There are 5 life skills that stand out. Creativity, Listening, Speaking, Reading and Decision Making. I think we teach the creativity out of our children. Little kids love to play act and stop when school starts. Listening, speaking and reading are all skills we use in our education system and I would encourage parents to start reading to your children early and keep it up until they can read to you. The last life skill is one that we just don't teach anywhere but in the Military. Parents can and should start helping children by encouraging them to get involved with planning on the family vacations. My Dad would come home of Friday night and pass out the grocery sacks. He would tell us that in 15 minutes we were going to go to Arkansas. It was always fun to see what I had forgotten. Perhaps it was a toothbrush, clean underwear or a clean shirt. They never pressed us about bad decisions and it was a lesson we all learned as we went. The scouts was a good start but the Army was where I really learned to plan and execute.
The following things are described as things that people who are successful have in common.
Common Sense - This is the ability to reduce the complex to the core of what matters. Sort the wheat from the chaff. learn to not sweat the small shit...
Specialize Knowledge - Learn and then learn more and never stop learning in your field. Find at least one area that you enjoy and dig deep there. For me, there was every nut and bolt on a 57 Chevy.
Self Reliance - Plain old will power, or the courage to get things moving. Set goals and make them happen.
General Intelligence - Read, write and learn to speak well.
Ability to Get Things Done - Do you know someone in your area that gets things done? try to be that go-to-guy your boss counts on. Learn how to form and work with teams.
Leadership - Develop the talent to motivate and not intimidate. If you can help people do things and make them think it was their idea.
Know Right from Wrong - Become sensitive to moral and ethical concerns. Find a way to share with your boss that you are a conduit of information and share with him offline when things are borderline. Try to make it informational and not judgmental.
Creativity - Study problem solving and offer your boss two or three ways to get a job done. Give him solutions and let him judge. It never hurts to ask him or her why they made the decision they choose. Don't make it a contest, but a learning process to see if there is a different way to do things.
Self Confidence - Knowing how to do things will help you become more self confident.
Oral Expression - The more you speak to large groups, the better you will be. Never pass up a chance to brief a group, teach a class or lead a discussion.
Concern for Others - I found learning the Myers Briggs personality typing helped me understand different kind of people. This understanding should give you the ability to feel where the others are coming from, and how they deal with it.
LUCK - Understand that there are things that happen and they are not always in your control. Gamble only what you can afford to lose.
Always remember that Dollars are not everything. Your personal worth is greater than personal wealth.
At least once a year, try a self test. Do You Have? Empathy, Humor, Courtesy and can you build trust? This can be done with a close friend or your mother. Don't ever discuss what you find with your co-workers.
We all know there are Winners and Losers - Here are some of the attributes od Winners.
- Success Mindset
- Sets goals and works to achieve them
- Takes advantage of every educational opportunity.
- Works to control others. Just remember that making sure they get their jobs done is the most important part of your job. Set clear objectives, make sure they feel comfortable in coming to you for help and monitor their progress with out making them feel controlled.
- Play the Part. Dress as well as your boss does. Dress like you mean it.
Once I read that if you are the losers in a battle, don't forget to Bury the Dead Horses. Not sure why, but a little humor never hurts. Can you laugh at yourself? If not, why not?
I don't have all the answers, but I have been told that setting Goals should include the following areas:
- Career
- Education
- Financial
- Physical Fitness
- Community/Charity
- Personal
- Leisure
- Recreational
- Spiritual
- Professional
- Financial
- Social
- Intelligence
- Culture
- Physical
MUD
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