Two guys are out hiking and they run across a bear. As the bear begins to give chase, one of the guys stops and pulls a pair of running shoes from his pack. As he bends down to pull them on, his buddy says, “What are you doing? Those shoes aren’t going to help you outrun the bear!”

He replies, “I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.”

While amusing, this joke illustrates what I feel is a disturbing trend lately when it comes to survival planning. I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter on social media and websites, with recommendations that if you set aside just a little bit of extra groceries, you’ll be well ahead of your neighbors.

Sure, that’s probably true. But, I think it also gives a false sense of security. I mean, is it really enough to just be better prepared than the folks next door? If that’s the guideline, hell, buy one case of canned vegetables and call it a day!

The benchmark to determine how prepared you are should never involve a comparison to someone else’s preps. Every household is different, every potential scenario brings with it a unique set of obstacles to be overcome.

Your goal should never be to just be better prepared than your neighbor, your friends, or anyone else. Your goal is to be prepared to meet the challenges that might come in the future. That’s it, that’s all. This isn’t a contest, there are no prizes for 2nd place.

Outrunning someone else in the prepper race means exactly jack squat. The finish line isn’t going to be in the same place for everyone.