Top skills that everyone needs to master to make the most of ourselves
Cooking/ Baking
Cooking is the most essential life skill you can ever have. Without being able to cook your own food, you would only be eating cold food and takeaway, neither of which sounds appealing for the long haul and also can be pretty expensive. You don't need to be the most proficient cook; instead try to follow some recipes online or in a cook book and in time you'll find that you are creating your own unique dishes.
Driving
Knowing how to drive isn't the most crucial thing in the world especially when living in a city like London. However, if you are part of a busy household with ageing parents and young children (nieces and nephews count as part of this), knowing how to drive and having a car is super useful. Also, it's so much fun to be able to blast your favourite music and not worry about headphone falling out of your ears.
First Aid
You never know when you will be in an emergency situation. In an ideal world, you will never need to use first aid and if you did calling 999 (or 111) would suffice. But we don't live in an ideal world; accidents happen and traffic may delay an ambulance. Learning first aid is a useful way to keep you covered should anything happen to yourself or someone close to you.
Self Defence
The Sarah Everard case that happened earlier this year is a good reminder that we can never be too safe. Sarah was out walking alone one evening; she was returning to her place after spending some time at her friend's house. Sarah never returned home. After months of investigations, it turned out that a police officer was responsible for Sarah's murder. Although, admittedly this is not a common situation for any woman to be in but it does happen and knowing a form of self defence, you give yourself a greater chance of escape. It can be boxing, karate, kick boxing.....the list goes on. Until you are confident in your self defence abilities, you can always carry a safety alarm on you. You can never be too cautious about your own safety.
DIY
Have you ever noticed how furniture companies charge an extortionate amount to deliver and then build up the piece of furniture for you? Sure, it saves a lot of time to get the professionals to do it but you could do the same job for a fraction of the cost. Next time you buy a book shelf from Ikea, get a screwdriver and assemble it yourself. Not only will you be saving a minimum of £30.00 doing so but it will also give you that sense of pride and achievement.
Budgeting and saving money
You can have your cake and eat it too. Just know how much the cake costs and set aside some money every time your salary comes into your account. Obviously we are talking about items bigger and more pricer than cake but you get the picture. Know where to cut spending and what is worth splurging on. With the average salary in London being £26,000 you could easily save £10,000 per year. Within 5 years, that's £50,000, which you could use as a downpayment for your own place. And if you have a partner just double the figures and in no time, you could be a home owner. It's all about the saving and smart budgeting.
Cycling
If you can balance yourself on two wheels you can cycle, you can use a scooter and you can incorporate a fun and healthy way of exercise into your weekly routine. Some councils provide free cycling lessons to adults so why not check out your local council and see if this is available to you and go out and get yourself some cycling lessons.
Swimming
I used to think that the main reason people learn to swim is for survival in case their plane had crashed into water and swimming would be the only way to survive. I grew up watching too much TV I guess. But growing up, I have found that there are some less dramatic benefits to knowing how to swim. There are a lot of health benefits, particularly if you have a bad back or if you are older and have painful joints. Swimming is also really fun; so get yourself down to your local pool and book in some lessons.
Saying 'no'
Saying no to things you don't want to do is a skill. You have the one life and our time is limited and valuable. Don't feel bad for saying no and taking control of what you want to do with your time and your life.
Saying 'sorry'
Saying sorry doesn't make you less of a person; if anything, it makes you more human and it shows you have compassion for the times when you are wrong. It's okay to make mistakes, just say you're sorry and mean it. Also, this being said, know when you're not sorry and don't apologise just to make a situation easier. Be true to you.
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