Learn Skills

What hard skills should one learn to maximize a positive impact on the world?

1. Reading skills. Writing skills. Math skills. Science skills. Puzzle skills. Game skills. Brain skills are the foundation of having a self-directed intentional positive impact on the world. Brain skills have a positive impact on you. Become the idea person whose active imagination is always coming up with some new way to solve an old problem.
2. Develop body skills too. Yoga is a great way for the body to let go of the brain. Sports are another. Go for walks and take pictures. If you are a woman take a course in self defense. Learn CPR and first aid. If you are an old person take a martial arts skills course in using a cane for self defense. Whacking somebody with a cane tends to get their attention. Learning to whack somebody with your walker is a bit over the top.
3. Polite listening skills. Learn when to keep your mouth shut and listen to what someone is saying. Learn when to turn off the inner ego driven mouth piece that is forming gratifying words while half listening to the speaker. Listen to what they are saying. When your speech is interrupted, stop and listen. When you listen and watch, they are giving you information. Process the information carefully. Learn to observe the speaker’s body language and facial expressions for coherence with the words being spoken.
4. Learn to ask good questions. Learn to speak well. Learn to apologize when necessary. Learn life lessons from the apologies you give.
5. Develop an emotion vocabulary. Learn to calm your emotions. Pay attention to yours and to others. Learn empathy to deal with situational life. Learn compassion. Learn love.
6. Pay attention to your dreams. Dreams often hold the answers. Answers will pop into the consciousness from the subconscious. In its most fundamental form life is about processing information. Discounting information from your subconscious may be unwise.
7. Develop team working skills. Few long lasting positive impacts on the world can be implemented alone. Develop a sense presence. “I am here so things will be better.” Tighten the reins on the ego, which is the driver of getting things done.
8. Meet people. Be watchful for serendipity. For example, you have wracked your brain for days when, in a chance encounter, you meet someone who gives you the answer. You meet someone who gives you some new narrative that changes your narrative. Why? When you meet somebody for the first time ask yourself why. Why this person? Why now? What information is exchanged? If you keep drawing a blank, pay extra attention to the next item.
9. Find your higher power and tap into it. Learn instant forgiveness. Learn how to pray. Prayer is good because it helps order the brain. It is sometimes the trigger to the answer you need. Ask for what you need. Give a thankful prayer for what you receive. If you don’t know what to call yourself spiritually, become an Agnostic.
10. Addiction tends to reduce ones positive impact on the world? Learn to recognize addiction in yourself. If you enjoy it and no harm comes to you or to those around you, then enjoy your addiction. Freedom gives every human that choice. Learn to stop addiction cold turkey. Learn to ask for help when you can’t. Learn to recognize addiction in others. If you think your kid might be using drugs get them in for a drug test. If you want to have a positive impact on the world, start there.