Apart from learning about the skills that you want to pursue, there’s so much you can do in your early life that will benefit you in the future. While some people say its dancing to a tune, and others say its to invest – the truth might be more simplified than that. We should focus on enhancing ourselves to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves. i.e. if we want to be a successful entrepreneur then we need to learn skills like Golf, Public Speaking, and Investing in these seemingly simple skills add 3X the value in return. So whether it’s becoming a successful manager, or breaking through the glass ceiling at work, any enhancement you do must align with overall goals.
Eating Healthy
Although the counterculture movement has dictated that young India eat junk food that appears to be junk-free (sugar-free coffee, pizza with less oil, etc), we have significant proof that eating healthy is the better option regardless of how old you are. Now the goal isn’t to eat healthy, it’s to live healthy. Which means everything in moderation and enjoying life to the fullest.
The skill here isn’t to just eat salads all day. The skill here is ‘counting macros’, ‘balanced meals’, and ’meal prep’. We can’t keep relying on our parents to cook for us everyday, and we must plan our meals in advance. We need to learn how to reduce carbs on a weekly cycle, and prepare sautéed veggies in a pan. This may seem trivial, but so many young Indians are undergoing an obesity crisis, along with having chronic problems such as gluten allergies, PCOD, lung diseases, and kidney failure. If we are to live together in the future, we need to learn how to eat healthy.
Public Speaking
One of the most underrated skills that can really enhance your life is public speaking. All too often, you find yourself speaking infront of a crowd, where your primary goal is to have fun and learn more about others. But then, its time for you to speak and you choke up. This is where learning even the basics of public speaking can help you out immensely.
CBT, or cognitive behavior therapy, has its basic tenants of going towards the things that scare you. You need to rephrase your mind towards thinking positively and approaching problems with a direct mindset. In Total Immersion Therapy, you can also create realistic goals for yourself and achieve them on a step by step basis. You can say to yourself – “I want to give a speech every month for a year”, and take active steps to get out of your own comfort zone.
Reading
Warren Buffet famously said that he reads between 500-600 pages a day. “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”
Not many people know the upside of reading about your industry, and enhancing your reading abilities in general. Bill Gates reads 50 books a year, Mark Cuban reads more than 3 hours a day, Elon Musk reads regularly, and Mark Zuckerberg reads around 4 books a month. Reading has been shown to improve IQ repeatedly, and it has shown benefits in mood balances and increased cognitive abilities.
Although reading fiction might be your first reaction to this text, the better approach is to read about your industry first. Devote hours on end to reading about what your industry or your job profile participants are doing across the world, and create real change in your own life. If your job role is to become more creative, then read about the greatest creative people in our lifetimes. If you want to better yourself at time management, read time management hacks on the weekends. We can all benefit from reading everyday and we can create real differences in our lives through the simple habit of reading!
