Nick Saban, one of the greatest coaches in college football history, has a philosophy that makes people uncomfortable: “Average is what most people are. That’s by definition. Average is easy. Average is normal. But above average? That takes discipline, sacrifice, and doing what others won’t.”
Now, let me ask you something: When the lights go out, do you want to be average?
The Average Person Dies in a Month
In The Other Side of the Sun, I wrote about what happens when all technology suddenly stops working—no power grid. No cars. No phones. No internet. Just people, suddenly stripped of every modern convenience they’d built their lives around.
You know who suffered the most in those first critical days? The average person. The ones who assumed someone else would handle it. The ones who believed the systems would come back online any minute—the ones who waited for rescue instead of taking action.
Average got people killed.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth about average: in normal times, average is fine. Average gets you through the day. Average keeps you comfortable. But when crisis strikes—and history proves it always does—average becomes catastrophic.
The Average Trap We’re All Living In
Right now, you’re living in the most technologically dependent era in human history. You probably can’t navigate without GPS. You’ve never purified water from a questionable source. You don’t know how to start a fire without matches or a lighter. You’ve never had to treat a severe wound without calling 911.
And that’s average. That’s normal in 2025.
But let me tell you what else is normal: hurricanes, floods, wildfires, ice storms, power outages, supply chain disruptions, and infrastructure failures. These aren’t “what if” scenarios from a doomsday novel—they’re Tuesday in America.
The average person experiences these events, totally dependent on systems that have failed them. They stand in mile-long lines at gas stations because they didn’t fill up when they had the chance. They’re calling for help on phones that won’t charge. They’re drinking bottled water they fought crowds to buy at empty stores.
Average is reactive. Above average is prepared.
What Above Average Actually Looks Like
Here’s where Saban’s philosophy gets real: being above average isn’t comfortable. It requires you to do things that feel unnecessary and even paranoid, even when everything is working fine.
Above average means:
Learning traditional navigation skills when Google Maps works perfectly fine is challenging. It means understanding how to read the sun, the stars, and natural landmarks so that when technology fails—or when you’re in a situation where you can’t rely on it—you’re not helpless. (I’ve written extensively about this in my guide to finding your way in a tech-free world.)
Building an emergency shelter on a nice day when you have a perfect house. It means practicing with tarps, cordage, and natural materials so that when you’re displaced by disaster, you’re not learning under pressure. Knowledge without practice is just theory.
Stocking a crisis pantry when grocery stores are fully stocked. It means identifying and storing nutrient-dense, long-shelf-life foods now, not fighting crowds when the warning comes. I’ve detailed 15 essential foods that should be in your pantry right now—not because you’re paranoid, but because you’re prepared.
Mastering first aid before someone is bleeding. Average people call 911. Above average people know how to stop severe bleeding, treat shock, handle burns, and manage respiratory emergencies while waiting for help that might be delayed—or might not come at all.
Learning to secure safe water before the taps run dry. Knowing how to find, collect, filter, and purify water isn’t just survival knowledge—it’s the difference between life and death in the first 72 hours of any major crisis.
Understanding fire-making and winter survival before the power goes out in January. The average person has never spent a night without climate control. The above-average person knows how to stay warm using ancient methods that have kept humans alive for millennia.
The Discipline of the Uncomfortable
Saban talks about discipline. He says most people want to be great, but few are willing to do what it takes. They want the result without the work. They want the trophy without the sacrifice.
In preparedness, this looks like:
- Buying the emergency kit and never opening it
- Reading the survival blog and never practicing the skills
- Knowing you should prepare, but always putting it off
- Assuming you’ll figure it out when the time comes
That’s average thinking. And average thinking fails under pressure.
Above average is different. Above average is:
- Practicing fire-starting every few months to maintain the skill
- Rotating your emergency food supply so nothing expires
- Taking a weekend to learn wilderness first aid
- Teaching your kids to navigate without technology
- Building your physical fitness because soft bodies don’t survive hard times
- Doing the uncomfortable work now so you’re not learning to swim when you’re drowning
Why Most People Choose Average
Let’s be honest: being prepared makes you weird.
Your neighbors think you’re paranoid. Your friends roll their eyes when you talk about skills that “aren’t necessary anymore.” Society tells you to relax, consume, trust the system, and don’t worry about things you can’t control.
Average is socially acceptable. Above average gets you labeled.
But here’s what I know from writing The Other Side of the Sun and researching human behavior during collapse: when crisis comes, those “weird” prepared people suddenly become the most valuable humans in the room. The skills everyone mocked become the skills everyone desperately needs.
Average people become dependent. Above-average people become assets.
The Choice Is Yours
Nick Saban never forced anyone to be above average. He simply showed them what it required and let them choose. Some chose comfort. Some chose greatness. The results speak for themselves.
I’m doing the same thing here. I’m not telling you the world is ending tomorrow. I’m not selling you fear. I’m simply pointing out that in a world where everyone assumes the lights will stay on, choosing to prepare—to learn, to practice, to become resilient—is choosing not to be average.
It’s uncomfortable. It takes time. It requires discipline when you’d rather be doing something else.
But when crisis comes—and it will come—you’ll have a choice you made long before:
Were you average, or were you ready?
Start Today: Your Above-Average Action Plan
Being above average doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built through consistent, deliberate action. Here’s where to start:
This Week: Build your crisis kit. Not someday. This week. Water, food, first aid supplies, light sources, and communication tools. I’ve detailed exactly what you need in my guide.
This Month: Master one essential skill. Pick from the list:
- Traditional navigation without GPS
- Fire-starting with primitive methods
- Emergency shelter construction
- Water purification and sourcing
- Wilderness first aid
- Food foraging and preservation
This Year: Become genuinely self-reliant. Work through all the skills I’ve covered in my survival guides. Practice them until they’re second nature. Teach them to your family. Build redundancy into every critical system in your life.
Average waits until it’s too late. Above average starts now.
Final Thought
There’s a scene in The Other Side of the Sun where a character realizes that everything they thought would save them—the authorities, the infrastructure, the systems—isn’t coming. And in that moment, they have to become someone different. Someone capable. Someone above average.
But here’s the thing: that transformation is brutal under pressure. Skills learned in crisis are learned in blood, mistakes, and loss.
You have the gift of time. Use it.
Nick Saban built dynasties by refusing to be average and demanding the same from his players. You don’t need to win championships. You just need to be ready when your world changes.
The blogs I’ve written—on navigation, first aid, shelter, water, food preservation, winter survival, and crisis preparedness—they’re all there. The knowledge is available. The question is simple:
Will you choose average, or will you choose above?
Because when the test comes, and it always comes, there are no makeups. There are only the prepared and the unprepared: the above average and the average.
Which one will you be?
Want to explore the world where being average isn’t enough? Check out “The Other Side of the Sun” and its sequel “Apricity”—where survival isn’t just about skills, it’s about refusing to be ordinary in extraordinary times.