Balance a budget

The old advice used to be that everyone needed to know how to balance their cheque book, but thanks to digital banking and credit cards, it seems that check registers have gone the way of the woolly mammoth. But that doesn’t mean that budgeting, perhaps the most important household skill there is, should too. In lieu of a physical accounting, make sure you know how to track your income and expenses. You can create your own spreadsheet at home or use an app like You Need a Budget, but whatever you do, make sure you do it..
It was an experience of a lifetime. A hundred strangers returned as family. The entire journey has transformed me immensely. I can amplify that the level of cultural exchange, meeting new people, experiencing new cuisines, socialising out of the box has all been of quite success and more than an achievement. India is more than Bollywood and serials; it is all about the rich cultural heritages, love for people and the colourful nation had a lot to teach us.
Say “no”

For such a short word, it’s amazing how many of us have a hard time saying it. But learning how to graciously but firmly say “no”—without padding it with excuses or white lies—is a critical life skill. If you’re one of those people who automatically says “yes” when someone asks you to do something and feels guilty saying “no,” try saying “I need to think about it” instead. That will give you time to think through your schedule and decide if it’s something you can really do without the pressure of having the person’s pleading eyes boring into you. And remember: Every time you say “yes” to one thing (like working late), you’re also saying “no” to everything else (like the gym, dinner with your family, and a reasonable bedtime).
Accept criticism

You did something wrong? Congratulations, you’re human! Unfortunately we often treat mistakes as personal failures, which makes hearing about them upsetting (to put it mildly), and when others try to offer criticism it can unleash your inner Hulk. But if you can teach yourself to see mistakes as learning opportunities instead, it makes them—and the inevitable criticism that comes with them—so much easier to handle. It’s also helpful to know how to criticise others without causing any hurt feelings.
Understand consequences

Want to party but not wake up with a hangover? Stuff yourself with cake but not gain weight? Take off every Friday but still have a job on Monday? Speed but never get a ticket? Well, we’re sorry to be the ones to break this to you, but this is not the way the world works. We all know this on an intellectual level, and yet we rage against it on an emotional level, living as if we don’t understand the immutable law of consequences. So here you go: When you make a choice to do something, you are also choosing the consequence. It’s a package deal.

Have a face-to-face conversation

Communicating with another person while looking them in the eye may be humankind’s oldest skill, but in an age of FaceTime, texting, and email we’re rapidly losing the talent for robust conversation. Yet nothing shows your interest and commitment more than simply talking with someone in person. Not sure how to start? Once the conversation is flowing, remember the golden ratio: 51 percent listening, 49 percent talking.

A good work ethic

There comes a day in every young person’s life when no one is kicking them out of bed in the morning and telling them where to be and when. It’s a milestone moment when you realise it’s all on you to make sure you get to work, do all your work, and not do too much work—and then get it done.

Understand a lease agreement

Your parents probably didn’t make you sign a lease to live at home but it’s likely that everyone you live with thereafter will have some paperwork waiting for your John Hancock. Unfortunately leases can be full of legalese and tricky to read, often coming with ironclad provisions that can come back to bite you later if you don’t understand what you’re signing.

Finish a project

Starting a new project is easy and fun! Finishing it is tough. But having the tenacity, will, and understanding to take a project—whether it’s for work, school, or a hobby—from beginning to end is what separates the wannabes from the champs. Don’t be a die-hard procrastinator!

Cook a meal

Spaghetti counts. So does chicken and rice. Frozen pizza does not (sorry). Learning to make a meal, from selecting a recipe to shopping for ingredients, to cooking to clean-up, is a vital life skill for anyone who likes to eat. You don’t have to be a chef or even make something with more than five ingredients, but you’ll be amazed at how empowering and fun it can be to play around in the kitchen.
 
Write a resume

Getting a job helps decide everything from where you live to what you eat to how happy you are, so pick a good one. Step one to getting your dream job? Crafting a solid resume.

Delegate

Sure you could do everything yourself but should you? Knowing where your time is best spent and where it makes sense to get outside help is one of the secrets to business and personal success.
 
Cope with change

You know what they say: Change is the only constant. Yet many of us still live our lives like they’ll always stay the same, so when big changes come they can rock the very foundation of our lives. But you don’t need to fear change, you just need to be prepared for it. Come up with a concrete plan for major contingencies and you’ll save yourself a lot of worry. Plus, big changes often lead to big results.

Basic first aid

Would you know what to do if someone collapses at work? If someone begins choking at dinner? If you sprain your ankle while hiking? Learning CPR and basic first aid skills fall under the category of skills you hope you’ll never have to use. But in an emergency situation, first aid training can help you keep your cool, stay safe and even save a life. Brush up on your skills or start anew by finding a local class through the Red Cross.

Choose your own happiness

Despite what people may say, getting offended is a choice, and choosing to keep your cool is a real skill. Give others the benefit of the doubt (even if they don’t deserve it), don’t take everything personally, be forgiving, and refuse to take the bait in the argument and you’ll have ultimate control over your own happiness. It’s not what happens to you that really matters, but how you react to it.

Source: Reader’s Digest