The best things in life may be free, but that doesn't mean they won't take time, sweat, and perseverance to acquire.
That's especially the case when it comes to learning important life skills.
We've highlighted our favorite takeaways.
1. Time management
Effective time management is one of the most highly valued skills by employers. While there is no one right way, it's important to find a system that works for you and stick to it,
Alina Grzegorzewska explains.
"The hardest thing to learn for me was how to plan," she writes. "Not to execute what I have planned, but to make so epic a to-do list and to schedule it so thoroughly that I'm really capable of completing all the tasks on the scheduled date."
2. Empathy
"You can be the most disciplined, brilliant, and even wealthy individual in the world, but if you don't care for or empathize with other people, then you are basically nothing but a sociopath," writes
Kamia Taylor.
Empathy, as business owner
Jane Wurdwand explains, is a fundamental human ability that has too readily been forsworn by modern business.
"Empathy — the ability to feel what others feel — is what makes good sales and service people truly great. Empathy as in team spirit — esprit d'corps — motivates people to try harder. Empathy drives employees to push beyond their own apathy, to go bigger, because they feel something bigger than just a paycheck," she writes.
3. Mastering your sleep
There are so many prescribed sleep hacks out there it's often hard to keep track. But regardless of what you choose,
establishing a ritual can help ensure you have restful nights.
Numerous studies show that being consistent with your sleep schedule makes it easier to fall asleep and wake up, and it helps promote better sleep in general.
4. Positive self-talk
"Ultimately it doesn't matter what others think of you," writes
Shobhit Singhal, "but what you think of yourself certainly does, and it takes time to build that level of confidence and ability to believe in yourself when nobody else does."
5. Consistency
Whether you're trying a new exercise routine, studying for the LSATs, or working on an important project,
Khaleel Syed writes that consistency is vital to maintaining any kind of success.
People often stop working hard when they reach the top, he explains, but to maintain that top position, they have to work harder and be more consistent in their work.
6. Asking for help
"I once was told in a job interview, 'You can't have this job if you can't ask for help when you need it,'"
Louise Christy writes. "Naturally, I said I could. Later, I found out that the previous person with that job had screwed up big-time because he was in over his head but couldn't admit it and didn't ask for help."
She explains that knowing when you need help and then asking for it is surprisingly difficult to learn and do because no one wants to be perceived as weak or incompetent.
7. Knowing when to shut up — and actually doing it
"You can't go around whining about every other thing that seems not-so-right to you in this world," writes
Roshna Nazir. "Sometimes you just need to shut up."
There are many instances when keeping to yourself is the best course. "When we are angry, upset, agitated, or vexed," writes
Anwesha Jana, "we blurt out anything and everything that comes to our mind." And later, you tend to regret it.
Keeping your mouth shut when you're agitated is one of the most valuable skills to learn, and of course, one of the most difficult.
8. Listening
One tip for active listening is repeating back what you heard to the other person. "It makes things so much easier when everyone is on the same page," she said.
9. Minding your business
Sticking your nose into other people's work isn't helpful and wastes time and resources, she says. "You have no right to put forth your two or four cents, even if you are the last righteous person standing."
10. Mastering your thoughts
To do what you want to do and accomplish what you want to accomplish, you need to consciously direct your thinking, writes
Mark Givert.
"The challenge is that we are the product of our past experience and all of our thinking is the result of this," he says. "However, the past does not equal the future."
Inside, customers can specify an array of wild features, including a
refrigerator in the trunk — perfect for carrying two bottles of Dom
Perignon — and a custom in-dash diamond and solid gold clock
manufactured by Breitling that is periodically rewound automatically by a
system inside the car.
The Bentayga looks a bit like a Flying Spur sedan that's been propped
up with beefier underpinnings, and by all appearances, this is a
legitimate off-roader: besides the huge W-12 engine, there are cabin
controls for selecting your surface, and a hill descent system that
makes it easier to come down a steep grade. It might be hard to imagine
why you'd want to take your six-figure machine out into the sticks, but
you never know what kinds of remote, undeveloped properties the world's
millionaires and billionaires are hanging onto.
At launch, the Bentayga will be available with four or five seats,
but a seven-seat option is coming along with diesel and plug-in hybrid
versions. Rolls-Royce's ultra-luxe SUV
is still a ways off yet, so Bentley's got a bit of runway here to lock
up some sales — you can only buy so many Range Rovers and Cayennes
before you need something else in your life, after all, and Bentley's
got the answer.
fueled by
the belief that his or her business will lead to happiness. But what
if, instead of happiness being your destination, it played a role while
you were growing your business? There is certainly evidence of success
among brands that focus on an ideal which goes beyond the product and
service they sell.
