Category: life skills

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People Explain Which Things They Think They’re Doing Wrong But Are Too Afraid To Ask

Parents and teachers mean well when they attempt to instruct us on the ways of the world.

But it doesn’t mean they’ll teach us everything we need to know, does it? Most of what they teach us is the basics: bathroom etiquette, tying our shoes, reading, writing and the like.

However, what about the more irregular stuff? The things you wish you knew about before entering adulthood?

Reddit user, Wijting, asked:

“What do you think you are doing wrong, but are too scared to ask somebody?”

Ride The Lunch Train Straight To Hell

“I have no idea if my lunch break is an hour or 30 minutes.”

“Where my office is located in my building, my boss and co-workers can’t see me leave for lunch. When I started, I just began taking hour lunches like I did at my last job.”

“Recently I heard a co-worker mention taking her 30 minute lunch.”

“I’ve been taking hour long lunches for 6 years and it’s way past the point of asking….” ~ spydervenom

Feel The Fury

“How to handle anger? I’m too embarrassed to ask” ~ Ok-Plastic-62

“Theres an excersise that i use sometimes when i get too angry:”

“First take deep, slow breaths. This evens out your breathing and calms you down (sometimes youll unconsiously start brething at a quicker pace when angry).”

“Make sure your in a comfortable position, one that you can be in for a minite of two, and imagine that your body is slowly being filled up with ‘liquid sunshine’ from the bottom up, like an hourglass.”

“Sounds odd, but give it a try! It has helped me out more than once.” ~ TroospooK

You Just Pucker Up

“Kissing. I’ve had no complaints but it’s not really something your parents taught you to do properly (unless you’re into that)” ~ BenignFrustration

“You and your SO will learn from one another what they like/you like and what they don’t like/you don’t like.” ~ Gianca16

It’s The Hardest, Simplest Decision You Can Make

“My finances – no idea how to properly manage my money.” ~ FinnbarMcBride

“Figure out exactly how much money you bring in during an average month.”

“Take your last x months of expenses (I did 3 but if you had a full year of normal expenses that’d be best)and break it down into categories of what you spent money on [i.e. loans, food, gas, fun stuff]”

“If you have more expenses than income take a honest look at your expenses and make some cuts, id mostly focus on stuff like gaming, going out, drinking.”

“Try to put as much money as you can into your 401k, usually 10-15% of your monthly income is advised (but also doesn’t have to happen if that would put you into the res)”

“If you have cc debt pay that off first, then car loans then long term loans like student loans and mortgages” ~ pspspsprjrjejdjdjdj

Tongue-Tied Argument

“I feel like I’m really articulate when I’m going about my day especially over text, but as soon as I get into a verbal disagreement it’s like my f’king brain shuts off and I forget how to think. Like a deer in the headlights.”

“I don’t remember it always being this way but it’s like I’ve got this huge amount of social anxiety in those situations now and I struggle to accurately express myself.” ~ The_Splenda_Man

“That’s totally normal. You don’t have the same amount of time to think about your response in person.”

“I think that it is really more important to listen to what the person is saying rather than trying to come up with a response. Remember, it is always valid to say ‘I need more time to think about this’.” ~ kitskill

Are They Still Breathing? Probably A Good Start.

“Babysitting. I babysat a few times when I was 13 or 14 and I wasn’t sure if I was just supposed to check in on the kid or play with them or just like, make sure they don’t die.”

“I’m really good at kid sitting but babysitting (or for me watching a kid under 7 years old) is just hard.” ~ Teabeany

“If it’s new parents they’ll inundate you with instructions.”

“If it’s not new parents they’ll be happy as long as the kids are alive and the house hasn’t burnt down.” ~ IAmJohnny5ive

I Thought I Was Being Friendly?

“Flirting. Let’s face it.”

“I don’t even know what the heck that is, how it works and what the difference between talking and flirting is.”

“Funny enough apparently that leads to me being constantly flirty without wanting to be. At least I often get told that I flirt with almost every single person I met.” ~ OverlyShyEnby

We’re All Envious Of You

“Showering. I have very very long thick hair and I just kind of blast shampoo and conditioner at it.”

“People ask me what I do to keep my hair so nice and I have no idea what to say. People seem to have such complex hair rituals and I’m here just aping it up.” ~ SkylordZoey

Who’s Supposed To Teach You This? Honestly?

“I’m a girl. Not sure if I’m supposed to shave the thin blonde hairs in my thighs or not.”

“Sometimes they look darker, but sometimes they look blonde.”

“I shave the rest of my legs ( below the knee), but I’m in my 30s. Feels like I should know this already….” ~ busycleaning

“Out of all the women I’ve slept with, I genuinely can’t remember if there were hair on their thighs.”

“It never even occurred to me until I saw your comment, and I can’t imagine other people would care unless they were particularly squeamish about that specific thing.”

“But would that still matter to them in the heat of the moment? Idk. I don’t think so” ~ DandyBubbles

Not As Complicated As You Think

“Life.”

“Like what am I supposed to be doing? I have about 80 years total.”

“So far, I’ve learned stuff, got married, and got a good job. Am I just grinding out the rest of my years?” ~ OPmeansopeningposter

“Help others, improve the world.”

“You’ve listed a bunch of stuff you’ve gotten out of life. Now it’s time to think about what you can give.” ~ orange_avalanche

When in doubt?

Just ask.

Someone.

Anyone.

Or JFGI.

Better to know than not know, right?

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People Admit What They Thought Would Be Easy Until They Tried It

You’ve probably been dumbfounded when trying something new in your life at least once…or maybe way more times than that if you’re a risk-taker and even a little bit ignorant.

Hey, we all live and learn, right?

But sometimes, you have to learn the hard way.

Folks on AskReddit talked about what they thought would be easy until they tried it.

1. Uhhh, no.

“Running.

I was like yeah I smoke and drink but I can definitely run like the wind. Ha, no.

Quit smoking after my first run and am now 3 years smoke free!”

2. Now, that is hard.

“Playing the guitar.

The jump from not being able to play anything to playing basic chords and a couple songs you like isn’t that much and it makes you feel like such a bad*ss. But the jump again to a working musician is astronomical.

I tried and just got burnt out and it wasn’t fun anymore.”

3. Back to Square One.

“A lot of the parts from that Ninja Warrior show. I’m a very physically fit guy and always thought that first course looked like a breeze.

Then I found a local gym with the different elements set up. Even just that very first part where you hop across a few platforms was tough.”

4. Gotta work it out.

“Maintaining a proper work/life balance.

When I was still in college, I’d either procrastinate way too much or I’d work nonstop.

I was never able to find a balance where I was still getting sh*t done but not burning myself out.”

5. Harder as you get older.

“Learning a second language.

I understand it’s far easier as an adolescent but, whew, conversational German for a English speaker is very hard for me.”

6. It’s true.

“Making (and maintaining) friends as an adult.

I never really put much thought into this, until I had no friends left in adulthood, and realized how easy it used to be as a kid in school in comparison.”

7. A tough one.

“I am not a really confident person but I keep working on my confidence.

There was a time when I tried the “fake it until you make it” approach.

Faking it is harder than expected.”

8. Works of art.

“Pottery.

I made a couple of very small, cr*ppy bowls on the wheel, but the thing I made the best and far more often was a giant mess.

I can sculpt fine but those stupid bowls get me.”

9. Maybe you don’t have the “gift of gab.”

“Socializing with a group of people I usually wouldn’t hang out with.

It’s either that or I stay alone forever…but I just can’t find any sort of relatability to these people.”

10. Better pay attention!

“On the first trip to England…

After renting a car, it proved to be a considerable challenge to drive on the “other side of the road” from what I was used to – especially in the roundabouts and on major highways.”

11. Brain drain.

“Working a job.

Doing the job physically itself, I have no problem with.

Mentally, it’s the drain of bad management and feeling like you’re wasting your time.”

12. I have to try this.

“Throwing dough to make pizza.. and pretty much the rest of the pizza making process.

Getting the dough into a round 18″ pie is tricky. Then getting the sauce even and not on the crust is a process. And getting all of it done as quickly as possible…

After several hundred pizzas I can crank them out pretty good now though.”

13. It’s ain’t easy!

“Snowboarding.

I grew up on skis and when I tried snowboarding, I literally just rolled down the entire mountain like a slinky on the stairs.”

14. Looking for the right one.

“Falling in love with the RIGHT person.

My mom used to tell me to be careful who you date because you can fall in love with anyone.

Fell for many frogs before my hubs came along and we’re close to our 13th anniversary.”

How about you?

What did you think would be easy until you tried it?

Tell us your stories in the comments. Thanks!

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People Share What Useful Skills Everyone Should Learn in Life

A lot of people lack life skills that are very useful.

I’m not talking trash either, there are some things I probably should have learned along the way that I just never did.

But, there’s still time!

So maybe these responses from folks on AskReddit will give you some inspiration to learn some new skills.

Let’s take a look!

1. Learn to swim.

“My Dad was a naval officer and made a point of seeing all his kids learned to swim at an early age.

I literally cannot remember ever being unable to swim.

It took me a while as a child to grasp that a lot of people don’t know how to swim.”

2. This is very important.

“How to listen.

A lot of people currently tend to lack the ability to actually listen.

It’s not about shouting points at each other, it’s about shutting up and actually listening to what the other person is saying.”

3. You gotta do it.

“Self reflection.

You can NOT grow as a person without it.”

4. The essentials.

“Basic gardening, food preservation, and cooking.

And the basics of sewing.”

5. Fix it up!

“Fixing your own stuff.

Including electronics like broken screens and other stuff like your car.”

6. This is good!

“When I was in high school and failed to get a summer job, my dad made me cook every meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the family, every day, for the whole summer, as “punishment”. It ended up being inadvertently  the most valuable “lesson” he ever taught me.

On top of that, I wasn’t allowed to ever repeat a dish. Worked my way through a whole cookbook, and then some.

Being able to cook a wide variety of really good meals is a constant source of simple joy in my life… not to mention, it’s a massive advantage in the dating scene.”

7. Get the facts.

“How to extrapolate useful information from biased media sources.

A simple way I do it is first break it down into the facts. Then look at another biased source on the other side and do the same. Whatever is comparable is probably true, and anything else MAY be true but with less emphasis than the media gives it.

Also, remember that media as a whole (right left etc) caters to your reactions. There’s a reason that you will always see more negative, fearful, anger inducing news than happy news. More people will watch news about some bad incident or tradgedy than they will about something equally good.

And because bad news means more viewers, naturally it’s in the media’s best interest to get the most eyeballs on their stuff.”

8. Very important!

“When I was in high school track, my coach went into cardiac arrest after doing 200m sprints with us.

Me and some other students got some other teachers and they performed CPR on him until the ambulance arrived.

They saved his life. LEARN. C.P.R.!”

9. It’s true…

“How to write an email.

Seriously, too many people go out into the wide world with no idea how to write a professional-level email.

Writing one the same way you text won’t cut it when you are looking for a job.”

10. We all need to do this.

“How to unplug and enjoy silence and solitude.”

11. Car care.

“Basic car care.

Everyone should be able to change their own oil and rotate their tires, at a minimum.

Both are super simple and require only a few tools but can save you a lot of money.”

12. Learn it. Live it.

“Basic finance.

I’m in my 30s and shocked by how many people my age don’t understand how credit works.”

13. Become a good studier.

“How to study correctly. It seems like a small thing but the majority of my school life I didn’t have to study at all and I did well anyway.

But later on it gets so much harder just to retain information.

Learning to study good and well is a skill everyone should learn.”

14. Saves time and money.

“How to fix basic problems that come up. Unclog a drain, replace a plug, sew on a button, etc.

Minor problem fixing saves time and money.”

15. Protect yourself.

“How to break out of someone’s grip.

I’ve taught my wife, my daughter, many of my female friends, and back in the day when I was a daycare teacher, all of my students.

We had someone try to kidnap one of our older kids once, and that was it, that very day I taught all of the kids and drilled it with them over the next couple of weeks. Even had a Grandmother come in to pick up her Granddaughter and ask for me specifically so that she could thank me for showing her granddaughter how to do that.

Thing to remember, do not try to pull against their fingers, you can hold your body weight by your fingers (think of hanging from the monkey bars by your fingers).

Instead pull towards their thumb. The thumb is weak in comparison to the fingers. Also scream “Fire!!”, Not help. People react faster to “Fire!!” Then they do for “Help!!” I hope this helps. Many basic self-defense classes will go over this and more.

Remember, you don’t need to be an MMA fighter to get yourself out of a bad situation.”

What do you think?

What’s a useful skill that everyone should learn how to do?

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.

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A School’s “Adulting” Class Teaches Students Skills Like Paying Bills and Cooking

I wish my school had offered classes like this when I was younger. Not that I wasn’t taught essential life skills by my parents and siblings, but I just feel like it would have been worthwhile to spend more time on things like how to open a bank account in high school than certain other topics I could mention (trigonometry, anyone?).

One high school in Kentucky makes a point of teaching students basic life skills so they’ll be better prepared when they go out into the real world. At Bullitt Central High School in Shepherdsville, students were offered the chance to attend a one-day conference at the school that taught them how to do things like change a tire, pay taxes, and how to cook.

Today the YSC held an “Adulting Conference” for our Seniors. The Seniors were able to choose 3 of 11 workshops to…

Posted by Bullitt Central High School on Wednesday, December 12, 2018

The conference offered 11 different workshops throughout the day, of which students were allowed to choose 3 “to gain more knowledge and skills pertaining to their lives once they leave…BCHS.” The workshops were set up after students realized that they weren’t always leaving high school with a firm grasp on important skills that would benefit them later in life.

The woman who organized the event, Christy Hardin , said:

“I think that the idea occurred to me originally, I saw a Facebook post that parents passed around saying they needed a class in high school on taxes, and cooking. Our kids can get that, but they have to choose it. And (Adulting Day) was a day they could pick and choose pieces they didn’t feel like they had gotten so far.”

I think this is a great idea, although I would also like to point out that a lot of high school used to offer Home Economics courses that have since been cut for various reasons, and that those classes filled this sort of niche. So we’re kind of fixing a problem that used to have a solution until we got rid of the solution…

Let us know what you think in the comments.

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15 People Share the Basic Life Skills They Should’ve Learned, but Never Did

Okay, time for everyone to spill their guts…

Are there certain life skills that most adults have…except you, who are totally clueless? Maybe changing a tire? Cooking even the most basic meal?

A Twitter user shared this post and it set off an epic thread where people came clean about what they don’t know how to do.

Here are some of the best responses.

1. Keep trying!

2. Might want to work on that

3. I can’t either…

4. A dying skill

5. Where am I?

6. Panic-inducing

7. That’s kind of hard TBH

8. I’m with you on this one, brother

9. Ironing sucks

10. 0% success rate

11. The videos aren’t helping

12. Let me explain…

13. Can’t snap

14. Bunny ears

15. Don’t give up yet

What are the basic life skills you never learned? Share in the comments!

I think I might need to hire a life coach…

The post 15 People Share the Basic Life Skills They Should’ve Learned, but Never Did appeared first on UberFacts.