7 Important life skills I wish I learned as a kid

I had a very enjoyable conversation with an educator during the week. I have no doubt that this lady will have a positive impact on all the students and teachers that she comes into contact with. The conversation inspired me to think about my views on schools and the impact they have on our lives. Although we can learn to read and write at school, there are many beneficial life skills that schools rarely provide. These are skills that all adults and children should have. It is one thing to teach people facts and information but it is another entirely to teach people the valuable life skills which will enable them to think for themselves and navigate their way through life.

Bridging the life skills deficit

As I worked my way around the world, I have rarely been asked for the type of information that I learned in my school days e.g. I have never been asked the capital of New Zealand, though I have lived there. If schools are not teaching the precious life skills required for our work and personal lives, we need to get them somewhere. Many of these lessons can be learned, painfully, from life experience. It would be most beneficial if life skills were added to the curriculum; however, I also believe that both parents and companies can play their part in helping to bridge the life skills deficit. You might argue that this is not a job for a company to be undertaking but for a small investment, with training and coaching, employees could develop valuable life skills which would return that investment many times over.

Essential life skills

Listed below are 7 of the most fundamental life skills required for success in life. If you or anyone you know really struggles with life, odds are that there is a lack of expertise in one of these areas. That’s how important they are!

1. Asking questions

If you can’t do something or you are lacking some important information, you could waste a great deal of time trying to figure it out for yourself or, you could just ask somebody who possesses the necessary skills or information. You may take questions for granted but asking the right question, of the right person, will save a great deal of time and significantly reduce the amount of stress you experience. Effective questioning is one of the most important life skills.

You can also learn a lot by asking yourself questions. Questioning yourself forces you to consider all your options thoroughly before making important decisions. A good question forces you to reflect and, can help you determine whether your life is on the right course, or not.

2. Problem solving

Life is full of challenges. It would be great to go through life without ever facing any challenges and problems. It would also be naïve to think that this is even possible. The truth is that overcoming challenges and problems is what allows us to grow, to learn and to become stronger. There are going to be problems so why not teach people the necessary skills to solve them? When you know how to solve a problem, rather than have it solved for you, you can turn negative situations into positive experiences with greater ease. Again, you would be saving time and reducing stress.

There is another strong reason for teaching problem solving skills i.e. it teaches people that it is ok to make a mistake and get something wrong. When life puts an obstacle in your way, it also gives you the opportunity to remove that obstacle. If everybody understood this we would see less depression and anxiety.

3. Follow your passion

Most of us were taught that working and having a job stinks, so you’d better get used to it. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Everybody wants to enjoy their life but nobody ever teaches us how to find work or hobbies which we enjoy.

The quickest route to happiness in life is to find the work you love, do the things you love and spend your time with people you love. It may not be possible to spend every minute of your life this way but you can certainly live like this for a large portion of your time and, the more time you spend like this, the happier you will be. To live this way, you simply have to follow your passion. Having the wisdom and courage to follow your passion is one of the most vital, and rewarding, life skills.

You can discover your passion and purpose in life with the Living Purposefully Workbook.

4. Independence of thought

The late Anthony De Mello, described approval as the most dangerous drug in the world. People will do many things that they disagree with just to get the approval of others. If you want to make the most of your life, you need to go the extra mile and, as M. Scott Peck said, it is never crowded along the extra mile. If you allow your decisions to be dictated by popular opinion, you might be popular but you will never be truly happy. One of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself is to allow yourself to live true to your own purpose, values and beliefs.

It is perfectly acceptable to have and, to express, a different opinion. There is very little in life which is actually fact. There will always be people who have a different opinion and you can respect their right to their opinion without sacrificing your right to your own opinion.

5. Valuing vision over knowledge

You will never know everything. There is simply too much to know. More importantly, you will never need to know everything. You are living in a society where information is freely available. You can find just about anything that you might want to know; as long as you know what you are looking for e.g. if you type the right query into Google, you will get many, many pages of information on the topic.

That is one of the most valuable life skills you could learn. Develop a clear vision of what you want to achieve first; then you can seek to learn the knowledge and skills required to help you achieve that goal.

6. Compassion

There are over seven billion people on this Earth; each with their own needs, values, and beliefs. Despite the differences, if you want to live your best life, you have to learn to work and live together, peacefully.

When you practice compassion, you learn to view each situation from the perspective of the other person. Seeing things from their perspective allows you a better chance of reaching a mutually agreeable solution and, where you cannot, you will find it easier to agree to disagree. Being compassionate is one of the greatest gifts you can give, both to others and to yourself.

7. Dealing with change

Time does not stand still for anyone. Things change, whether you want them to or not. Change is one of the few constants in life. Whether you want to survive or thrive in life, you will need to be able to deal with change. Accepting change and adapting to deal with it is another one of those life skills which will save you time and stress.

Those who can be flexible and deal with change effectively are much more successful and happier than those who can’t.

Developing skills and strengths takes patience and time.

Education is wonderful but it does not teach us everything that we need to know to succeed in life. Life skills are essential but sadly, they are often neglected. These necessary skills that aren’t taught in school can be more valuable than anything we learn during our formal education. If you do not possess strong life skills, your performance in formal education will be irrelevant. Good exam results may get you an opportunity but without the necessary life skills, you will not be able to make the most of that chance. The life skills, listed above, are some of the most important life skills that you can master. They won’t be the answer for every one of life’s challenges but they will give you a good head start.