All kinds of Knives, Sword & Blades Collectibles

Bear Cub

Success Tips From The Wetlands Of Florida

Lately, Bear Grylls, the expert in survival, was lowered into the Florida Everglades from a copter together with a knife, watch, water bottle, flint and the clothes on his back. His mission - to survive and get out!

He landed up to his legs in water and checked around him for signs of alligators. Some of the animals in swamps are massive. Many people would have climbed right into the helicopter and flown off at speed in the direction of civilization.

He faced several days of humid weather in a watery land that hosts 1,000,000 alligators and not a few lethal snakes, bears, scorpions and other dangers. He had to find his very own way out to safety. The copter had gone.

Any survival story can teach at least 3 valuable success lessons:

First it can make us appreciate how easy, comfy and secure our ordinary lives are. Once we realize this, almost all of our tasks will appear relatively easy. We will be able to do them without watching under the bed for predators who see us as breakfast and without taking time out to hunt down our own food!

Secondly, we will learn that data and talents give us life saving power and that time expended enlarging our data and key talents is time spent well.

Thirdly, we are able to learn paths to keep up our morale when we experience tricky and exhausting situations.

The title of this account about eating frogs pertains to two ways of eating frogs. Tiny frogs provide much wanted protein if you're marooned in a swamp without food. Frogs in the glades aren't deadly and can be eaten with confidence!

Second, the majority naturally hate the idea of eating frogs so Brian Tracy teaches that we should eat the frog i.e. Cope with the task we least wish to do first thing in the morning.

The rest will then seem much easier and we will be galvanized by our fulfillment in having already dealt with the worst task of the day.

But a few individuals could prefer to handle the easier tasks first just to get themselves going. We're all different and need different types of incentive.

Bear Gryll's first task was apparent. He needed a weapon. He wasted no time in locating a stick that may be used to stab at an alligator's eyes and nostrils.

It might, at least, give him extra reach to try and keep the alligator at a distance. Safety is an imperative priority of any successful nation or individual.

Bear's next priority was to decide on the direction he should take to get out of the glades before his energy gave out. A key part of survival is to save energy by avoiding going round in circles.

He climbed a tree to get his bearings by tying his shoe laces together and then shinning up a branchless tree using the shoelaces for leverage.

This technique allowed him to use his legs to power himself up the tree. His arms were only utilised for balance. An important survival and success principle is to utilize all of the physical and psychological strength you have got.

Another key survival principle is to be prepared before you enter a new situation. You particularly need to study the geography of a place and any landmarks or clues that will help you to find your way.

In the city, those with puny bladders or heavy drinkers need to check out potential rest rooms or bushes that will provide cover when they just have to alleviate themselves!

At the top of the tree, Bear looked for pine trees since they grow on dry land but all he saw were cypress trees and water oaks. That means swamp and more swamp. He had to try another technique.

To be successful, you could have to try out one or two techniques before you achieve your target. Edison's thousand attempts to create a bulb is the classic example of this kind of persistency.

Bear knew that higher ground in the Everglades is inland and the direction of inland was west. He pointed the hour hand of his watch to the sun realizing that halfway between the sun and 12 o'clock is south.

He could work out the direction of west from that. It was necessary that he stick to his plan of going west to sidestep going round in circles. Often success involves sticking to one plan for a minimum of a few days.

Bear headed off west and tripped over a log which had the sinister shape of a half-submerged alligator. The swamps are frightening. You never can tell what you are treading on. Bear was spooked.

He spotted bubbles and quickly got out of the water onto the trunk of a nearby tree. No point in taking risks.

He made much noise by splashing water and hitting trees with his stick to give warning of his presence to alligators. They are much likelier to attack you if they are. Surprised and think they should protect themselves.

He came to a clearing with some deep water in it and one or two alligators sunning themselves to keep toasty. Bear didn't want to risk wading across the deep water so he looked for an alternate way.

He found a cypress that was leaning across the clearing. Bear knew that a cypress tree that will grow in water would be very unlikely to break. He climbed up the cypress and then swung across to another tree at the far side and shimmied down to ground level.

It was late and Bear knew he had to get out of the water before night fall - the main feeding time for alligators.

He found a pop ash tree which had enough limbs which would allow him to construct a base long enough to sleep on at full stretch and wide enough to prevent him rolling out into the water. Vines and other helpful materials were all around. This would save him resources.

He exploited the fronds of a cabbage palm to provide bedding. Once the bed was made, fire was Bear's next priority. Fire would keep predators away and dry his garments.

He seemed to make a mud base on the bed for a fire and dried and checked his feet for trench foot. If your feet are wet for 12 hours or more, the skin begins to flake off and eventually gets infected and "out here, if you cannot walk, you die."

Without Bear's knowledge, lighting a fire would be very difficult in such damp environment. The power of important information is essential for survival and success.

His first night in the swamp wasn't relaxing. Scary noises were all around as the swamp life came alive. The mosquitoes bit him on his legs when he removed his trousers to dry them.

In the morning, he needed to drink water. He used his shirt to filter the swamp water and then boiled the water to kill bugs and bacteria. While he waited for the water to boil, he used his water bottle to show him south. He tied it to his stick and studied to determine which way it might swing - a shrewd local technique.

The water of the Everglades flows slowly south to the gulf of Mexico. After 30 minutes the bottle had swung round about 2 feet and stayed level. Bear knew his direction again and moved on searching for food.

The dead wood of the swamp is typically home to bugs and insects. He found the larvae of some wood worker ants which are 4 times higher in protein content than meat. They taste sour but are a life saver. A survivor can't afford to be fussy.

He moved on through cypress tree roots and then a plain of saw grass. Bear's information again helped him to arrange these areas safely. Time upon time his journey through the swamps showed the power of information and key abilities.

Learning useful skills and what you need to grasp is enormously vital for both survival and success.

He now discovered an alligator plagued stream. His understanding would be more vital than previously. For instance, he knew that alligators can run at 30 miles an hour over brief distances. If an alligator hisses, it might be about to attack. They do not feed at midday.

Bear had to discover a safe place to swim the stream. In 2006 3 girls were fatally injured by alligators in a week - one was swimming and two others were dragged in from the edge of the water.

Bear found a narrow part of the river with good visibility all of the way around. He waited an hour realizing that a giant male alligator could stay underwater for as much as 45 minutes.

In hot weather they often lie in deep water to cool down. Bear looked for any ripples or the eyes of the alligator just above water. Survival and success regularly demand relentless patience.

Bear had waited for an hour. He swam underwater so that he would not be mistaken for a bird or a turtle bobbing on the surface of the water. He kept his knife in his hand.

His heart was thumping as he reached the far side. He walked on to reach pine trees and dry land where alligators would no longer be a threat as they only live near water:

Bear commented that one word sums up the Everglades: "Unforgiving."

But food was available. He found a little frog and ate it raw making certain that he rubbed out it with his first bite. Eat whenever you can to survive. He then made a net to catch some minnows and ate those raw as well.

He next found some grapefruit and oranges. This was a tell-tale sign that the area could have been employed by the Seminole Indians who were compelled to hide from the US armed forces in the early 19th century.

Bear made a shelter in this dry area. "If it was good enough for the Seminoles, it is good enough for me." He seemed to make a morale boosting fire to keep predators away.

Next morning, he found a turtle that was not protected. He killed it quickly and cooked it, as the Seminoles do, in its shell. The shell is fragile and cracks when the meat is. Ready to eat. Bear commented:

"It truly does taste like chicken. That is really good fleshy meat. The turtle has given me critical energy and has additionally given me a psychological boost and so much of survival is about keeping your morale up. Recharged, I'm going to keep heading west."

The dry land appeared more safe compared to the swamp but appearances are deceptive. Bear soon came across a noisy snake. Such snakes can strike up to half their body length. He kept his eye on it and backed away slowly. You have to be really careful when walking round in thigh deep grass.

Snakes weren't the only problem. There were black bears around. Bear came a cross a big paw print on a tree. I was once chased by an Iranian mountain bear pup when I used to be a kid so I know how even small bears can inspire fear!

He now came into an area of swamp mud and found a sink hole of the type which can swallow tiny vehicles. He jumped into a hole to demonstrate how it's possible to get out. He showed how, if he struggled in an upright position, he was sucked further in.

He escaped by leaning forward and using his stick held horizontally in both his hands to form more surface area to lean forward on. He still had to try hard and wriggle out. Once on the surface, he monkey crawled away.

Latterly, a jogger fell into a sink hole up to his chest and was stuck there for a few days. He was found on the 4th day rambling and covered in bug bites.

Bear now came across a fence and a road. He had survived!

In the Everglades, salvation can be found just round the following tree. If you are lost do not give up hope. If you are failing, don't ever give up. Success might be just round the corner!

Learn the talents you want to succeed and stick to your plans! Eat the frogs if required but above all, appreciate how much easier it is to live with mouth-watering food, clean water, decent shelter and a pleasant, warm bed widely available!

This success tips are bound 1 areas reach. The Swamps of Florida are full of masses of species of many kinds.

Grizly Bear Cub & Wolf Cub Playing