I’ve been thinking about this lately and thought I’d get the conversation started. Please, do pop in with your own faves!

These are the things I think should be taught in school or taught in the home BEFORE we enter the career and big people worlds.

Emotional Intelligence

Specifically, how to:

• Understand and validate your emotions
• Empathize with others and establish trust
• Build strong, healthy relationships

I like to think that “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is still the best book written on this topic.

Personal Finance

How to:

• Benefit from compound interest
• Establish excellent credit
• Invest wisely for long-term goals
• Make (and automate and manage to) a budget

I had no personal finance training other than always to save and not spend money. While making a budget was second nature almost from childhood, it took me decades to learn that spending was just as necessary as saving.

Time Management

How to:

• Choose the better or right priorities
• Do fewer things better (to avoid burnout)
• Time block your calendar to get the right things done

Although a brief course would likely be helpful, I think we learn this one best through living it. So here’s to all things accountability.

Self-Discipline

How to:

• Delay gratification by staying focused on long-term goals or promises.
• Staying focused (even when faced with distractions or obstacles)
• Make sacrifices and build mental toughness
• Keep commitments and self-promises
• Reduce screen time

Enough said, right?

Critical Thinking

How to:

• Evaluate multiple arguments
• Question existing beliefs (both your own and others)
• Make informed decisions
• Receive (and give) feedback

There’s a free book exactly on this topic …

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgensen at this website https://www.navalmanack.com/

Collaboration

How to:

• Ask clarifying questions to understand the other’s needs
• Think creatively about out-of-the-box solutions
• Self-advocate with confidence
• Consider the best alternative options in order that everyone is a winner

In the old days, this would have been called negotiation. And if you’ve listened to the podcast lately, you know that the old days are coming to an end. The win-lose position of negotiation is being usurped by everyone wins (a little bit.) Collaboration, to me, means we are all interconnected.

Healthy Habits

How to:

• Get more restorative sleep
• Lift weights to promote muscle development and bone density
• Do cardio for heart health and mental clarity
• Enjoy nutrient-dense meals

Why is it that most of us don’t appreciate our health until we get to be ‘of a certain age’?

These are my top seven ideas about Adulting. What are yours?