Saturday, October 4, 2008

50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life.  To be
self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a
jack of all trades.  Contrary to what you may have learned in school, a jack of
all trades is far more equipped to deal with life than a specialized master of
only one.


While not

totally comprehensive,
here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do.


1.  Build a Fire –
Fire produces heat and light, two basic necessities for living.  At some point
in your life this knowledge may be vital.



2.  Operate a Computer –
Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days.  Please, help those in
need.



3.  Use Google Effectively –
Google knows everything.  If you’re having trouble finding something with
Google, it’s you that needs help.



4.  Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver –
Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help.



5.  Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a
time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge.



6.  Do Basic Cooking –
If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it.



7.  Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention –
If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save your
breath.




8.  Win or Avoid a Fistfight –
Either way, you win.



9.  Deliver Bad News –
Somebody has got to do it.  Unfortunately, someday that person will be you.



10.  Change a Tire –
Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them eventually pop.



11.  Handle a Job Interview –
I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous panic won’t land you the job.



12.  Manage Time –
Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but not all the
time.



13.  Speed Read –
Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago. 



14.  Remember Names –
Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by screaming “hey you”?



15.  Relocate Living Spaces –
Relocating is always a little tougher than you originally imagined.



16.  Travel Light –
Bring only the necessities.  It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter thing to do.



17.  Handle the Police –
Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba.



18.  Give Driving Directions –
Nobody likes driving around in circles.  Get this one right the first time.



19.  Perform Basic First Aid –
You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to properly dress a wound.



20.  Swim – 71%
of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.  Learning to swim might be a good
idea. 



21.  Parallel Park – Parallel
parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so
many people have no clue how to do it.  How could this be?



22.  Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise
you may wind up like
this charming fellow.



23.  Select Good Produce – Rotten
fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful surprise.



24.  Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters
are not the only ones who need tools.  Everyone should have a basic
understanding of basic hand tools.



25.  Make a Simple Budget – Being
in debt is not fun.  A simple budget is the key.



26.  Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only
about 25% of the world’s population speaks English.  It would be nice if you
could communicate with at least some of the remaining 75%.



27.  Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper
push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your time.



28.  Give a Compliment – It’s
one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s free.



29.  Negotiate – The
better deal is only a question or two away.



30.  Listen Carefully to Others – The
more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you
will miss.



31.  Recite Basic Geography – If
you don’t know where anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people
will assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at all.



32.  Paint a Room – The
true cost of painting is 90% labor.  For simple painting jobs it makes no sense
to pay someone 9 times what it would cost you to do it yourself.



33.  Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At
the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve been
working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative response is surely
your best bet.  “Duhhh…” will not cut it.



34.  Smile for the Camera – People
that absolutely refuse to smile for the camera suck!



35.  Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There
is a fine line between successful flirting and utter disaster.  If you try too
hard, you lose.  If you don’t try hard enough, you lose.



36. Take Useful Notes – Because
useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure.



37.  Be a Respectful House Guest
– Otherwise you will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years.



38.  Make a Good First Impression
– Aristotle once said, “well begun is half done.”



39.  Navigate with a Map and Compass – What
happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere?



40.  Sew a Button onto Clothing – It
sure is cheaper than buying a new shirt.



41.  Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This
isn’t rocket science.  Paying someone to do this shows sheer laziness.



42.  Type – Learning
to type could save you days worth of time over the course of your lifetime.



43.  Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal
identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief.  Don’t be careless.



44.  Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices – You
don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the fundamentals of
creating complex passwords and using firewalls.  Doing so will surely save you a
lot of grief someday.



45.  Detect a Lie – People
will lie to you.  It’s a sad fact of life.



46.  End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There
is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to keep.  There is also no
reason why you should have to make a decision on the spot about someone you
hardly know.



47.  Remove a Stain – Once
again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one.



48.  Keep a Clean House – A
clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized lifestyle.



49.  Hold a Baby – Trust
me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do.



50.  Jump Start a Car – It
sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck.


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