Ram was exiled, he walked miles and miles tirelessly, got into trouble, fought a war and lots more and his home-coming is celebrated by observing Diwali. Ram’s victory can be blamed on his Guru Rishi Vashistha.
Other than the formal training of weapons and war, the disciples were also taught life lessons. Taught to be resilient, understand philosophy, understand dharma, take care of the ashram, understand ways of living and living successful. These gurus taught their disciples to be prepared for every life situation.
In the post-colonial era the education system of our country took a different turn. Students were taught to obey and obey well at work. The focus was on study to work and not necessarily study to handle the highs and lows that life throws at us.
The global pandemic really tested people’s ability to survive in the storm. And people succumbed to these situations, some are even now reeling under the pressure.
It’s time to teach ourselves ways of living and resilience. Some people are automatic self-learners; which is wonderful. Yet there are some who need hand holding. Also, we need to relearn to ‘ask’ for help. Either ways it’s important to be aware of these and figure out which ones we need to develop in order to lead a healthy stress-free life. In my 1:1 consulting sessions, the participants do tell me, they wish they knew about these life skills before, that would bring in a lot of ease in the way they dealt with people, jobs, life problems etc. in the past.
Some of the life skills worth considering are:
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Time management
- Money management
- Cooking, kitchen management and house management
- First-aid
- Technology
- Self-learning
- Managing a healthy body
- Adapting to the environment
- Making friends
- Clear communication
- Stress-management
- Coping with emotions
- Interpersonal relationships
- Socially skillful
- Coping with success and failures in life
- Effective communication skills
- Developing a ‘solutions’ mindset
- Etiquettes to survive in the society – Email, Corporate, Digital etc..
- Tapping resources and being resourceful
- Networking skills
Phew! Long list isn’t it? Now let’s not blame our education system and sit down being a blamer. We are in a better off era, where a lot of help is offered. There are YouTube videos, tons of content on improving these skills in ourselves. If you aren’t the types to self-study then you can connect with people who offer life skills lessons in form of 1:1 session or training sessions etc.
I’d love to hear from you…… would you reach out to professionals and upskill yourself in Life skills? Drop me a comment and let me know.
