The old adage of ‘hope for the best, plan for the worst’ has endured for a reason; it outlines a sensible way to look at the world, combining optimism for the future with realism relating to the threats it contains.
Here’s a deeper investigation of why preparing for the worst doesn’t have to be a pessimistic act, and what motivations make this outlook admirable.
Emergencies are Inevitable
There are only certain things in life we can control, and the list of potential disasters that are out of our hands is long.
From natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires, to man-made emergencies like protests, riots and terrorist attacks, many calamities can interfere with your best laid plans and create disruption in your day to day life.
Thankfully preparing for the fallout of these events is easier than ever, as you can find examples of products made specifically to help people prepare to ride out the literal or figurative storm, for example emergency food supplies on BuyersGuide.org. Kits which include food supplies that will last for decades and provide you calories and nutrition if getting to the store is not an option anymore will be a worthwhile investment.
You don’t need to be a full-blown ‘prepper’ to have stocked up on supplies that will give you a few day’s leeway as and when an emergency strikes.
Worst Case Scenarios can be Isolated
Even if the rest of the world is ticking along as usual, your own personal circumstances can often stand on a knife-edge between normality and disaster, with problems that impact only you likely to tip you in the wrong direction without warning.
For example, if you are struck down by an illness that prevents you from doing your job, and you are the main breadwinner in the household, being unable to cover mortgage payments or rent for even a few weeks or months might throw your finances into disarray and have a knock-on effect that sours other aspects of your living circumstances.
If you are lucky enough to have a support structure in place, made up of friends and family members you can rely on in such a scenario, then this may seem like enough. But it is better still to be as self-reliant as possible and make preparations to ensure that you do not need to fall back on the kindness of others.
This is why critical illness cover and life insurance are both worthwhile investments. It may seem maudlin to think about the prospect of suffering a serious disease or accident when you are happy and healthy, but this is actually the ideal time to do so, rather than attempting to put things right once a worst case scenario has already unfolded.
In short, there is no shame in preparing for dilemmas of all kinds, and indeed by doing so you can actually give yourself more peace of mind and comfort over time than if you left things to chance.