School taught us math skills to help come up with answers to math problems. What it didn’t do was teach us life skills to handle the challenges of life. If you were lucky, you learned a couple of life skills during home economics class - like how to sew a button back onto your shirt, or how to scramble an egg.
Don’t get me wrong, these are important skills for each of us to learn, but those aren’t going to help you when life hits you with obstacles and you’re out here trying to handle the obstacle without your entire world crumbling around you! So, let’s start the conversation today about learning practical life skills in order to overcome the obstacles, as well as navigate life’s challenges.
Absolutely No Human has All the Right Answers
Let me start by stating the obvious: I am human. Being human means I am flawed, and I do not have all the answers to solve all of your problems. What I do know is that using practical life skills will help you explore the obstacles thrown in your life path, and figure out what the right answer is for you almost every time. We’re not focusing on solutions here, we’re focusing on how to navigate your path with essential life skills.
Embrace the Idea that You Will Never Have all the Answers at Once
Often when life hands us a problem, it doesn’t just hand us ONE problem at a time. It decides to throw a complicated ball of issues at us at warp speed. But we can’t expect to know all the answers to all the problems as soon as they’re hurled our way.
The key is focusing on one problem at a time. Take a step back, and learn not to overthink anything. Breathe. Pick the one problem you know you can handle with ease. Deal with it however long it takes. Once you’ve handled the first problem, move to the next one. As you work through each problem, you’ll feel more confident and capable.
It’s Usually Not About You
How many times have you taken someone’s anger and disrespect personally? One of the best and most effective life skills you can learn: someone’s anger and disrespect is often more about them than it is about you. You just happen to be the one it’s being directed towards.
Removing yourself from the line of fire and allowing the other person time to calm down is far better to do than to react during a heated moment. Don’t get it twisted, it isn’t okay to be the punching bag for someone else. However, it helps when you’re feeling hurt and beaten down by someone you care about, that it isn’t usually personal. They often have struggles of their own, have reached their limit, and you’re the unlucky recipient of their misplaced anger.
If this is a common thing with someone, reevaluate the relationship. It might be time to move on.
Find Your Purpose
Humans who don’t know what their purpose is often fall victim to overwhelm each time any problem arises in their life. When you have a purpose, it gives you a much greater belief that you matter and any obstacles that arise during your lifetime are learning experiences. Obstacles provide you with the chance to problem solve, get creative, adapt, and perhaps reach out for help from the people who want to help you.
Nothing is Permanent in this Life
Life has ups and downs. The ups aren’t going to last forever, which also means the downs will also not last forever. Absolutely nothing in life is permanent. Embracing this concept will be the life skill that will serve you well regardless of the obstacles in your path. If you can adapt, be open-minded, and accept nothing is permanent in this life - life will be a little less “rocky road” and little more “cookies n’ cream.”
Navigating the Challenges of Life
Basic life skills encompass more than solving a math problem, cooking, cleaning, changing a tire, doing taxes and mowing the lawn. School teaches us some of these basic skills, but rarely teaches us the true life skills we need to face life’s challenges like the loss of a loved one, losing a job, having a friend betray you, and unfortunately so many more issues. Life isn’t easy, but we can tackle it together.