Are you considering making a meaningful choice that is going to take you down a new path in life, such as a career change?
This can become a reality with the support of family and like-minded communities and you just have to start taking brave steps forward.
As Baby Boomers, you have a lot of knowledge you can share with the rest of the world, from life lessons to history and natural discoveries.
But you can do more than teaching—you can also learn lots of new things.
To stop learning is to stop growing. And no one wants to stop growing.
Growth brings on change, and change is what makes life interesting. Growth helps us become the best version of ourselves. So, one of the best brave steps you could take would be to learn a new skill.
The Wellbeing to Continued Learning
The brain is like any other muscle, you should keep it moving, feed it good things and push it beyond the comfort zone.
And the benefit to a strong mind is the same as a strong body.
- Physical – It has been discovered that the myelin, the white matter of the brain covering of our nerves grows when we learn a new, difficult skill.
- Emotional – Learning a new skill boosts morale and battles depression
- Financial – New skills make you more marketable in the job sector and helps you make educated life decisions.
How Unusual Skills Benefit You
Most people nowadays have skills that we once considered very unusual and rare – such as typing quickly, knowing your way around computers and using lots of new technology.
As important as these skills are in daily activities or the marketplace, they lack the ability to stand out.
Everyone says they have great people and soft skills, but those that claim a talent that is different but still applicable in the workplace are remembered long after they leave the room.
Not all unusual skills are the same. It is important to consider a skill that is interesting and unique, which can be spun to a marketable talent and can be learned on your terms.
Here are a few skills that can make all the difference:
Skill 1: Self-Defense
Having this skill has many extra perks besides the ability to fend off the purse snatcher or the thug.
- Self-defense requires self-discipline. So, if you don’t have it at the start, you will learn it.
- Self-defense creates a sense of confidence. When you walk in the room and do not worry about what could happen, it shows.
Confidence has people take you seriously and helps pave the way to making changes.
Skill 2: Digital Design
This skill has the right side of the brain working. It uses the knack with computers along with an eye for creating visually appealing projects.
The upside to being creative is that it forces you to think outside of the box. Many problems are solved by solutions others hadn’t thought of before.
Companies like people that can view the issue from all angles, and find the best possible solution for every consideration.
Skill 3: Speed Reading
Imagine reading 800 or 1000 words a minute over the average of 200 words a minute. This is a perfect time management quality.
With a large amount of material out there in the world you could read in less time, absorb the material and be onto the next project before the manager came back from lunch – you would be the ideal pick for the open position.
Speed reading is noted to:
- Improves memory
- Creates better focus
- Improves logic
- Raises self-confidence
- Gives emotional well-being
And above all, it’s a time saver since you can focus on many other things once you get a hang of it.
Skill 4: Negotiating
This is the ability to get what you want. You learn to ask for what you feel you deserve and receive it without the guilt of being a bully.
But negotiation is also about relationships and trying to find a solution that works well for everyone. It shows that you are a problem solver.
Learning the ability to work with people on all levels improves your wellbeing. You feel good that you are treating others fairly and also are being treated equally in return.
Skill 5: Stress Relief
Stress can be debilitating for anything you do, and while a little bit of adrenaline can give you a kick start, the ongoing barrage of it will throw you off course and become detrimental to your health.
Knowing how to deliberately lower your stress levels is a skill that’s highly praised in the business world, especially with all the things modern workplaces require you to do.
There are many more tasks to handle at once, so keeping a cool head will get you places.
Skill 6: Money Management
Raised in different times, baby boomers have a different relationship with money. However, the internet provides countless tools for better money management.
From principles to learn like mini habits or profit first, to leveraging budgeting apps and learning advanced budgeting techniques, baby boomers can expand their knowledge of financial management and get a tighter grip over their income.
Skill 7: Inventory and Asset Management
In a bid to raise profitability, reduce warehousing and shipping costs, as well as improve business sustainability, companies nowadays are paying extra attention to how they manage their inventory and assets.
Therefore, investing time into learning some best practices for asset management can put you at a great advantage if you’re looking for a promotion or career change.
Many providers of asset management software solutions offer free guides and demos so you can familiarize yourself with different tools and methods.
Showing executives the advantages of implementing new strategies or technology for managing business assets (especially if it helps the business save money) can position you as a valuable team member in your company.
Online Learning Skills Delivered Conveniently
Online learning has exploded in today’s day and age.
The internet is the ideal place to find information due to the fact that nearly 90% of homes have computers and a little over 70% have the internet.
So, even if you don’t have a computer at home, there are apps on your phone or tablet that can deliver the learning experience.
Also, most public libraries and some community centers have a computer lab at their location where you can sign in and discover a world of knowledge.
Online learning is convenient.
Having the material quick to obtain and at any hour you need it makes it perfect over having to look for the book you just remembered you lent to the friend across town.
The best thing about learning these things is that they are super affordable – most of them are free. Many sites offer instructions for little to no cost. A quick search in Google will help you find links to useful web pages.
The best yet perk to online learning is that you can do it on your own terms. That’s the awesome thing about all the stuff that’s now available in the cloud.
You can self-guide your own studying and not be under the obligation to drive to a location in good weather or bad. And don’t even get me started on the search option for articles and texts – a simple Ctrl+F will let you quickly find what you were looking for.
Plus you are under no pressure from the instructor’s demands.
Final Word
On your own schedule and on your terms, you can learn skills online, taking the time you want to accomplish your goal.
Choosing a different, unusual skill that not everyone picks will enrich your life, give you an edge in the marketplace and cost little more than a bit of gumption and time.
So, if you were to pick a skill, make it memorable.
