There is no specific number of life skills which are important for you to learn, and the life skills which are important to you may not be as important to someone else. This is one of the reasons why many colleges fail to teach students these skills, because the skills are vague and may vary in importance from one person to another.
However, many of these life skills are universally important, and if you do not develop them, you may find it difficult to achieve success in your life.
The Art of Being Assertive
There are two types of people that make up the majority of this world, and this is those that are too aggressive, and those who are two passive. Falling under either category will get you no where. If you’re too passive, people will walk all over you, and will consider you to be weak.
If you are too aggressive, you will anger many people, make too many enemies, and you may eventually find yourself either in prison on in a cemetery. Therefore, it is obvious that you will need to be a balance of these two types. To gain this balance, you must become assertive.
To be assertive, you do not want to lose your cool easily, but at the same time, you have to avoid letting people walk over you. The best way to do this is to demand and give respect to anyone who deals with you; If they don’t treat you and your property with respect, then you cut them out of your life; its as simple as that.
This goes for those who are subject to you as well as your superiors. If people feel that they can walk all over you, they will. It is hard to become successful in life if you do not know when to put your foot down. It is also important to be the type of person that is willing to walk away from any situation that isn’t favorable, no matter what you’re getting out of it. The ability to walk away and maintain your dignity is always a sign of power.
The Power of Team Work
The ability to work well with others is critically important. If you are not a "people person," then you will have to become one if you want to succeed in today’s world. Very few people become successful in life without getting a whole lot of help from others along the way.
If you cannot get along with others, then you will ultimately find yourself alone, and a person who is alone is unlikely to gain either power or success. To succeed, you must always be willing to mingle with others. Many college classes today do emphasize group projects where students get to work together as a team.
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills is another essential life skill. This skills may also be known as communication skills; if you lack in interpersonal skill, it will be difficult for you to develop successful relationships, be it business or personal.
Being able to express your feelings to others in a meaningful manner is critically important. While many people know how to express their feelings, they do so in a manner that is unproductive. For example, if you are ever dealt with someone who has a short temper, or who is impatient.
Perhaps you fall under one of these categories. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that you will have conflict in your life. If you are doing business with people, you will inevitably have disagreements with them. While disagreements are natural, the way in which you handle it will mean the difference between career success and failure.
The essence of being able to express your feelings properly is to control your emotions. By controlling your emotions, and taking the time to think before you act, you will be capable of assessing situations in a manner which will allow you to deal with them in the wisest manner.
No matter who you are, or where you come from, there will be people in your life who will insult you and disagree with you. By remaining calm, and thinking things through, you will always come out on top, because you think with logic as opposed to emotion. Therefore, the most important life skill you can have is to control your emotions at all times.
