You have a friend who could talk their way out of anything when he was 20. Now he’s 40, and he totally freezes up when he has to ask their doctor a question. Turns out he was only smooth at bars, but that doesn’t translate anywhere else.
And wouldn’t you agree that having good communication skills matters much more in a doctor’s office or at work than in a random bar?
The Skills That Matter More Over Time
You may have been sharp as a tack in your 20s, but that doesn’t mean you don’t struggle with every little decision now that you’re older. Don’t worry, you didn’t get dumber.
Things are different now, but you didn’t learn the new rules, so life isn’t as easy as it used to be.
Here are some skills that you should master ASAP.
Talking Through Problems Instead of Making Them Worse
Before, arguments would blow over after a day of ignoring each other, but that’s not how it is anymore. Things change a lot once you share a bank account with someone or co-parent a kid.
And it’s all about communication.
Good communication means that you listen to the other person without planning what to say in return. It also means knowing how to stay calm when someone doesn’t agree with you.
Paying Attention to Your Health on Time
Health literacy doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.
Basically, it means that you need to know your body well enough to notice when something’s off, and then you need to do something about it. If you skip the annual checkup or ignore a weird pain in your back when you’re 40, it could turn into a big issue because, whether you like it or not, you’re not THAT young anymore.
You won’t bounce back as quickly as you did when you were 24.
Just make sure you’re getting enough sleep and exercise before your doctor tells you to, and don’t brush things off.
Be Financially Literate
You might be making a lot of money, but if you don’t know how to manage it, what’s the point?
Being financially literate means coming up with a budget that you stick to and having an emergency fund for “surprises.”Surprises are your car breaking down or the dishwasher being on the fritz.
Also, learn to tell the difference between good debt and bad debt. And another boring thing – plan your retirement.
You don’t want to still work when you’re 70, right?
Become the Person Others Rely On
This doesn’t mean you need to be anyone’s errand boy or punching bag.
But what you will notice is that family dynamics will change at one point, and your parents will need your help instead of the other way around.
You’ll pretty much have no other choice but to step up into that role.
You’ll be the designated ‘all knower’, the designated go-to person, the one who knows which doctor to call, which medications need to be picked up, the one who will help solve hard problems, and the one who’s known as being reliable.
This also comes along with having to make hard decisions, like whether you should move your parents into a nursing home or have them stay where they are. And with all the negligence, accidents, and bed sore death cases in nursing homes, that won’t be a fun decision to make.
Make Decisions Without Waiting for Everyone’s Approval
Taking a risk is stressful, so you might want to ask everyone around you for their opinions. But if you wait until everyone agrees with you, you’ll wait forever, and you’ll never do anything. Risking and failing isn’t fun, but neither is being in the same place for decades.
Think about this – how you feel, what the facts say, what the long-term consequences are, and what the person closest to you (your partner, for instance) thinks.
Everything else is just noise.
Boring skills, huh?
Nothing like learning to shoot or climb a mountain. Nobody will admire you for learning how to set boundaries with your mother-in-law or finally getting your cholesterol under control. But one thing you can’t say about any of these boring skills is that they don’t work.
Because they do.
It’s great to be charming and spontaneous when you need to get out of a speeding ticket, but that won’t help you keep your life from turning into a dumpster fire.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
