The time has come to start taking your career and life seriously. You might be struggling to understand what you possess that sets you apart from the rest of the hard workers in the fast lane.
The surprising thing is that you will have learned these skills during school but forgot as time went by.
All it takes is to have a little faith in yourself and your ability to break out of your comfort zone.
To explore the endless possibilities at the end of learning a new skill means you will be able to progress successfully.
To succeed and build your career to where you want it to be, one needs to realize the skills they already possess and how they can enhance it for the better.
Perhaps you did not know you had confidence, public speaking, relaxation, writing, self-direction, networking, and math skills.
Below are seven essential skills you need to gear up your career and life.
Confidence
Having confidence as you build your career and go through life is an underrated skill. Not everyone is a natural at exuding confidence.
It is a learned behavior that family members, friends, and supportive colleagues can champion.
Confidence is not a personality trait but a learned skill that uses body language and non-verbal cues.
You will find that you become more confident the more you are used to something.
So if you have done a particular project, you are more likely to feel sure to execute it effectively than if you were to start afresh.
Public Speaking
Public Speaking is a soft skill that helps to enhance all the other skills you possess.
Confidence and other social skills alongside public speaking will enable shy individuals to break out of their comfort zone.
This skill is great as it teaches you to motivate and persuade others to your side of a discussion which will come in handy for that promotion!
Not only does public speaking inspire confidence and the art of persuasion, but it also improves cooperation, understanding, and setting goals which are essential skills for life.
If you would like to improve your public speaking skills one awesome way to start is getting involved in Toastmasters, they are in 149 countries with 300,000 members all around the world.
Relaxation
You might be wondering how relaxation is a skill or if we have made a mistake here.
Relaxation is most definitely an essential skill and not a luxury.
Stressors are everywhere in a busy whirlwind world, so training yourself to relax is crucial to further your career.
Relaxation allows you to calm your mind and to think categorically.
Poor decisions occur when you are under a great deal of stress, leading to even poorer outcomes. Implementing relaxation techniques even in your busiest moments will save your life and your career.
Relaxation means you slow things down at a pace where you don’t feel the walls are closing in. Stress loves small spaces, and relaxation loves a room where you can breathe unrestricted.
Relaxation can help momentarily divert your attention to unrelated things at work. Keeping a log and writing down self-care mantras is an essential skill.
This skill will set you apart from the relentless worker hunched over their computer frantically trying to correct a mistake to the person strolling in happy with a cup of coffee ready to take on any last-minute setbacks.
Writing
As a general rule of thumb, it’s always best to write down any good ideas that come to you, even late at night.
By recording these ideas, you can cultivate them into real solutions to projects or problems in your life.
Writing helps to improve your verbal and written skills as well as expanding your vocabulary.
Creativity is born, which is a new skill, thanks to the report.
Good writing skills allow an insight into your professionalism and gives you instant credibility in the workplace.
It also shows that you are self-directed in how you communicate with others effectively.
Self-direction
Self-direction is the ability to conduct tasks without being instructed to by somebody senior.
Working on your initiative allows you to start forming good habits, making it essential to thrive in your workplace and life.
Being self-directed means going above and beyond what others expect from you, and employers don’t have to worry about guiding you through the simplest of tasks because you are more than capable.
As a result, this is great from a business perspective because employees are more focused on their work and are likely to meet their goals. It does not go unnoticed by supervisors and managers.
Another way of showing that you are self-directed, motivated, and driven is through networking.
Networking
Networking is one of life’s biggest hacks to get ahead in life and your career.
The opportunities it brings by simple conversations in a professional yet pleasant setting are phenomenal.
Not only do you meet like-minded individuals with a similar mission to yourself, but you also have the chance to accelerate your career with the right person.
Networking gives you the chance to relax in a non-stressful environment, communicate with different business representatives and inspire you to become more confident.
It is also a great place where you can find a mentor that’s been through it all and is happy to coach you throughout your career and in life.
Here’s a good place to start finding mentors online
Basic Math
Not everyone is a math genius.
The likelihood you would need to know trigonometry in a workplace setting is pretty slim. Unless, of course, you work in an environment that solely relies on you being a math genius!
Numeracy and numerical problems are very real in the workplace.
Knowing how to do basic math ensures accuracy in your projects and minimizes any embarrassments – especially when you are trying to further your career.
Learning this skill encourages broader cognitive development and increases brain productivity.
Now, most job applications require you to participate in mathematical assessments to determine your ability to solve problems quickly.
If you can pass that hurdle, you can demonstrate your cognitive ability to think critically and solve problems under pressure.
A forgotten and underrated skill even in the digital era where we rely on calculators and computers, but we don’t realize that there are problems that depend on human cognition.
Conclusion
So there you have it, seven essential skills you need to gear up your career and life.
As you enter the workforce, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure how to gear up your career the way you want it to be by a specific timescale.
The solution is to take things slow.
By taking it slow, you will learn to be more relaxed when at work. Confidence is a great skill, but you need to nurture this to evolve without feeling trapped in a job you can do much better.
Practice is everything and making time for yourself to relax is a learned skill and behavior.
In the current culture of fast-paced workspaces where no one takes the time to breathe, stress levels are high.
Relaxation helps to keep you grounded and focused. It allows you to be then able to think critically, learn skills like math, and take the plunge at being self-directed.
There are so many possibilities out there. Discovering the right aptitude like writing and public speaking will make you more confident to network.
Find a mentor who will help guide you and provide you with valuable insight to open your mind to new and endless possibilities.
They have been there before and can part their wisdom.
These skills are not just for your career, but it’s also for life.
