4 More...I'm Happy to Say
We are going to see a lot of progress from these young people going into the future. Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 24th, 2025
Writing to you from Chiang Mai, Thailand
I shouldn’t have let so much time go by without posting another update here to tell you about the new people starting The Preparation…but while time slipped away from me in Japan we had 4 more important emails show up in our inboxes.
Sophia's Preparation, Cody, Mack, and Abbott's Preparation — all young people who certainly seem like they’re going places — sent us emails to let us know that they had started The Preparation.
From what we’ve seen they all have specific plans for what their first Cycle (3-month dedicated learning timeframe) will consist of.
I’m impressed.
Cody is undertaking the Medic Cycle which consists of going through EMT school, completing all the requirements, and passing the national exam to become a certified EMT. He’s two weeks into it and seems to be doing great.
You can (and should) follow his Substack page here:
(As a side note, we cannot emphasize the value of EMT skills enough and that’s why we recommend that everyone does the Medic Cycle as their first Cycle within the program. The sheer amount of life-saving treatments you can preform after EMT school make you amazingly more competent and confident after just a couple months of schooling.)
Sophia is taking her own unique route with the program, which we encourage!
She’s going to complete a 180-hour online Texas Real Estate school for her Anchor Course. In addition to that she’ll be doing the required reading, academic courses, reflection/accountability, and working a job as an office assistant for a home inspection company.
I have a feeling she’ll be further proof that it’s entirely reasonable to take on a ton of study AND work while completing each Cycle of the program.
You can follow Sophia here:
Let’s move on to Mack…
Read through 2 paragraphs of his latest update and you’ll get a pretty good sense of the kind of guy he is — hard working, already capable in a number of fields, and self-directed.
He’s already got a great resume. It’s cool to imagine what it might look like in 4 years…
Currently he is saving up to complete the Anchor Course for the Builder Cycle, Pilot Cycle, and Cowboy Cycle later in the year. All the while he’s getting a good amount of stuff done.
You can check out his page here:
Last, but definitely not least, we have Abbott.
Currently, Abbott is going through Cycle #2: The Pilot Cycle. Until the Cycle is over he’ll be learning how to aviate, navigate, and communicate effectively in the old (but reliable) Cessna 172. By the end of it he will have gained a great skill. I’m looking forward to seeing his progress with it.
Abbott is also working on the side, completing academics, reading, and holding himself accountable by (obviously) posting these weekly updates.
Please follow and support Abbott at his Substack page below:
If you’re reading this while currently in The Preparation remember to start holding yourself accountable by posting weekly updates on your own Substack page. Trust me, it makes a huge difference in your overall performance and progress.
-Maxim Benjamin Smith
The Preparation in the media:
Article from Tom Woods on The Preparation: HERE
Podcast with Doug Casey and Tom Woods: HERE
Great to see this cohort taking ownership of their learning paths. The EMT track stands out, having the ability to provide real medical aid in an emergancy is a gamechanger for confidence. I spent some time around wilderness medicine folks and the difference between knowing theory versus being able to act under pressure is massive. Excited to see where these four end up in a few cycles.
This is great! Thanks so much for the boost, and I'm so excited to follow everyone's progress!