The Emergency Toolkit You Don't Have (And Why That's Going to Cost You)

When life hits you in the mouth, panic is expensive. Preparation is priceless.

I'm sixty years old.

Way past the age where I need to prove myself in a fight.

Way past the age where rolling around on a mat with guys half my age makes any logical sense.

So why do I still train martial arts multiple times a week?

Part of it is simple: I enjoy it. I like getting beat up, learning, growing and building new neural pathways. I like being a good training partner. I like the community.

(Read the book, Spark by Dr. Ratey and Eric Hagerman on the importance of exercise especially as you get older.)

But there's another reason that's less feel-good and more practical.

When I travel the world with my wife, when I walk through parking lots at night, when I find myself in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people—I want to be prepared.

Not paranoid. Prepared.

Because predators exist. Bad shit happens. And when they do, I want options.

Martial arts is my "in case of emergency, break glass" resource kit.

It's not something I use every day. It's not something I think about constantly.

But when I need it—if I ever need it—I want it there. Ready. Accessible. Pressure-tested.

That's not just true for self-defense.

It's true for every emergency that life throws at you.

And here's the problem: most people don't have any emergency toolkits set up before they need them.

So when life hits them—and it will—they panic. They thrash. They make bad decisions.

Because they're thinking from their amygdala, not their prefrontal cortex.

And that's the difference between a leader and a loser.

The Difference Between Leaders and Losers When Life Goes Sideways

When an emergency hits—financial crisis, relationship breakdown, health scare, business collapse, family emergency—two things determine the outcome:

1. Do you have resources prepared in advance?

2. Can you access them when you're not thinking clearly?

Leaders prepare before the emergency.

They build toolkits. They document processes. They establish relationships. They create systems that work even when they're stressed, scared, or overwhelmed.

Losers don't.

They wait until the crisis hits. Then they thrash. They blame. They lament how unfair life is.

They get tackled, kicked while they're down, and wonder why nobody's helping them up.

The truth?

They never built the toolkit.

They never established the relationships.

They never prepared for the thing they knew could happen but hoped wouldn't.

And when it did happen, they had nothing.

​Dr. Atul Gawande writes about this at length in his book, The Checklist Manifesto and the importance of giving simple step instructions for emergencies and critical processes.

The Deer-in-the-Headlights Problem

Here's what happens when you don't prepare:

An emergency hits. Your brain floods with cortisol and adrenaline. Your executive function—the part that makes rational decisions—shuts down. Your amygdala—the part that screams "THREAT!"—takes over.

You freeze. Or you panic. Or you make impulsive decisions that make everything worse.

Not because you're weak or stupid.

Because you're human.

And humans under stress revert to survival mode, not strategy mode.

The problem is that survival mode doesn't solve complex problems.

It just tries to make the pain stop.

So you:

• Avoid the problem and hope it goes away
• Make a rushed decision without thinking through consequences
• Lash out at the wrong person
• Spend money you don't have on a solution that doesn't work
• Burn a relationship because you're overwhelmed

And by the time you calm down and think clearly, the damage is done.

That's why preparation matters.

Because when your brain can't think clearly, you need a system that can think for you.

My Obsidian "Break Glass" System

I use Obsidian for one primary reason: to get everything out of my head and into a system that can hold, organize, and retrieve it when I need it.

It's my external brain.

And one of the most valuable things I've built in Obsidian is my collection of "in case of emergency, break glass" notes.

These are not theoretical. They're practical, actionable checklists and resources for situations that have either happened in the past or could happen in the future.

Here are a few examples:

"In Case of Medical Emergency"

• List of current medications and dosages
• Emergency contacts (family, doctors, insurance)
• Hospital preferences
• Medical history summary
• Insurance information and policy numbers
• Steps to take in the first 60 minutes

"In Case of Financial Crisis"

• Emergency fund locations and access instructions
• List of expenses that can be cut immediately
• Creditors and payment priorities
• Resources for debt negotiation
• People to call for advice (accountant, financial advisor, trusted friends)
• 30-day bare-bones budget template

"In Case of Relationship Breakdown"

• Therapist and counselor contacts
• Communication scripts for difficult conversations
• List of non-negotiable boundaries
• Resources for conflict resolution
• Reminder of past situations we resolved and how we did it
• Questions to ask myself before I react emotionally

"In Case of Business Crisis"

• Cash flow emergency plan
• List of clients/projects I can reach out to for quick revenue
• Expenses that can be paused or cut
• Legal and financial advisor contacts
• Past crises and how I navigated them
• Reminder of my core values and non-negotiables

I've got notes for death of a family member, legal issues, travel emergencies, health scares, career setbacks—anything that could blindside me.

And here's the key: I built these notes when I was calm, rational, and thinking clearly.

Not when I was in the middle of the crisis.

Because when the crisis hits, I won't be thinking clearly.

But I don't need to.

I just need to remember to check my notes.

The Power of Tags, Links, and Visual Organization

The reason Obsidian works for me is because I can organize everything visually.

I can tag notes by theme: #emergency #finance #health #relationships #business

I can link related notes together so one crisis note connects to related resources, past experiences, and people who can help.

I can search by keyword and instantly pull up everything I need.

And because it's all in one system—not scattered across apps, notebooks, and random files—I know exactly where to look when I need it.

All I have to do is remember to check my notes.

And that's the practice: when something stressful happens, before I react, I ask myself:

Nine times out of ten, I do.

And that note gives me the clarity, the steps, the resources I need to handle the situation without panicking.

Why This Matters for Leadership

Leadership isn't just about having a vision or inspiring people or making bold decisions.

It's about being reliable when things go wrong.

Because things will go wrong.

Projects will fail. People will quit. Money will dry up. Relationships will strain. Health will falter.

And when that happens, your team, your family, your clients—they're going to look to you.

Not for motivation. Not for inspiration.

For direction.

And if you don't have a toolkit ready, if you panic, if you make reactive decisions because you're overwhelmed—they'll lose trust in you.

Not because you failed. Because you weren't prepared.

The Three Emergency Toolkits Every Leader Needs

If you want to lead yourself and others through crisis, you need three toolkits built before the crisis hits:

1. The Practical Resource Toolkit

This is the checklist, the contacts, the resources, the processes.

For every major area of life (health, finance, relationships, business, legal, family), you need a "break glass" note that includes:

• Emergency contacts (who to call first)
• Immediate action steps (what to do in the first hour, first day, first week)
• Resources (where to find help, money, support)
• Past experiences (how you or others handled similar situations)
• Decision frameworks (questions to ask yourself before acting)

Build these notes now, while you're calm.

Because you won't have the bandwidth to build them in the crisis.

2. The Emotional Regulation Toolkit

When you're stressed, scared, or angry, your brain doesn't work right.

You need tools to bring yourself back to rational thinking:

• Breathing exercises
• Grounding techniques
• Questions to ask yourself before reacting ("Am I responding or reacting?" "What would I advise someone else to do in this situation?")
• Reminders of past crises you survived
• List of people who can give you perspective (not validation, perspective)

This toolkit prevents you from making emotional decisions that create bigger problems.

3. The Relationship Toolkit

Crises don't just test your resources—they test your relationships.

And the relationships you need in a crisis aren't built in the crisis. They're built beforehand.

Who can you call at 2 AM when everything's falling apart?

Who will tell you the truth when you're lying to yourself?

Who has expertise in areas you don't?

Who will help you without needing an explanation or expecting something in return?

If you don't have answers to those questions, you don't have a relationship toolkit.

You have acquaintances.

And acquaintances disappear when things get hard.

The Mat Teaches This Better Than Anything

The reason I know this works is because the mat has taught me over and over:

You don't learn techniques in the middle of a fight.

You learn them beforehand. You drill them. You pressure-test them. You make them automatic.

So when the fight happens—when you're tired, stressed, getting dominated—you don't have to think.

You just execute what you've already drilled.

The same is true for life emergencies.

You don't figure out what to do in the middle of the crisis.

You prepare beforehand.

You build the toolkit. You document the steps. You establish the relationships.

So when the crisis hits, you don't panic.

You execute.

What Happens When You Don't Prepare

Here's what happens when you don't have emergency toolkits:

You get blindsided by something you knew could happen but hoped wouldn't.

Your brain floods with stress hormones. Your executive function shuts down.

You freeze. Or you react impulsively.

You make decisions that create bigger problems. You burn relationships. You waste money. You miss opportunities.

And then, when the dust settles, you look back and realize:

• You had resources you could have used—but you forgot about them
• You had people who could have helped—but you didn't reach out
• You had systems that would have worked—but you never built them

And now you're dealing with consequences that could have been avoided.

Not because you weren't capable. Because you weren't prepared.

How to Build Your Own "Break Glass" System

Here's the step-by-step:

Step 1: Identify Your Likely Emergencies

List the major areas of life where things could go wrong:

• Health (injury, illness, hospitalization)
• Finance (job loss, unexpected expense, business failure)
• Relationships (conflict, breakdown, loss)
• Legal (lawsuit, contract dispute, regulatory issue)
• Family (death, crisis, caregiving needs)
• Business (client loss, cash flow crisis, team collapse)

You don't need to be paranoid. Just realistic.

What crises have you faced before? What have you seen others face? What keeps you up at night?

Step 2: Build a "Break Glass" Note for Each

For each likely emergency, create a note that includes:

• Immediate action steps (first hour, first day, first week)
• Key contacts (who to call, in order of priority)
• Resources (where to find money, help, expertise)
• Decision frameworks (questions to ask before acting)
• Past experiences (how you or others navigated similar situations)
• Emotional regulation tools (to prevent panic-driven decisions)

Write these when you're calm and thinking clearly.

Not when you're in the middle of the crisis.

Step 3: Make It Easy to Find

You don't need to use Obsidian, I know a lot of people who prefer Notion or even Google Drive instead of Obsidian. Just make sure that private information is not stored in the cloud and/or somebody servers.

I also use 1Password for that kind of information. But make sure that your master password, while "easy" for you to remember is at least 10 characters that will be very "hard" to guess. Though that's becoming a losing battle, sigh...

Use tags, keywords, and links so you can find the note quickly.

Tag by theme: #emergency #health #finance #relationships

Link related notes together: your "financial crisis" note should link to your "emergency fund" note, your "budget template" note, your "creditor contacts" note.

Organize visually if that helps you (it helps me).

The goal: when you're panicking, you can search one word and find exactly what you need.

Step 4: Update Regularly

Your toolkits aren't static.

Contacts change. Resources change. Your situation changes.

Set a recurring reminder (quarterly or annually) to review and update your "break glass" notes.

Make sure phone numbers are current. Make sure instructions are still accurate. Make sure resources are still available.

Because a toolkit that's out of date is worse than no toolkit at all.

Step 5: Practice Accessing It

Here's the real test: can you actually access your toolkit when you're stressed?

Do you remember fire drills, or in my case in Honolulu in the 70s, nuke drills (how silly is that)?

Do a drill:

• Simulate a crisis (pretend you just lost your job, or had a medical emergency, or faced a financial hit)
• Pull up your relevant "break glass" note
• Walk through the steps as if it were real

If you can't find the note, if the steps don't make sense, if the information is incomplete—fix it now.

Because when the real emergency hits, you won't have time to figure it out.

Why Challenges Put You on the Ropes But Don't Knock You Out

I share this not because I think I've got everything figured out.

I don't.

But I've learned that challenges will always come.

Life will always throw punches.

The question isn't whether you'll get hit. You will.

The question is: do you have the tools, the training, the resources to stay on your feet?

Or are you going down for the count?

When I prepare my "break glass" notes, when I train on the mat, when I document processes and build systems—I'm not being paranoid.

I'm being responsible.

Because the people who rely on me—my wife, my team, my clients, my training partners—deserve a leader who doesn't fall apart when things get hard.

They deserve someone who's prepared.

And so do you.

Your 72-Hour Challenge: Build Your First "Break Glass" Note

Here's your challenge:

In the next 72 hours, identify one likely emergency and build your first "break glass" note.

Pick the crisis that's most likely to hit you in the next year:

• Financial setback?
• Health emergency?
• Relationship conflict?
• Business crisis?
• Family emergency?

Then build the note:

• Immediate action steps
• Key contacts
• Resources
• Decision frameworks
• Emotional regulation tools

Write it while you're calm.

Store it where you can find it easily.

And then move on with your life, knowing that if that emergency hits, you're not starting from zero.

You're starting from prepared.

And prepared doesn't panic.

Prepared executes.

Reply with this: The one emergency you're most likely to face in the next year, and whether you have a toolkit ready for it.

⚔ The Dojo Drill

Today’s training:

The Decision Drill

Write down a decision you’ve been delaying.

Then answer:

• Worst case
• Best case
• Most likely case

Make the decision.

📚 Leader’s Library

Book I recommend this week:

​Can't Hurt Me — David Goggins​

Why?

Because it's not where you start that matters, it's where you're going.

🔥 Take the Warrior Self-Assessment Quiz

Want to know where you stand?

Take this week's 2-minute Strategic Planning assessment.

Because if you don't know where you're headed, how will you get there?

It will tell you your current belt level.

[Click Here for Free Self-Assessment Quiz]

Chuck