10 Essential Life Skills & Knowledge-->

I just wanted to go over some essential life skills that, in my opinion, everybody should have or work on having.

1. Communication - If you suck at talking to people please read a book and practice with whatever friends you might have. This is the most important skill you will ever gain. Closed mouths don’t get fed. After you learn to communicate please learn negotiation skills as that is, in my opinion, the next level of communication.


2. Some Fashion Sense - Okay, you don’t have to be able to dress perfect but dress adequate for your skin tone, your body type and your budget. As a good friend told me, "Don’t shop for clothes alone!". What that means is if you don’t have fashion sense someone you know does and at least look like you do (I actually do have enough fashion sense to shop alone but I still take this advice). You don’t have to have money to dress. I shop wherever I can afford to at any given time and am always lookin for a deal.


3. Know Alcohol & Drink - I know some people can’t drink or don’t like to drink because of health reasons or addictions. You should still know about alcohol. How to make at least three decent drinks is good knowledge. Have some knowledge of wines - don’t need to have much. But these skills will come in handy in social situations. If you drink then know how to drink to not get out of control. Drink slowly and go easy. I drink a lot but I’m a professional and can maintain my composure. People may disagree with me but I don’t care all that much. However, feel free to disagree with me in the comments.


4. Know Sports - Eh… I don’t excel in this one. But I know just enough to get by in the sports department. I love boxing and can talk adequately about that but I don’t watch football, basketball or baseball that much. However, I try to just browse the sports news every now and then and check the headlines so I know something about what’s going on. I know, I know… I just don’t have the time to invest in to sports for some reason… Oh yeah, cause I do a million other things.


5. Have a Hobby: Learn - Do something interesting. If you don’t have a hobby then you should go get one. I’m learning the guitar right now and when I get good at that I’ll do something else. I also have had a ton of hobbies in the past that I was at least adequate at or did it until I got bored. Some will say this is not a life skill, yeah, learning is a life skill. A life full of learning is a full life.


6. Cook & Know How To Eat - Know a little about food. I would say being able to cook is essential to a great life but it depends on if you are single or not. At some point we were or are single so you should have some knowledge of it. I went on for four years barely cooking anything because my ex used to cook her ass off. However, I was very aware of the different flavors in food and I always asked her how she cooked something. Further, I know where tons of good restaurants are. Lastly, as part of this, have a diverse knowledge of food. Never tried Korean food? Do it! Ethiopian? Do it! French? Do it! Expanding you food horizons will give you great knowlege of different food types and further help as a conversation piece.


7. Working a Computer - Yes, you can eek by without learning how to use a computer and all of you who are reading this likely use a computer pretty well but this is still an essential life skill in the modern age. I tend to take this for granted because I’ve had a computer since before I can remember but that doesn’t make it less essential. You should probably learn how to type as well if you are pecking around on the keyboard right now. The better your computer knowledge the better your access to resources that many other may not have.


8. Compassion & Empathy - This is an essential life skill. Showing you care to your fellow humans will leave an impact. However, it’s hard to aquire this skill I would assume. It’s something you either have or feign really well. I’ve never looked in to resources for how to acquire these skills but I’m sure if you don’t have them there are things you can read that will help you.


9. Financial Knowledge - There is "How To Balance a Checkbook" and then there is real financial understanding. Unfortunately, we do not teach this in school. Essential things like how to put money away for investment, how to make your money make money for you, how to not abuse credit, how to build savings and how to build wealth. If you come from a relatively poor family & background as myself these skills will come to you with enough failure or the right mentor. But it’s best if you come in to this knowledge on your own terms. I suggest reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", which is a great starter book.


10. Set Goals, Take Steps - It’s smart to write down your goals and work towards them. Appriciate the goals you have achieved and give your self credit for getting there. To be successful your goals have to be tangable and likely. So make big goals but take one small step at a time in working towards your goals. Don’t worry if you can’t see the entire path to your goals. Just take one step in the direction of your goal at a time and be sure to write down your goals. Goal setting is an essential skill to a successful life.

These are skills and knowledge I consider essential to a successful life. Of course there may be others you could add but these are the ones I could think of today. With these I’ve been able to do a ton with very little else. Some of these I had to work at and didn’t always have. Some of these might not serve your position in life for one reason or another. Again, disagree with me in the comments if you like or add to these. I love feedback.