5 Skills Every Woman Should Learn

Being raised by two military parents, if there was one thing that they taught me, it was to be utterly self-reliant, though, their interpretation of what self-reliant was interesting to say the least! My mother never wanted me to expect a man to do anything other than treat me with the utmost respect, and to love me with anything he had in him. My father took a different approach. He told me that most men weren't to be trusted, their intentions were never good, and that no man would ever be good enough for me (typical dad). My father, of course was none of those things. He was a proud soldier and loving father, and like every daughter, I only took half of what he said to heart! But through the fog of their well-intentioned advice, what they did teach me was that there are certain skills in life a girl just can't live without!

1) Learn how to change your own tires. This is the twenty-first century ladies, and there is absolutely no reason why we still need to be calling someone to come change our tires for us. This is a skill that really isn't one that only women should possess, men should too! We live in an age where we can just pick up the phone and poof! Someone magically appears to solve our problems. Get out the tire iron, drag out the jack, roll out the the spare and watch this video! 

2) Learn to cook for yourself. This doesn't mean you have to go learn how to become a chef or anything, but you should learn how to do more than boil and egg or make toast. My mom had me in the kitchen helping her make dinner when I was nine, and I thank her every day for teaching me all the basics. Sure, you can eat out, but cooking for yourself is way better for your waistline! 

3) Learn the art of storytelling. This is a useful skill in both your personal and professional life. A good story captivates people and draws them to you. It'll get you out of the odd jam, and you'll leave people wanting more. 

4) Keep your first aid training current.  This is a skill that absolutely everyone should possess, but it seems that less and less women feel the need to get the proper training. Not only is it important to be able to save someone's life, it actually makes you worth more to your employer. Get your first aid training, and keep it current! 

5) Travel Light! Now stop rolling your eyes, this can definitely can be done. It is not necessary to bring everything and the kitchen sink along with you in your bag. Several millennia ago, humans travelled with only what they could carry on their backs. Nowadays, women bring entire make-up shops with them. It's time to learn the art of travelling light, and remember, the more you bring, the more you risk losing. 

Under Appreciated at Work? Why You May be the Cause!

Not everyone loves there job all of the time. In fact, many of us despise the work we do, and we spend the majority of our day staring at the clock on the wall, willing it to fast forward to the end of the day. It's taken me at least ten years to finally find a job that actually I enjoy waking up to, and rarely do I dislike it. But what if you had the privilege of working at a job you actually loved, and all of your blood, sweat and tears went unnoticed by your boss? Would you still love your job? Would the rewards of the work itself be enough to sustain your happiness and personal satisfaction? Probably not, and this is a common complaint by employees no matter the industry they happen to be working in. 

While many of us allow ourselves to feel victimized by rude or pushy employers we don't stop to consider that we might need to sit down to do some serious self-reflection. The North American mentality in the workplace is to redirect blame on whoever looks like a sufficient scapegoat. There are absolutely cases in which it doesn't matter how hard you work for an employer, they just can't be pleased and in those cases, it may be time to say C'est la vie to the job, because they're just severely flawed individuals who never be able to stop attrition from occurring in their company. 

Before you come home whining about a ungrateful boss, sit down and have a good think about the structure of your work day and the kind of work you are doing. You may be feeling under appreciated, but is it because of the wrong reasons? Are you really giving your all to your job? 

1) If you are someone who takes work home in the evenings or on the weekends this does not necessarily mean that you're working harder, it more often than not, means that you are not managing your day properly! You might need to consider tweaking your time management skills so there is more of a separation between work and play! 

2) Are you wasting time, or creating value? You might have spent 12 hours working on a report or brief for the boss, whereas, your colleague may have spent 6 hours and produced a better product. This not only shows that you may be struggling with time management again, but perhaps there are some skill incompetencies that you are in denial about! 

 

3) Are you waiting for your employer to decide your future for you? If you're sitting at the sidelines waiting for that promotion, it's probably not going to happen! Your employer is not responsible for your career growth, you are. They are simply there to provide the framework and the rest is up to you! You need to learn to ask for it, and not just expect it. 

There of course exceptions, and as I mentioned above, there are employers that are just miserable and incompetent! If this is the case, move on and find an environment that you feel that you can thrive in. But before you jump ship, consider what you can do to contribute to your own personal growth, rather than placing the blame elsewhere.