Do you know why people admire Michael Jackson?
It is because of the skills that he has learned and mastered over the years, right?
Learning skills that add value to life has been a common trait amongst successful people.
This pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for people who complained of not having enough time to learn.
We could see every other person exploring their love, from baking cakes to learning how to code. Many found their new passion, and some turned it into a profession.
Folks have worked on skills that will help them stand out from the crowd and earn a substantial amount of money.
You must have encountered the thought, Build your skills, not your resume!
Can you see this being implemented in real life?
In the past few years, the world of employment has changed and accepted the importance of practical skills. These skills may range from interpersonal to paying ones.
The skills may belong to any aspect of life, but they add a beautiful turn to every domain, be it professional or personal. They have the potential to make your life better.
The buzz around learning skills has pitched new heights in the current pandemic.
Without waiting anymore, let’s jump into the answers of what skills to learn, how and should you invest in learning a skill, if yes, why?
Should You Set Out To Learn A New Skill?
I won’t talk about the cliché, learn skills to decorate your resume! But something more practical.
In today’s pacing competitive world, you can’t afford to be satisfied with just being intelligent. You have to keep upskilling always to be smarter and stay relevant.
Learning a new skill and nailing it by practice is the key to success. It helps you to self-improve.
But it’s not an easy win!
Learning a new skill demands hard work and a strong commitment. It never happens overnight.
It can take months to learn and years to master a skill. We often start with the ‘nail it’ attitude and eventually quit.
So, how to deal with it and keep learning consistently?
- Well, you need a ‘Beginner’s mind.’
Beginner’s mind is a word from Zen Buddhism, which means to see things from an open perspective-and not allowing your prior beliefs to create hindrance in learning something new.
You need not have an IQ of 140 but a curious mind and zero arrogance of being an expert. Accepting things from a new perspective will keep you self-motivated and you will never feel like quitting.
- Focus on the Return.
Learning a new skill is similar to investing. You need to know what will be the return beforehand.
So, before you get all jazzed-up about learning a new skill, know if that could fetch you a new position at a job or add money to your account.
Analyzing the gains will help you stay on track and excited to learn in the long run.
- Start small.
Loading yourself with lots of new skills at one time will kill the excitement to learn something new. You may skip the essential skills while focusing on irrelevant ones.
Better to start with one or two and then keep adding the required relevant skills to your list. It will neither burden you nor will let you get bored and quit.
Why Invest In Learning A Skill?
Let’s get into a quick flashback. Do you remember the trending news about Elon Musk?
He has been declared as the world’s richest man. But do you know, he won after three failed attempts and investing 18 years with most of his shares to start an aerospace company.
It filters down to great learning, which is, ‘to gain something, you have to invest.’ Invest in terms of both money and time.
In today’s ruthless competitive scenario, mastering a skill isn’t an option to choose but a necessity to count. Unless you want to stay back and lose your competitive edge, you should consider investing in your knowledge and skills.
It is rightly said by Benjamin Franklin that,
|“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
That’s the reason why successful people, even the busiest ones, find at least an hour daily to learn. What’s your excuse?
Here are some reasons to consider while investing in learning a new skill.
- It gets you in a safe-zone.
According to Forbes’ article, around 7 million Americans lost their jobs between 2004-2009 to Automation and AI. In contrast, Fortune’s article states that 20 million manufacturing jobs are expected to be displaced by robots by 2030.
Those who decide not to bother learning a new skill are the new ‘at-risk’ group for losing their jobs to technology.
If you don’t want to be at the bottom of this competition with machines, start listing the relevant skills you need to learn as soon as you are done reading this article.
- It pays the best interest.
The quote by Benjamin Franklin, a well-known inventor, and diplomat, can be interpreted as the investment you make in yourself will pay off one day.
Gaining knowledge and acquiring skills will make you wiser, and your decisions will justify it. You will be able to work smarter and achieve good results.
- Improves Efficiency of employees and adds quality to work.
Training your employees with the skills they require at the workplace eventually adds to your company’s success.
An employee with thorough knowledge of applied skills is indeed an asset to the organization. He/ she will take less time to complete a task and will deliver high-quality work.
- Investing includes ‘backing’ yourself.
Backing yourself means refining your current skill set to support your business better.
One significant benefit of investing in yourself is, it can help prevent entrepreneurial burnout.
The stress of running your own business is significant, and it is not unusual for it to develop into burnout symptoms like a lack of passion for your business, poor physical and mental health, and work-related cynicism.
When you invest in becoming a healthier, more knowledgeable, more balanced person, your business should benefit too.
- Maintain a balance in professional life and mental peace.
We should invest in a healthier and happy future. It could encompass a range of tasks, such as dedicating yourself to a workout schedule, learning new skills, and taking time off to relax.
Now you know why it is vital to invest in learning new skills, not only in terms of money but also in health and life.
- It might help you gain independence in daily chores or can help you find a new passion too!
Let’s move to what new skills one must acquire?
5 Important Skills You Should Plan Learning
A new skill can be anything from painting to cooking and writing. Your passion can be a skill, and your skill can turn into a profession.
Some skills can add value to your current work, or some may change your life forever!
People are switching from treating their passion to a life-skill and earning a handsome amount from it.
Here I am sharing the MUST HAVE skills that you should practice and excel.
1. Communication Skills
Communication skills are crucial to master to establish a strong social media presence.
It may take time to master it, which means you should start NOW.
On the professional front, strong communication helps to develop good relations. You make yourself heard. It adds to your decision making and makes you drive spontaneous solutions.
As a leader, communication skills aid in engaging more people, inspire them, and motivate your team for a long goal.
On the personal front, you need to be a good communicator; that’s what makes people trust you. Also, not to forget that relations are all about communication.
2. Creativity
Wait, isn’t creativity god-gifted?
It is but this skill can be mastered over time with practice.
For example, the world-famous painter Pablo Picasso and some uncountable brilliant people proved that creativity could be learned, practiced, and excelled.
What is your idea of creativity?
3. Writing
The best advice to start writing is to make your writings public. Ask for feedback and work to improve them.
Writing helps you communicate better, and when done with the right platform, it helps you connect with the best people..
Cookie tip- writing can also help you earn well.
4. Learning Good Habits
It is said that habits are difficult to build and even more difficult to leave. That’s unbelievably true.
When did you last visit your childhood playground, and did you forget the way to it?
Possibly not! It’s because habits are something you did consciously, and then they reside in 90% of your unconscious brain.
That is why it takes years to build a habit. It demands consistency.
The best you can do is to hold yourself accountable for your good and wrong actions. Start reporting to people and see yourself turning into an improved version of yourself.
5. Learning How To Learn!
Learning how to learn is a skill in itself. It’s all about how to approach a new topic and imbibe the right information from it.
Most of us fail to figure out how to learn and end up in a total mess. It would be best if you were more organized and more enthusiastic, and self-motivated. .
Here are some tips by Dr. Oakley to help you learn:
- Take breaks: It helps your mind to set a balance between diffuse and focused-mode of thinking.
- Practice: Practicing a skill brings fluency and helps to improve productivity.
- Know Yourself: Everyone has a different pace at learning. Some may learn a new language in a month, while some may take years to do the same.
It is essential to accept your learning differences and embrace them. It will save you from feeling inferior while not learning at other’s pace.
Sources To Learn New Skills
There are different methods to learn. Everyone can choose from what suits them the best.
One may learn from the graphics, while the other may choose a podcast. Some skills can be learned by observing whereas, others may require ‘hands-on’ experience.
But how to know which one is for you?
You need to get back in time and revise your experiences. Analyze the ones that helped you learn and the ones that didn’t work at all.
The best way, however, is to learn a new skill is by imbibing the knowledge. Be it books, the internet, or live classes, everything can be a significant addition to your knowledge.
You can easily enroll in any course of interest and learn from the comfort of your home.
It is even possible to learn how to fix your bike while hitting the gym.
Did you get your go-to method of acquiring a skill?
Wrapping Thoughts
To solve any problem, you first need to define one.
Similarly, to learn a new skill, you must know its relevance before investing in it. Know whether it is beneficial to your current position, or will it be helpful in the future?
There are uncountable benefits of upskilling yourself or reskilling the already acquired skills.
It boosts your productivity, opens the door for new opportunities, and learning soft skills helps you to stand out from the crowd, and that heightens your reputation.
The skills help you stretch your professional boundaries and give you the confidence to conquer any hurdle and a new perspective towards everyday life dilemmas.
To survive and succeed in this continually changing era, we must keep on learning skills!