A poor workman always blames his tools, an alibi for his lack of skills. We can safely apply this metaphor to our personal and professional lives. Consciously or subconsciously, we all look for excuses to make up for our lack of skills in some area of life or the other. While some may regard this as far-fetched and too formulaic for leading lives, we are sticking our necks out to say this: if at all, there were 5 skills that you needed to assess yourself on, it would be the five listed below. Somewhere down the line, all these five skills merge to help us manage ourselves better and be happy and successful in both professional and personal life alike.

1. Adaptability – Whether it be having to switch jobs because you cannot see yourself growing at your current workplace anymore, or having to adjust to rapid changes in your personal life, we all know this – if there is anything that is constant, it is change.  The catch is, the faster you make your peace with it, the better and quicker will you be able to grow. True that it is easier said than done. Look for stability in whatever the situation is right now, do not root for stability in the long run, you never know how that is going to pan out. No one does. Taking one day at a time would be the best thing to do, and a mantra that will take you a long way is being “#HappyInTheNow”!

2. Organizational skills – If you are in the midst of a career flux, we would recommend getting your bearings together by doing a skills assessment, having an updated CV, having your career Rolodex organized and more. If you were in the midst of a personal crisis, agony aunts would recommend inward and outward detox – cleaning up your emotions, your thoughts as well as your surroundings. Being organized in the way you live life is actually a great way to live! It takes less effort than you think it would but has manifold advantages!

3. Communication – No prize for guessing this one. We all know how important communication is when it comes to the world of work and to our personal worlds as well. All our worlds would simply come to a grinding halt if we weren’t good at this particular skill! Be it responding to emails, presenting oneself in interviews, (or conducting interviews for that matter), managing a long distance relationship, how on earth would we get on if we didn’t know the art of reaching out and communicating in an appropriate manner?!

4. Assertiveness – Being a pushover is the worst thing one can do to oneself. Actually, worse is, we seldom realize if we are pushovers, because we are so used to be taken for granted. If you find yourself doing unnecessary amounts of work, mostly for other people and have nothing to gain for it, or if you find yourself being constantly goaded into saying yes to several things you’d rather say no to, (both at work and in your personal life) probably it is time to take a step back. Learning how to put your foot down, assert yourself and making yourself clear about something you want or do not want is a non-negotiable.

5. Decision-making – Indecisiveness has cost many of us some of the best things we could have decided for ourselves. Decision making is a crucial skill, at work and home alike. Being indecisive could severely affect our goal setting abilities in our professional lives. Knowing what you want to achieve is the first step towards actually achieving it. Find out what you want to accomplish and don’t turn back until you have. Taking a stand is crucial in such situations. Being confused is but normal. However, confusion should not become a constant state of mind, to the point where it clouds all our judgements.

And that is all you need to be the HERO of your own life story!

Worldly wise, much?! Well, you can forget it all and just be #HappyInTheNow ! That has worked for us quite as well 🙂

We are waiting to hear and learn from you. Let us know your take?