While taking a short break, I stumbled upon an article from Buzzfeed. The article listed down all the life skills each of us should have. Since it’s a checklist, I was able to tick off the items that I think I’ve learned.
I have a looooooooooooooooooong way to go but I’m glad that I was able to get hold of this list. Now, I have something to refer to. It’s also a perfect time as I’m trying to revamp my bucket list.
Life Skills I Need to Have
Being a perfectionist, I feel uncomfortable tagging a skill as a ‘yes’ if I still have so much things to learn about it. I want to say that I will stop exerting effort in honing that skill if I have exhausted all possibilities in learning it so, you’ll see me tagging some skills as ‘maybe’.
| LIFE SKILL | ACQUIRED? |
|---|---|
| I can sew. | YES |
| I can tie a man’s tie. | NO |
| I can make a meal without a recipe | NO |
| I can build a fire. | NO |
| I can bandage a wound. | NO |
| I can navigate with an IRL map (NOT Google Maps) | MAYBE |
| I can measure a piece of furniture to know if it fits in a space. | YES |
| I can change a tire. | NO |
| I know how to check oil in a car. | NO |
| I know the proper way to fold a fitted sheet. | NO |
| I know how to do laundry. | NO |
| I know how to iron a shirt. | NO |
| I know how to stop a toilet from overflowing. | NO |
| I know how to set up a wireless network. | YES |
| I know how to use excel. | MAYBE |
| I can create a basic website/blog. | YES |
| I know how to craft a resume. | YES |
| I know how to cook eggs at least three different ways. | NO |
| I know how to use chopsticks. | YES |
| I know CPR. | NO |
| I know how to perform the Heimlich maneuver. | NO |
| I know how to calculate a tip. | MAYBE |
| I can do a push-up. | NO |
| I can swim. | NO |
| I can drive. | YES |
| I can ride a bike. | NO |
| I can do basic math in my head. | YES |
| I can do long division on paper. | YES |
| I can keep a plant alive. | NO |
| I can make pasta without under- or overcooking it. | YES |
| I can tie a proper knot. | NO |
| I can open a champagne bottle. | NO |
| I can drive a stick shift. | NO |
| I can use both a Mac and PC. | YES |
| I can parallel park. | YES |
| I know when fruits and vegetables are ripe. | NO |
| I can assemble Ikea furniture by myself. | NO |
| I know what to do if you spill red wine on carpet. | NO |
| I know what to do to remove blood stains. | NO |
| I know how to jump-start a car. | NO |
| I know how to read and understand nutrition labels. | NO |
| I know what to do if I get in a car accident. | YES |
| I know how to budget. | YES |
| I can write letters with few spelling and grammar errors. | YES |
| I can bargain at a flea market. | YES |
| I can carve a turkey or chicken. | NO |
| I know how to operate a fire extinguisher. | NO |
| I can use a sewing machine. | NO |
| I can successfully bake a cake with a recipe. | NO |
| I know how to properly set a table. | NO |
| I can adjust my Facebook privacy settings with ease. | YES |
| I know how to treat a bee sting. | NO |
| I understand what goes in the recycling versus trash. | NO |
| I know how to make a soft-, medium-, and hard-boiled egg. | NO |
| I know how to back up my information. | NO |
| I know how to update my phone. | YES |
| I understand how to manage/store my music and photos. | YES |
| I know how to use an electric drill. | NO |
| I know how to hang a picture. | YES |
| I can install something – like a shelf or curtain hooks – into the wall. | NO |
| I can braid hair. | YES |
| I can throw a football. | NO |
| I can set up a barbecue fire. | NO |
| I can cook meat to a desired level (rare, well-done, etc). | NO |
| I know how to make a mixed drink. | NO |
| I can do my taxes. | NO |
| I can change a diaper. | NO |
| I understand how to throw a punch. | NO |
| I can actually throw a punch. | NO |
| I can negotiate a raise. | YES |
| I can figure out which direction points north without a compass. | NO |
| I can navigate the subway without having to ask for help. | NO |
| I know how to send someone a large file. | YES |
| I know how to use Twitter. | YES |
| I understand what a 401(k) is. | NO |
| I understand how the stock market works. | MAYBE |
| I understand the terms of my health insurance program. | NO |
| I know what an abnormal mole might look like. | NO |
| I can change a lightbulb. | YES |
| I can read a text and recall the most important details. | YES |
| I can do a pretty decent dive into a pool. | NO |
| I can ski. | NO |
| I can recognize (but not necessarily speak) languages like Spanish, French, German, and Italian. | NO |
| I know how to clean filters in my vacuum. | NO |
| I can replace a vacuum belt. | NO |
| I know how to paint a room. | NO |
| If named a state in the US, I could describe where it is. | NO |
| If named a country in Europe, I could describe where it is. | NO |
| I could draw a basic map of the world. | NO |
| I know how to play sudoku. | YES |
| I know how to polish silver. | NO |
| I know how to eat a lobster. | YES |
| I can fix a leaky faucet. | NO |
| I know how to use the internet – beyond Google – for finding things. | YES |
| I am good at finding exactly what I’m looking for online. | YES |
| I can wrap a gift (and it won’t look like someone with no fingers wrapped it). | MAYBE |
| I have been able to get around in a foreign country by myself with ease. | NO |
| I can remove a splinter. | NO |
| I know how to properly clean (the exterior) of my computer and electronic devices. | NO |
| I understand how a mortgage works. | NO |
Plans to Learn the Skills I Haven’t Acquired
I already have a ready list of things I plan to achieve in 2014. Most of the items in this skills list are not part of it. However, I think I can squeeze in a few so that I can tick off some of the items
- Year 2014 – tie a man’s tie, navigate with a IRL map, fold a fitted sheet, iron a shirt, master excel, cook eggs in 3 ways, calculate a tip, know when fruits & vegetables are ripe, bake cake with recipe, properly set a table, recycle versus trash, how to make soft, medium, hard-boiled egg, know what an abnormal mole looks like, clean filters in vacuum, replace vacuum belt, properly clean computer & electronic devices.
- Year 2015 – meal without a recipe, bandage a wound, change a tire, check oil in a car, do laundry, push up, keep plant alive, proper knot, open champagne bottle, cook meat at a desired level (Rare, well-done, etc), learn stock market, understand health insurance program, back up data.
- Year 2016 and beyond – build a fire, stop toilet from overflowing, CPR, heimlich maneuver, swim, can dive into a pool, ride a bike, drive stick shift, assemble IKEA furniture, clean spilled red wine on carpet, remove blood stains, jump start car, read & understand nutrition label, carve turkey/chicken, operate fire extinguisher, use sewing machine, treat bee sting, use electric drill, install shelf or curtain hooks on the wall, throw football, set up barbecue fire, make a mixed drink, do taxes, change diaper, how to throw a punch, can throw a punch, know direction points without compass, navigate subway without asking for help, understand 401(k), ski, recognize languages like Spanish, French, German, & Italian, know how to paint a room, name a state in US and describe where it is, name a country in Europe & describe where it is, draw a basic map of the world, polish silver, fix leaky faucet, get around foreign country on my own with ease, remove a splinter, understand how mortgage works.
Boy, after reviewing the list, I realized that I need to work on a lot of things (wahh! I only have 30 out of 100 skills!!). I felt I wasted so much time during my youth. I should have used the time to learn some of the skills in this list. Anyway, I won’t let my age control me, hahahaha! I’ll work on this one – one skill at a time.
How about you? Mind to share your result? 🙂
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