Everyone can learn a life-changing skill, not just this year but in the next six months.
By life-changing, I mean something that can positively impact your life moving forward, even if it’s something you can’t envision today. We can immediately reap the benefits of specific skills, while others will be life-changing when we least expect it.
In this article, we’ll share eight life-changing skills you can learn in 6 months, where you can learn them, and how you can get started today
1. Speed reading
Bill Gates has been known to state that if he had one superpower, it would be the ability to read faster. What Bill and the rest of the mega-successful understand is that knowledge is power. The ability to process information faster from books, articles, and reports will help us learn faster and improve each aspect of our life more quickly.
Where you can start learning: Speed reading courses are becoming more popular as more people realize how important it is with our limited time. You can check out free courses like reading Speeder or start learning how to use Spritzlet, which allows you to speed read articles online with a browser extension.
2. Public speaking
Research shows that people fear public speaking more than death itself. Something is terrifying about being in front of dozens or hundreds of people and exposing yourself completely. It’s when you’re most vulnerable, but learning how to public speaking is a life-changer.
Warren Buffett has advised recent graduates that the number one skill you can have to succeed is public speaking skills. Everything from communication, confidence, and sales is developed when you develop your general speaking skills.
Where you can start learning: Luckily, there are significant communities out there, like Toastmasters, that organize local meetups worldwide. You’ll find excellent public speakers that are looking to get to the next level to beginners that are just getting started. Check out Toastmasters’ website here.
3. Spanish
As the third most spoken language in the world, the ability to speak Spanish will allow you to reach over 500M people worldwide. No matter where you live, knowing how to say Spanish is becoming increasingly critical, with the Hispanic population and economy spreading quickly worldwide. If you’re living in the US, this is even more important, with over 30% of the population being Hispanic.
Spanish is also on this list because it’s one of the easiest languages to learn. Mandarin is an important language to learn, but it’s challenging. If we were to measure the level of importance and the time to remember all the languages available, Spanish would make it to the top of the list.
One of the biggest reasons people never reach fluency in any foreign language is: using the wrong method and lack of time.
It turns out that humans retain only 5% of what we learn from lectures, 20% of what we learn from apps (visual cues), and 90% of what we learn from immediate immersion. Yet, how do 90% of learning a new foreign language? Language schools (lectures), books, Duolingo (apps), etc. don’t provide the real-life immersion required for our brains to learn faster.
Where to start: If you want the most effective way to learn a language, learning from real-life interactions is the best way to do it. There are great websites like Rype, which offers Spanish coaching for busy people, solving the issue of lack of time and bringing real-life immersion to your screen. With Rype, you can book as many lessons as you want, at any time of the day, any day of the week, allowing you to fit them into your schedule, no matter how busy you are.
4. Accounting
If you’re looking to get into business, accounting is one of the core fundamentals you’ll need to succeed. While you don’t need to be an expert, you definitely should understand the basics.
This skill can also be used to manage your finances, meet your financial goals, and have more control over your life.
Where to start learning: No worries if you didn’t remember to account in school. You can teach yourself using books or check out free accounting courses online.
5. Microsoft Excel
Most people reading this probably have a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. While this is a good start, many powerful functionalities are hidden, which could make your life a lot easier.
Excel is also a great asset whenever you’re looking for a job, as many corporations rely on Excel to organize and manage multiple parts of the business.
Where to get started learning: With the popularity of Excel, you can find tons of free resources and videos online to learn. Check out Excel Exposure, Lynda, and Excel with Business.
6. Blogging/Vlogging
Blogging is a powerful tool if you want to spread your ideas, build your brand, or grow your business. Since it was introduced, blogging has taken on a life of its own, and today there are ~2M blog posts written daily.
Where to get started learning: Anyone can start blogging today. All you need is a content management system like WordPress, which is entirely free. I think the best way to start learning how to blog is to start writing. There are techniques you can learn to promote your blog, but the best way to grow your blog is to write great content.
7. Weight training
Yes, weight training is a skill. It’s not as advanced as learning how to code, nor will it take as long as learning a new language if you want to know the basics.
We’re not promising you’ll get a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you will see much faster results for whatever goal you have just by understanding how to work out properly. And, of course, when dealing with an activity involving physical strain, you’ll always want to caution yourself.
Where to get started learning: Some fantastic bodybuilders are sharing all of their secrets for free on Youtube. You can check out Bodybuilding.com’s Youtube channel to get started.
8. Photo and video editing
There are no avoiding photos and videos in the digital world we live in, from Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook. Social media has increasingly gone away from text sharing and almost everything to photo and video editing.
Where to start learning: For photo editing, you can use Photoshop. For video editing, you can use iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Keep in mind that there are dozens of editing software tools for video and photo editing, but what’s more important are your editing skills, not the device itself.
