry with no action attached.
A beginner prepper living in the circle of influence thinks: “Okay, if there was a nuclear situation, can I store potassium iodide? Can I learn the basics of radiation safety? Can I have a plan for sheltering in place?” Same threat. Completely different response. One leaves you frozen. One leaves you ready.
You can’t control the storm, but you can build the shelter.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
For someone just starting out, living in the circle of influence means taking simple, concrete steps. Start with a three-day stock of food and water. That’s an easy thing you can do this week. Get some bottled water—just do the basic math for your family size. Learn how to filter water. Start putting together your emergency binder with important documents and copies. Build a go bag or bug out bag. These are basic things that move you from paralysis to progress.
For more advanced preppers, the circle of concern might sound like: “The global economy is going to collapse at any time!” The circle of influence response is: “The economy could collapse, but I can grow my own food. I can reduce my debt. I can diversify income streams. I can strengthen relationships with people who can support each other.”
That might mean rotating your long-term food storage, practicing off-grid weekends where you turn off the power and see what it’s actually like, looking into solar generators or backup power, getting medical certifications or ham radio licenses, or building a mutual aid network through your place of worship or neighborhood.
The Three Questions That Cut Through the Noise
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s an exercise that works. Ask yourself three questions.
First: What am I truly worried about? Get specific. Not “everything is terrible” but “I’m worried about the hurricane in the Gulf hitting my area.”
Second: What can I do about it? If you’re worried about weathering a hurricane, you can gather supplies, gear, and resources you need. You can make a plan.
Third: What’s the next action I will take? Not worry—worry isn’t a useful action even though it feels like you’re doing something. What’s the actual next step you can take to be prepared?
Here’s another exercise. List five things that concern you. Maybe it’s the grid going down, an EMP, a natural disaster, or how to be prepared for economic collapse. Then rewrite each one as actionable steps. Take them out of the reactive circle of concern and put them into the proactive circle of influence.
For example: “I’m concerned about economic collapse” becomes “I can try to get out of debt. I can build an emergency fund. I can stock food so if prices go up, I can manage that more effectively. I can buy some precious metals as a store of value.” You’re writing actionable steps that actually move the needle for you and your family.
Moving Forward Without the Fear
I think we need to stay aware of what’s happening—it’s smart to be in the know. But if you’re someone who tends to worry, maybe it’s time to stop the doom scrolling. Get off social media for a bit. Change your algorithm by clicking on different content. Search for bushcrafting skills or wilderness survival videos instead of collapse predictions. Build your skills instead of your anxiety.
Reframe your mindset from “this is a concern” to “how can I influence it?” That simple shift moves things from the circle of concern to the circle of influence by verbalizing the action steps you can take.
The more time you spend actually doing preparedness—obtaining skills, practicing, using what you’ve learned—the more confident you become. You stop living in that circle of concern. Preparedness becomes about being ready for whatever comes, not living in fear about what might happen.
There’s going to come a time when your ability to be prepared and what you know can be incredibly helpful to friends and family who don’t know what to do. Instead of sending them to YouTubers who preach that the world is ending tomorrow, you can influence them in a positive way toward practical, fearless preparedness.
Peace,
Todd