1. Build a
Fire – Fire produces heat
and light, two basic necessities for living. At some
point in your life this knowledge may be
vital.
2. Operate a Computer –
Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days.
Please, help those in need.
3. Use Google
Effectively
– Google knows everything. If you’re
having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you that needs
help.
4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich
Maneuver –
Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs
help.
5. Drive a Manual
Transmission Vehicle – There
will come a time when you’ll be stuck without this
knowledge.
6. Do Basic Cooking –
If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t
going to make it.
7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s
Attention –
If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just
save your breath.
8. Win or Avoid a
Fistfight –
Either way, you win.
9. Deliver Bad News –
Somebody has got to do it. Unfortunately, someday that person
will be you.
10. Change a Tire –
Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them
eventually pop.
11. Handle a Job
Interview
– I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous
panic won’t land you the job.
12. Manage Time –
Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but
not all the time.
13. Speed Read –
Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you
needed it 5 minutes ago.
14. Remember Names –
Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by
screaming “hey you”?
15. Relocate Living
Spaces
– Relocating is always a little tougher than you
originally imagined.
16. Travel Light –
Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter
thing to do.
17. Handle the Police –
Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba.
18. Give Driving
Directions –
Nobody likes driving around in circles. Get this one right
the first time.
19. Perform Basic First
Aid
– You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to
properly dress a wound.
20. Swim – 71%
of the Earth’s surface is covered by
water. Learning to swim might be a good
idea.
21. Parallel
Park – Parallel
parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s
license driving tests, yet so many people have no clue how
to do it. How could this be?
22.
Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may
wind up like this charming
fellow.
23. Select Good Produce – Rotten
fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful
surprise.
24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or
Handsaw – Carpenters
are not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a
basic understanding of basic hand tools.
25. Make a Simple
Budget
– Being in debt is not fun. A simple
budget is the key.
26. Speak at Least Two Common
Languages – Only
about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would
be nice if you could communicate with at least some of the
remaining 75%.
27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups
Properly – Improper
push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your
time.
28. Give a Compliment – It’s
one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s
free.
29. Negotiate – The
better deal is only a question or two away.
30. Listen Carefully to
Others
– The more you listen and the less you
talk, the more you will learn and the less you will
miss.
31. Recite Basic
Geography
– If you don’t know where anything is
outside of your own little bubble, most people will assume (and
they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at
all.
32. Paint a Room – The
true cost of painting is 90% labor. For simple
painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9 times what it
would cost you to do it yourself.
33. Make a Short, Informative Public
Speech – At
the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what
you’ve been working on over the last month, a short, clear,
informative response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will
not cut it.
34. Smile for the
Camera
– People that absolutely refuse to smile
for the camera suck!
35. Flirt Without Looking
Ridiculous – There
is a fine line between successful flirting and utter
disaster. If you try too hard, you lose. If you don’t
try hard enough, you lose.
36. Take Useful
Notes
– Because useless notes are useless, and
not taking notes is a recipe for failure.
37. Be a Respectful
House Guest– Otherwise you
will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years.
38. Make a Good First
Impression– Aristotle
once said, “well begun is half done.”
39. Navigate with a Map and
Compass – What
happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of
nowhere?
40. Sew a Button onto
Clothing
– It sure is cheaper than buying a new
shirt.
41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater
System – This
isn’t rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows
sheer laziness.
42. Type – Learning
to type could save you days worth of time over the course
of your lifetime.
43. Protect Personal Identity
Information – Personal
identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be
careless.
44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best
Practices – You
don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the
fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using
firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief
someday.
45. Detect a Lie – People
will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life.
46. End a Date Politely Without
Making Promises – There
is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to
keep. There is also no reason why you should have to
make a decision on the spot about someone you hardly
know.
47. Remove a Stain – Once
again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one.
48. Keep a Clean
House – A
clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized
lifestyle.
49.
Hold a Baby – Trust
me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do.
50. Jump Start a Car – It
sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck.
Check out these books for more ideas on pertinent life
skills: