The Will To Live

Although initially it may take great physical effort to escape a dangerous situation, survival is above all a mental exercise. After the excitement of  the incident and the rush of adrenalin has settled it takes great mental resolve to carry on. What keeps us going is the basic instinct, best referred to as "the will to live".
Will to Live
This is the firm foundation on which we build all of our training. We constantly try to nourish and increase the will to live. Its easy to see how physically fit we are but very difficult to know how mentally fit we are.
The will to live means never giving in, regardless of the situation. It's very reassuring to know that there is nothing on this earth that we cannot deal with, and there is no place where we cannot survive. As long as we follow the basic survival principles, prepare ourselves, and apply this will to live, we will come through. Some people have a stranger will than others, but we can all improve.
   Some of us turn to religion in times of stress, others think of loved ones. Fear of failure or letting down comrades all help to strengthen our will to live. Reading about past exploits of survival will also help. You can have all the knowledge and kit in the world but without the will to live you can still perish.