5 Important Skills You Should Teach Yourself

The most successful people in the world have at least one thing in common.  They never stop learning.  While no one will ever know everything, here are a few skills you can add to your repertoire. Why not teach a skill to yourself?   It can be as simple as finding a good book.

1.  Learn to Speak in Public

As many as 75% of people may have a fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia.  Public speaking is not necessarily about standing in front of a large audience and making a presentation.  Becoming adept at public speaking helps to communicate with others more clearly, which can translate into success at work.  My executive level employees note that their promotions were in some ways directly related to their ability to communicate effectively.  On a personal level, increasing your public speaking skills can enhance your overall confidence and comfort in social situations.  (Recommended reading: Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds)

2.  Learn to Manage your Personal Finances

Personal finance goes beyond just budgeting.  It’s present in everything we do from buying a car or house to going to the grocery store.  Money management is a life- long process and we can all use tips to make it a little better. (Recommended Reading:  Why Didn’t They Teach Me This in School?: 99 Personal Money Management Principals to Live By)

3.  Learn a Foreign Language

If you’ve ever gone to another country and felt a bit out of place, you know the importance of knowing another language.  Learning an additional language opens up the world to you.  According to the Eton Institute, a new language has the ability to boost your brain power and has even been shown to delay the onset of dementia. (Recommended Reading: Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It)

4. Learn to Manage Your Time 

There are 24 hours in a day and at the end of each one, we never feel like we’ve gotten to the bottom of your to-do list.  Learning some time management tips and guidance on becoming more productive may just make you feel like you’ve added a few extra hours to your day. (Recommended Reading:  15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management:  The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs)

5.  Learn to Negotiate

Whether negotiating the price of your new house, a job raise, or which movie to see with your significant other, we have to bargain all the time.  If you always feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick in a negotiation, why not work on sharpening those skills? (Recommended Reading:  Influence:  The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition)

While you won’t become a pro overnight, these skills aren’t something that takes decades to learn either.  Taking the time to teach a skill to yourself will pay a lifetime of dividends.