Our office in Tarrytown, NY must be made of strong stuff – we didn’t feel a thing when the waves of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake rolled through our region earlier today! We were lucky.

It just goes to show you that the only thing you can count on is that the unexpected will happen. An earthquake in VA? Highly improbable. And yet, today at around 1:50pm, an earthquake rattled buildings (and frayed a few nerves) up and down the East Coast.

The event reminded me of one of my all time favorite books: The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

The central thesis of the book is essentially that we cannot possibly predict with any certainty what is going to happen in life – not in the markets, not in politics, not in world events, not in our personal lives. In fact, trying to predict or model what’s going to happen only makes us more vulnerable to big, random events (the book calls them “black swans”) because said models lull us into thinking we’re safer than we really are.

I wholeheartedly agree with the premise.

In fact, when I first read the book back in 2008, I came away with a newfound appreciation for a concept that was actually behind the start of GetButtonedUp.com. Namely: expect the unexpected. Better to be prepared than caught unaware.

And prepared doesn’t mean perfect. It doesn’t mean anticipate every possibility. It simply means, in this case, know what your plan is in the event of an emergency – that, and have your important information (medical, insurance, etc.) at the ready. With a basic framework in place, you’ll be able to weather any storm.

In that spirit, if you have yet to get these things in order – go immediately (do not pass go, do not collect $200) and download this free printable designed to help you get your emergency plans in order, or read this article on emergency planning for procrastinators, and get your important information in order.

Just because random things happen doesn’t your life has to be thrown into chaos. Be prepared; get buttoned up.

Do you have an emergency plan? What is it? Does your family know you have a plan or is it all in your head?

The tragedy that occurred in Haiti on Tuesday really puts into perspective our petty little issues like being frustrated about the traffic driving to work this morning, or cleaning up after your kids, or your computer crashing…

It makes me count my blessings and look at what I have and where I am in life. The people there, they started out with so little and now they basically have nothing.

We’re all feeling a bit horrified and helpless as the extent of the devastation becomes evident, but there are ways in which we can help. Here are but a few:

1. The American Red Cross sees “immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support” in Haiti. The easiest way to donate is by using a phone. People can text “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be charged to their phone bill.
2. UNICEF: “Despite heavy damages to its own offices in Port-au-Prince, UNICEF is ready to provide immediate support to the victims of the unfolding humanitarian crisis.” That’s a statement from UNICEF’s Web site. Get details and donate here or call (800) For Kids or (800) 367-5437.
3. Mercy Corps is accepting donations here or by phone at (888) 256-1900.
4. Musician Wyclef Jean, who was born in Haiti, is accepting donations through his Yele Haiti Foundation. He also said people can donate by texting “Yele” to 501501. Doing so will send $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. (The charge will appear on your cell phone bill.)
5. “Think globally, give locally,” tweets Tom Rowe from Visit Baltimore, who alerted his followers of three Baltimore organizations that are collecting money for earthquake relief — World Relief, Catholic Relief Services and Lutheran World Relief.

And that’s just for starters. CBS News offers a terrific list of charitable organizations that are offering help to the people of Haiti.

If you know of other ways in which readers can help, let us know by leaving a comment below.