If I had to teach anyone three skills to that will help them survive in this modern world, they would be learning, thinking, and articulating.
1. The ability to learn (and re-learn).
We live in a world of information abundance, and with that, you can learn ANYTHING you want, anytime you want to learn it.
So much so that it’s overwhelming.
On top of that, with the world changing at the speed it is, things that seem relevant today may not be relevant even a year from now.
And while this can feel like drinking out of a firehose, the best thing you can do is sharpen your ability to how learn and re-learn, again and again.
By learning and refining this ability, you empower yourself to move with the changing landscape, rather than fighting against it. You position yourself as something who’s primary skill is relevance, rather than just a particular knowledge in a single area.
Not only will this help you stay ahead of the curve, but it will allow you to stay open to predicting where the world is heading and being there when it catches up.
2. The ability to think for yourself.
Building on the abundance of information above, there is also the absolute abundance of opinions and positions and this makes it hard to know what’s true, what’s right, and what’s right for you.
This is where the importance of thinking for yourself comes into play.
This means being able to take in information, formulate hypotheses, understand and analyze current beliefs, form coherent thoughts from all the accumulated information, and then make your own decisions, all while never falling prey to your own biases that want the world to be a certain way.
It’s not easy, but its a skill that can pay dividends in life.
If you can develop your skills as an independent thinker, you will not only be able to separate yourself from groupthink, but you will see new patterns emerging long before anyone else.
The difficulty though is in balancing between being open-minded and being skeptical – and then conveying your information to others.
3. The ability to articulate your thoughts.
Finally, when it comes to thriving in the modern world, communication is key. And by communication, I don’t just mean talking – although that’s certainly important too. I mean being able to articulate your thoughts and ideas effectively.
In our constantly connected world, the ability to communicate your thoughts clearly and succinctly is more important than ever. Not only do you have more access to people than ever before, but people have shorter attention spans. If you can both access these people and communicate succinctly, your ability to connect with others will be amplified.
