Do You Know What Does It Takes To Succeed At Life?
touch the card to read the other side
A List To Know When "The Work of Growing Up" Is Done
Do you still feel like you are lost in the world and losing at the game of life? Are you ready to move out on your own and claim your niche in the world ... but still feel like you are missing something? Or has life recently thrown you a few curve balls andleft you feeling like you need to sent back to the minors?
We all, at times, can feel like we are not equal to the world ... and the challenges and critical tasks that lie ahead of us. So how do you know when you are ready to face the world? How can you be sure that you have what it takes to triumph and succeed in life?
Making A List & Checking It Twice
To succeed in life means you have to know what the goal is ... a big bank account, a loving family, great friends, a large house, paying off the mortgage, making it past 50. We all have different ideas ... many times we never actually say them out loud or acknowledge what exactly we are living for.
But how we define success ... determines how we view ourselves .. as winners or losers ... as great or defeated ... as loveable or invisible.
So if in the game of life .. you get to choose the goal .. how you define success .. why not choose the things you can do .. and do well? Why not put together a list of how you will evaluate your life .. live your life ... and the things you want to focus on.
Once you have a list, then you may want to put together a list of the skills and knowledge youneed to succeed at the life you have described.
My List of Skills & Knowledge
As a starting point, here is my list for success. I hope it helps you get started on making your own list -- one that reflects your ideas, values and ambitions.
Self Knowledge Skills
- To know who you are, who you can become, where you belong and how you can excel in life.
- To know what your life purpose is and the things that create meaning and bring joy into your life.
- To understand the challenges, opportunities, and obstacles in each life stage and be able to maximize the benefits each brings to you.
Work Skills
- To know how the business world works as defined by the worldwide labor market, global economics, industry dynamics company structures, hiring practices and career paths.
- To be an intelligent, productive, hard working and ethical employee or employer.
- To not only be self sustainable, but to earn a good living -- enough to be able to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, education and medical care for you and your loved ones.
Managing Money Skills
- To not only be able to do simple math, but handle money, budget, spend and save wisely.
Problem Solving Skills
- To be able to think deeply and critically about problems. Specifically, to recognize the symptoms, trace them to the root of the problem, name it, identify and evaluate possible solutions, select the appropriate solution and implement it.
- To know how the world works as defined by mathematical formulas and other representations of cause and effect in the physical world.
- To be able to identify obstacles, understand their impact and significance, and know how to overcome them or go around them.
Communication Skills
- To not only be able to read well, but be literate in all the best examples of the written word so you can spot common themes and think about universal ideas.
- To be able to not only write, but communicate well with others about your thoughts, feelings, ideas, opinions, tastes, preferences, values and beliefs.
Relationship Skills
- To get along with others, respect their individuality and strengths, as well as understand their weaknesses and needs.
- To be able to form friendships, alliances, temporary teams, study groups, and negotiate the world of cliques and social hierarchies.
- To be able to listen to, understand, respect, and follow authorities as well as undertake leadership roles and use power wisely.
- To be a thoughtful and informed citizen who votes, pays taxes, obeys the laws, participates in helping the community thrive and serves to protect and defend the rights and life of others.
- To be a considerate, compassionate and responsible home owner, neighbor and community member.
- To be a kind, loving and supportive family member.
- To find and connect with another person and commit your heart, head and resources to nurture and champion their dreams -- and have them do the same to you.
Living Skills
- To be able to observe the world, reason, and draw accurate and rational conclusions.
- To understand how to live a healthy life and make life-fulfilling decisions about food, physical exercise, sleep, and the way you use your life energy.
- To learn about the chain of consequences that flow from both small and large actions and to take responsibility for both your actions and all their consequences.
- To be able to navigate the world around you and be able to travel safely where ever you need to go.
- To understand the major life decisions you face and know how to make good choices based on your current situation and future possibilities.
- To understand universal life themes and how to turn them from abstract concepts into concrete actions. These include ... justice, freedom, honor, integrity, respect, fairness, ethics, love, jealously, joy, greed.
Using The List
You might be surprised what a list like this can spark in your life -- and how it can help guide your steps through the common life events that fill modern life.
Knowing that you are able to cope with what lies ahead in life is a great asset, but so is getting a heads up so you can bone up before before life starts throwing you a few curve balls.
