I came across this article by Jesicka Labud on lifehack.org I loved it so much I decided to share.The content was originally 54 things everyone should know to do but I took the liberty of making them 49 because some of them didn't really relate to the present African modus operandi.
There are those quintessential skills that we can all agree every
human should have, including wilderness and survival skills.
However, in this day and age, there are another set of skills we
should acquire in addition to basic survival skills. Don’t
underestimate the importance of being prepared for an
emergency. In this list you will find all the skills you need to be
self reliant in our information era, as well as emergency related
skills. Here’s 54 things everyone needs to know how to do.
1. You should know how to start a fire without
matches.
You never know when this might come in handy- a fire is one of
the most important elements for survival for a human being-
providing warmth, light, and energy.
2. You should know basic survival skills.
Should you ever be stranded in a forest or forced to survive
outside, you’d want to know the best places to get water, what you
can and cannot eat in the wild, where to build a makeshift bed,
how to catch a fish, how to correctly cross a river, how to keep
your core body temperature high… and much more. Get a
survival guide and begin learning.
3. You should know how to grow your own vegetables.
Even if you live in a city, you should make an effort to learn to
grow your own food- including all kinds of vegetables, herbs and
fruits. It takes a lot of skill, experience and time to make these
plants yield valuable output- so if you’re interested in learning
this- don’t waste another minute. You might need this skill one
day.
4. You should know how to swim.
If you don’t know how to swim yet, you need to seriously
consider learning. There are a number of emergency situations
where you might need to swim in order to survive or help
someone else in the water.
5. You should know how to change a tire.
It’s possible you get a flat while on a trip one day, with no access
to a car repair place; perhaps even stranded in the middle of
nowhere. What if no one on this trip knew how to change the
tire? Changing a tire is something you can learn how to do in a
matter of minutes that could save you lots of time and headaches
on your next road trip.
6. You should know how to jump start a car.
This isn’t as easy as it seems. If you watched your parents do this
in the past but never learned for yourself, now’s your chance.
Don’t be unprepared when the need for it arises. It’s very useful
knowledge to have, and very common to need this skill one day.
7. You should know how to code.
Not knowing how to program will soon become synonymous to
being illiterate. It doesn’t seem this way yet, but this age is
coming. If you don’t know how to program, you’re merely
consuming the whole world around you, which is programmed.
It’s important to know how to navigate this new world by being
able to tell the computer what to do. If you want to start
empowering yourself, here are some resources.
8. You should know how to build a website.
Another issue of basic technological literacy. Everyone should
have a website- whether it’s personal or for a business. If you
don’t know the basics of building a website, you have to hire
someone or buy a template. You are going to benefit a great deal
from learning. It’s also a great way to earn side income.
9. You should know how to think critically and question
the status quo.
With all this information at our fingertips, now more than ever,
we need to be able to think for ourselves, question the current
way of doing things, and be critical of all forms of media,
government and education.
10. You should know how to cook an egg (correctly!)
Too many people are ruining breakfast by mucking this up.
C’mon people- it’s time to learn the right way of doing this.
Runny or under cooked eggs are not only bad for your taste buds,
but it could also increase your chances of getting salmonella
11. You should know how to manage your time.
Time management is a precise art and science, and if you haven’t
studied it yet, you should. Applying these principles of time
management to your life can get you back precious hours you
didn’t know you had, and completely eliminate much of your
productivity destroying behavior.
12. You should know how to dress properly.
First impressions are important. Dressing to impress means being
tidy, up to date on fashion, looking as professional as you can,
dressing for your body, and if you’re advanced, bringing some
personality into it.
13. You should know how to approach and meet new
people.
Even if you’re an introvert, it is important to have the ability to
walk up to a new person and hold a nice conversation. Meeting
people is a great way to learn new things, expand your network,
and gain new opportunities in life.
14. You should know how to lift your own weight.
If you can lift your own weight, it also means you can lift a lot of
things without having to rely on someone else. Having strength is
always a handy trait to have and, in case of an emergency
involving hanging off a ledge, you’ll be able to pull yourself out of
trouble with ease.
15. You should know how to remember peoples’
names.
Most people are tired of that excuse that seems to glide off of so
many people’s lips “ I’m not good at remembering names… ” Let’s
stop making this excuse because a person’s name is the single
most important thing you can possibly remember when you meet
someone new. A good way to remember someone’s name is to
say it at least twice during the conversation.
16.You should know how to speak in public
Public speaking is the number one fear in the world (ranking
higher than the fear of death.) It’s a fear, but if you practice, it’s
not that scary. Learning to say a few words in front of a large or
small group is a huge asset that can be used in so many instances,
professional and personal.
17.You should know how to negotiate.
Good negotiation skills can save you a ton of money. These skills
can also get you that raise at your job you’ve been dreaming
about. If you know how to negotiate properly, it means you’re
holding all the cards and you’re prepared to battle it out.
18. You should know how to detect a lie.
Learning to detect when someone is lying to you seems like a
sneaky thing to do, but you’d be surprised how handy it could
become, especially if you’re raising children, or in charge of a
huge team. It gives you the chance to consider all possibilities in
a relationship. Did you know 91 percent of humans lie on a
regular basis at work and at home, and you’re lied to about 2 or 3
times in a ten minute conversation? Yeah. Food for thought.
19. You should know how to shut up and listen
genuinely.
If you learn to do this well, you will be loved and admired, and
you will understand people better. It can improve relationships
drastically, and ultimately make you a more compassionate
person.
20.You should know how to tell a good story.
It sucks being the one person around the campfire who has
nothing to offer, doesn’t it? Learn how to tell a good story that
will have people using their imaginations again. When the power
goes out or there’s no cell phone service available, you’ll be a
valuable source of entertainment to everyone.
21.You should know how to defend yourself against
single and multiple assailants.
Why? Learning self-defense makes you more aware of your
surroundings, first of all. You also stop taking physical
confrontations for granted. You’re more likely able to avoid a
fight effectively if you’ve learned the art of self defense in the
first place.
23. You should know how to invest in the stock
market.
It’s not as difficult as you might think. Educate yourself! Money
does grow if you know how to invest it correctly. You really have
no excuse to not invest. There are a number of ways to invest by
diversifying your portfolio automatically and manually through
index or life cycle funds. Investing in the the stock market is not
about picking stocks.
24. You should know how to speak at least one or two
languages besides English.
Did you know that 75% of the world does not speak English?
That’s a lot of people you won’t be able to communicate with if
you happen to be in an area where English isn’t their first
language. Expand your horizons and make an effort to
communicate with the rest of the world.
25. You should know how to make money (without a
job.)
Jobs and paychecks are not the only way to earn money. There
are many entrepreneurs out there who know this, but there are
just as many people who are wondering how it’s done while
slaving away at jobs. There is another way, and it’s not magic, or
the lottery. It’s determination, investing in your own education,
and lots of sweat. And it’s definitely possible. Instead of plopping
down in front of the t.v. after work, set some time aside to learns
something and build up your educational and entrepreneurial
skills.
26. You should know how to manage your personal
finances.
This means knowing how to create a budget, knowing how to save
money, automating your income and learning to invest and pay
yourself first, before paying all your bills.
27. You should know how to draw.
In A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink talks about the importance of
flexing our “right brain” muscles, by learning creative skills such
as drawing. Learning to draw will actually improve leadership
ability in a person, and enhance and develop traits like empathy,
inventiveness, and big-picture thinking.
28. You should know how to be a respectful house
guest.
You never know when you might need to accept the hospitality of
another human being. Know the proper etiquette of being a
house guest. A great way to do this is by inviting guests into your
own home. You’ll quickly learn (the hard way) what behavior is
highly questionable and disrespectful if your guest is not
practicing proper etiquette.
29. You should know how to keep your computer
secure.
With all the information security threats and identity theft these
days, we all want to make sure our computer is secure, our
personal data is private (as much as possible), and our firewalls
are up. Do you know how to set yours up? This is basic computer
literacy and probably one of the more important things to be
aware of.
30. You should know how to sew.
Basic sewing skills- such as sewing a button back onto a coat the
right way, or fixing a loose shirt sleeve- will save you a few extra
trips to the shopping mall. Advanced sewing skills also improves
self-confidence (the knowledge you can mend everyday items),
promotes focus (because it requires physical and mental
concentration), and teaches persistence (most sewing projects take
a considerable amount of time.)
31. You should know how to travel hack.
Once you learn this skill, you will never want to pay for a plane
ticket ever again. Just type “travel hacking” into your search
engine and let the fun begin.
32. You should know how to buy a car without getting
ripped off.
If you don’t know the proper method of buying a car (especially a
used car), you will get ripped off. Do you want to get ripped off? I
thought so. Now go learn.
33.You should know how to be happy.
There is a method to this, it’s not an automatically occurring
thing- people who are genuinely happy are happy despite their
circumstances, not the other way around.
34 You should know how to have a conversation with
someone of any age.
It’s a sign of true maturity and humanity when a person can hold
a quality conversation with a 5 year old or a 92 year old person
without flinching. You will also learn so much about life if you do
this regularly.
35.You should know how to drive a manual
transmission vehicle.
People who drive stick shift (manual transmission) cars
understand their car engines better than people who drive
automatic transmission vehicles. Manual transmission vehicles
are more energy efficient than automatic transmission vehicles.
They are also more responsive to braking and accelerating, and
they are safer because of this higher level of control from the
driver. A more informed and advanced driver is also a safer
driver. Finally, many parts of the world drive manual
transmission cars more than automatic cars, and you may need
to know how to drive one at some point in your life!
36. You should know how to back up your data.
We accumulate so much digital data these days! In addition to
being able to do some spring cleaning and organization of your
data, you should have a clear system in place for regularly
backing up your data- whether it’s to a cloud storage location or
your own physical external hard drives. Hardware can break
(and of course so can software) and having an extra copy of all
your data is pretty essential these days.
37. You should know how to say “I’m sorry” and “I was
wrong.”
You know who you are! Being able to admit your faults once in a
while takes effort, practice, and a change of attitude. It can
repair broken relationships, heal scars, and bring the
conversation back to the important things in life.
38. You should know how to sing or play an
instrument.
Being able to read music, appreciate all forms of music genres
and make music yourself- develops your brain and enriches your
life. For example, learning how to play the guitar promotes well
being .
39. You should know how to ask for help.
It takes guts to do this, and at some point in everyone’s life, they
will need some help from somebody.
40.You should know how the basics of how to repair a
car.
I am always amazed at how the guys from Top Gear (the original,
British version) can fix a broken down car in the middle of
driving through some crazy salt flats, or the desert. How useful
would it be if we could all understand the basic workings of a car,
diagnose the problem, and fix our own cars instead of spending
hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars at the car repair shop,
trying to describe the weird sound the car is making to the
mechanics.
41. You should know how to control your temper.
Holding onto anger, as well as letting anger control your actions
usually does more harm to you than good. Learn to let the anger
dissipate before reacting. Many angry emails were regrettably
sent because of the inability to control our tempers and let the
passion die down a bit first.
42. You should know how to show gratitude.
If you haven’t written a thank you note yet, you need to start. For
every professional (and even personal) relationship where one or
both of the people have benefitted or learned something, a thank
you note is in order. The habit of sending out thank you notes to
people is a great way to gain respect, trust, and stand out from
the crowd. Whether it’s for the person who interviewed you for a
new job, a trusted mentor, an old boss, or even your own parents-
a thank you note goes a very long way. It allows you to practice
gratitude in your own life, and it also makes the day of another
person, giving them (and you) a chance to reflect on your
relationship and think of the positive outcomes of knowing one
another.
43.You should know how to write professionally.
There are many, many reasons why you should know how to
write professionally, from the basic cover letter to the customer
service email. Writing professionally will allow your message to
be clear and your voice to be respected, even when you’re not
speaking face to face.
44. You should know how to perform basic first aid.
Someone you care about or even you could get hurt and when you
need to disinfect and dress a wound, you’re gonna need to know
how to do it right. Sometimes there’s no time to wait for the
doctors.
45. You should know how to give a compliment.
Giving a compliment the right way means paying attention to the
details, focusing on the good in others and being very specific. A
generalization doesn’t go very far as a compliment. Learn to
compliment others by focusing on what makes the other person
truly special.
46. You should know the correct way to respond to
criticism.
Learn this skill to avoid looking defensive, unprepared and
immature. Criticism is a good thing (most of the time), and it can
help you improve and develop yourself if you can learn how to
take it objectively and reflect on yourself and your work.
47. You should know how to put together a basic
emergency preparedness kit.
Better yet, don’t just know how to put one together, actually put
one together and have it ready. There’s no substitute for being
well prepared.
48.You should know how to use google efficiently.
Stop wasting precious time by using google incorrectly. Learn to
be precise and use the built in tools that google already comes
with. Find exactly what you need using google more efficiently
and more accurately.
49. You should know how to crowd-source opinions
from your facebook friends…
Where do you think I got most of the ideas for this article?
Content culled from lifehack.org
