Now Is a Season of Self-Preparation

We cannot control external events, but we can control how we respond to them.

I sat down to write this article two or three times before I actually was able to get it out. Productivity has been difficult in the shadow of this impending administration. I am grateful for the supporters who continue to have faith I will deliver valuable content. Is that you? Consider becoming a paid subscriber today.

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For many of us, right now is not a time for outward action but a season of self-preparation.

We have a little less than two months until the incoming regime takes power.

As chaotic and concerning as the weeks since the election have been, we will see even more intense events once the 47th president is officially sworn in.

We cannot predict exactly what will happen over the next four years, but we can cultivate the habits and mindsets that will help sustain us for whatever comes next.

Photo Credit: Milles Studio

What Is Self-Preparation?

We cannot always anticipate control what will happen in life. What we do have power over is how we respond to what happens.

Self-preparation is the deliberate process of envisioning what virtues and actions we want to display in times of intense negative stress.

These stressor are not ones we can entirely prevent, but we can develop the resilience and resolve to deal with them without abandoning our principles or health.

In relation to the incoming administration, we know what the president-elect and his proposed officials have promised.

Mass deportations. Exorbitant tariffs. More tax breaks for the wealthiest class. The dismantling of basic government departments and functions.

Half the electorate deliberately did not vote for these policies and the other will find out they are in for much more hardship than they anticipated.

This is all sobering news. Our one advantage is that we know it is coming.

The Challenge of Self-Preparation

Self-preparation requires introspection.

It is a process of looking inward to identify our most important values and commitments so we can hold fast to them when life become more tumultuous.

While examining ourselves may sound simple, it is difficult for at least three reasons.

First, many people are not accustomed to dwelling with themselves long enough to hear their own inner voice amid the cacophony that surrounds them.

We live in a society that offers constant distraction—smart phones with dozens of apps, social media with endless scrolling, a 24-hour news cycle, on-demand entertainment, and more.

Self-preparation requires the will and discipline to purposely set aside distractions so we can listen to our thoughts and intuition.

Second, self-examination is difficult because many of us who are concerned about justice feel the tug toward external action.

Unless we are organizing, protesting, or speaking out it feels as if we are not doing anything.

Even when we are still reeling from the emotional tumult of an electoral defeat, there are voices inside and out calling us to activism.

It takes confidence and conviction to believe that the time we spend going inward is essential to our outward work.

Third, self-preparation is made difficult because we simply do not know how to do it.

Even if we are able to avoid distractions and make space to tarry with our own musings, what we do with the time?

We can find ourselves fidgeting, minds wandering, and end up feeling more frustrated than we began because we have nothing to “show” for the effort.

Self-preparation is not for the faint-hearted but for the fearless.

How to Prepare Yourself

I did not know it at the time, but the past several years and, especially the past few months, have been preparing me for the next season of struggle and unpredictability.

I had already formed a habit of moving my body each day, especially outdoors. I have been journaling by hand daily for at least 30 minutes for the last nine months. I’ve been seeing a therapist and getting in tune with my inner compass.

You can, too.

The following are some questions and ideas for your own self-preparation. I encourage you to think about these as you spend time outside, and write them down (longhand, if possible) to have as a record for future reference.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How do I want people to remember about how I showed up in this time of national and political strife? What do I want my legacy to be?

2. What values and virtues do I most want to display—faith, courage, imagination, resilience, charity, temperance, gratitude, etc.? What are specific actions that demonstrate those values?

3. How do I want to consume news when there will likely be a constant deluge of new information? What are a few news sources I will check regularly?

4. How do I recharge and rejuvenate even when the world is still in crisis? What practices sustain me even while the storm rages?

5. Who are my people? How can I reach out to them right now so we stay in regular, life-giving communication over the coming months and years?

6. What people or circumstances do I need to avoid for my own well-being? This does not necessarily mean cutting them out of my life completely, but knowing how much I can handle and when.

7. What will be my cause or my issue in the realm of justice? I can’t make a positive difference in every area that demands it, but I can focus my time in one or a couple areas. What are they?

8. How can I create margin in my schedule? It is possible that national events will require me to spend more time on a justice cause or even simply require more time to tend to my own health. How can I delete or delegate duties so that I will have unscheduled time to address new circumstances?

9. What books and music will I read or listen to when I need art to remind me of beauty and help me tap into different emotions?

10. What Bible verses or stories can I look to for spiritual strength and inspiration when I need it?

I am deeply convinced that community will be key during the next presidential administration.

One idea is to gather a trusted group—in-person or online—and discuss these questions together. Gain ideas and inspiration from one another and remind each other of your commitments regularly.

The time for more external action will come soon enough. Let’s use the moments we have now for the self-preparation that will enable the activism necessary to create a more perfect union.

Let’s start the process now. Choose one of the questions above and formulate a response. Share those thoughts with us in the comments below.

If you’re looking for true stories of how people in the past addressed injustice in politics and their daily lives, I profile more than 50 different people and their breathtaking courage in The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance.

Also pre-order the picture book, I Am the Spirit of Justice and the young readers version Stories of the Spirit of Justice.