There are some life skills that we are bound to learn – like reading and writing, riding a bicycle and basic maths. There are some other things that are usually not on any curriculum but are well worth investing the time in learning.
Here in no particular order are eight that in my humble opinion that once learned will pay back tenfold in time or money saved, pleasure, pain avoided or social standing – yet are often neglected:
- How to eat with chopsticks (if you are used to a knife and fork)
- A party piece – a song or a poem
- Twenty of so of the most useful Windows (computer) shortcuts. There’s a long list here.
- How to cook a meal to be proud of
- Basic maintenance of clothes: ironing, replacing buttons, repairing undone stitching and removing stains
- Changing a wheel on a car safely
- The basics of massage
- One or two formal (ballroom or traditional) dances
There are plenty more candidates that come to mind – for example, the skill of public speaking, or a good basic knowledge of human nutrition or of human fertility. The list, once you get into it, seems endless. However the above are my first eight.
Some of these I was lucky to learn early in my life, some I learned later and two – to my chagrin – I never mastered. I certainly wish I had, and really I still should. I’d suggest you choose one today, take the time and learn it. You can learn most of these from Youtube these days.
What other life skills should be added to this list?