10 Non-Digital Skills You Need To Master

I have shared with you the 10 non-digital skills that are really needed but rarely mastered.

During this period of the pandemic, everyone is searching for one or more lucrative digital skills. The search is seriously on because many have heard the news of the loss of Jobs and retrenchment. I understand this very well because my very own sister was one of the unfortunate ones to lose their jobs for this reason.

However, I am certain that whether or not we can acquire those digital skills sets, we still will be faced with the challenge of harnessing a different set of latent skills we have often looked down upon. I plan to share with you those other non-digital skills that are needed but rarely mastered.

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Speaking Up

Warren Buffet advocates that public speaking can be an asset that can benefit anyone for 50 to 60 years and it can also be a liability that can take away those years from your life. 

Look at it this way; you are able and willing to speak so passionately about something not just because you believe in it, but also because you understand it.

Effective public speaking is the fruit of in-depth knowledge of a subject matter. It is the best way to demonstrate your mastery of a subject and therefore strengthens your goal which is to rule your world.

Being Honest With  Yourself

“As a person who has worked with various startups, I noticed that a lot of these startups all lie to themselves to feel good. They feel the goal is to look better than their competition.  But that always proves to be unproductive” - Mark Cuban

Be honest with yourself. Know what you know and what you don't know. But you have to know your business genuinely.

Having Confidence

One of the keys to having legendary success is not your natural ability, it has nothing to do with your background, IQ and certainly doesn't depend on whether you have the right product or that you are in the right field. It's not about whether you are blessed or not. 

Take a moment to deconstruct the idea of CONFIDENCE, yes, it is dependent on inner bravery. Confidence makes you see problems as opportunities. It makes us see stumbling blocks as stepping stones.

Confidence impregnates ideas and delivers solutions. 

It is a skill to be diligently practised. Confidence is like a muscle and like our bodybuilders, the more you focus on training it,  the more you build it to reflect well on the outside.

Listening

Nelson Mandela is a particular case study in the global scene for this one. Mandela was the son of a tribal chief and one day, he was asked: "How did you learn to be a great leader?" 

His response was simply that he would go out with his father to tribal meetings and he remembered two things that would always happen; First was that they all sat in a circle and Second was that his father was always the very last to speak.

You see, you have been told your whole life that you need to learn to listen. Well, let's rephrase that: you need to learn to be the last to speak.

The skill to hold your opinion to yourself until after everyone has spoken does two things for you: It gives others the feeling that they have been heard and you get to hear everyone's opinion before making an informed contribution based-off of that. 

If you are still wondering how this is possible? This is how to achieve it in real-time:

During any conversation, If you agree with someone, don't nod in affirmation just yet. On the other hand, if you disagree, do not shake your head or beg to differ just yet. 

keep that opinion to yourself. (sheath that idea-sword of yours) you will get your time. The only thing you should do is ask constructive questions.

Managing Your Time

This particular skill is key to help you avoid replacing effectiveness/productivity with activity. This generation is the busiest of all generations dating back 400years now. We fail to measure the results of our activities. 

Yes, you too can relate to this - When we stay on social media for an unhealthy amount of hours and we justify it we the fact that it's only our leisure time. Lol

It has been proven that 80% of the things we do as humans are not productive while we only make room for 20% productivity in our day to day lives. 

So think about it for a moment, what if we were to switch those numbers and take sides with 80% effective activities? Then and only then would we have learnt to manage our time perfectly.

Stop Whining

Complaints never become solutions, they are the true definition of a man driving on a one-way street. you are injecting negativity around yourself.

"I can't”, “I will not”, “Why don't you?", these are all excuses and distractions. Don't whine about situations you cannot change. 

Your goal should be to face situations with ideas that translate to solutions. Since you can not change the past, then do not dwell on it. 

simple!

Stay Present In The Moment

Do not live in the past, nor should you venture into the future. Stay in the present to be in total control of your life.

While the past makes your re-live memories you can not do anything about, the future creates anxiety and you do not want to constantly venture into any of these two time zones. 

Being in the present gives you the most control, living in the present gives you the option to make the decisions to be at peace and happy.

Something interesting is that research has shown that the people who have suffered the worst things in the world (Holocaust, Earth Quakes) are the happiest and grateful people in the world today.

Why? Because they quickly learnt to appreciate the tiny little details of life, the bubbles of air bursting in and out of their nostrils, the undaunting impact of being a survivor.

Happiness is a factor of the mind. Make deliberate efforts to control your thinking. Use your thought patterns to positively influence your emotions and how you feel.

To do this, simply find something in this very moment to savour.

Being Consistent

Success is not a destination. It is a Journey.

Continue moving and improving. Otherwise, you will only be remembered for your last failure.

Get Enough Sleep

Get enough sleep. it is vital for your concentration levels. Resting is not laziness. Rest is recommended for healthy living.

Having Empathy

Empathy is the current that connects you to your audience. It is a mysterious and valuable resource to the human race. 

Women are best at it - they easily cry, and are not ashamed to show it. 

Empathy is the engine that powers up the best in us. It is what brings two or more minds to a common ground and finally, it is what connects us. 

Build it well enough and you would be on your way to taking charge of your existence.

I do hope you have picked one or two things from this TED Talk. Please share with someone to expose them to these very necessary skills everyone must build.