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Original poster

The best skill you've ever learned

122 replies

Coffeeismylife · 15/12/2022 21:25

I was thinking about this today..... Have narrowed it down to:

  1. Learning to read
  2. Learning to drive

I'd love to learn something new, or have a new hobby. Would love to hear other people's thoughts!

OP posts:
KaleToChristmas · 15/12/2022 22:47

Driving

Basics of financial planning

Critical thinking

threecupsofteaminimum · 15/12/2022 22:50

Not being funny but reading and cooking are very basic life skills, surely!

OnTheUpAtLast · 15/12/2022 22:50

Budgeting.
DIY.
Driving.
Emotional intelligence: used in all aspects of life, and its surprising how many people don't have it.

FloorWipes · 15/12/2022 22:51

2 of the top things here are things that I’m not able to do and won’t be able to do so I hope they’re not genuinely that big a deal.

It’s going to be self advocacy for me. Still improving though.

URP · 15/12/2022 22:53

My searching skills. I'm good at collecting important info and use it to further research on topics that interest me. I've also found posts on MN written by people I know in RL, and an anonymous blog written by a close friend (but she doesn't know that I know)

I'm good at self hypnosis and also reading people's minds.

smooththecat · 15/12/2022 22:53

FourTeaFallOut · 15/12/2022 22:25

🤣

Show quote history

My lion is fully chafed.

Soproudoflionesses · 15/12/2022 22:54

Touch typing.

Use it every single day

Wombat27A · 15/12/2022 22:54

SkankingWombat · 15/12/2022 22:31

To be independent, self-reliant and confident in my abilities. I have recently learnt that this is very likely learned as a response to a traumatic childhood, which was obviously crap and unenviable, but it has been invaluable when life has dealt me some really crappy hands as an adult and gives me solace that I will always get through whatever is thrown at me.

After that it would be reading. There is little you can't learn/teach yourself if you can read and have the will.

Solidarity from another Wombat with similar skills for probably similar reasons. 👍

SoundsOfThunder · 15/12/2022 22:58

I'm really surprised people are saying touch typing. Does it really make a difference? Are you all writers or bloggers?

As for me, reading and driving too.
Two things I love - escaping mentally to different worlds and escaping physically to different places.

SouperNoodle · 15/12/2022 23:01

Driving. I only learned this year at the age of 32 and it's changed my life.
I have 2 young children and I don't know how I coped before I had my car.

valbyruta · 15/12/2022 23:31

Empathy (on going)
Budgeting

Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight · 15/12/2022 23:37

Reading (you can learn anything if you can read)
Touch typing
Driving
Budgeting and understanding personal finances (financially independent)

RunLolaRun102 · 15/12/2022 23:41

Learning to cook from scratch. I’ve saved so much money in the long run

youhavenoshameonyourface · 15/12/2022 23:44

I can replace and putty the glass in a small window.

All sorts of DIY I love to learn. Such useful skills!

AgeingDoc · 15/12/2022 23:47

CPR

inglese · 15/12/2022 23:49

.

willowstar · 15/12/2022 23:55

Set and manage fires without firelighters. Our heating barely works, we rely on our woodburner and open fire. I am masterful at it. I can get the fire going well and keep them going, coax them back if I left them too long. We use a mix of hard and softwood and I am good at judging what to use when. May seem like a small thing but I generally not very confident, so it is great to say out loud that I am really good at fires.

SkankingWombat · 15/12/2022 23:58

Wackadoo · 15/12/2022 22:02

I have a different twist on that question: the best skill I never learned was how to swim.

It is never too late! Sign up for adult lessons! They are very used to complete novices and nerves.

Although I could swim, I had only ever had school lessons and was hugely out of practise. I had bobbed around for the last few years with DCs during family swims, but hadn't done front crawl in 22 years. I wanted to start swimming for fitness but felt very self-conscious about my technique. I was (still am!) in awe of those swimmers who get in and (seemly) effortlessly knock out 50 lengths with that smooth gliding stroke that barely seems to make the water even ripple. My goals for the lessons were to feel confident, improve my technique to be more glide-y and less splashy, and to maybe... maybe!... eventually learn how to do a tumble turn because they look fun and cool. The turns felt like a very distant goal! Although I am active in daily life, I was super unfit when it came to that sort of aerobic exercise and at first just one length of gentle breast stroke was knackering.
12 months on, I have joined a masters group. We swim around 2k in a session. I have learnt tumble turns, back stroke turns and open turns. I have learnt to do butterfly! (Badly! This is very much a work in progress...) I haven't achieved that super smooth stroke yet, but I'm so much better technically. Knocking out 50 lengths non-stop is still beyond me, though this is partly due to finding regular lane swimming dull (I prefer the variety and drills of training sessions). However I have signed up for next year's Swimathon which for me will be 40 lengths and manageable by the time it comes around. I would never have believed this sort of progress was possible 😊
DH took lessons a few years ago, starting at can't-swim-but-able-to-not-drown level. He only kept the lessons up for a few months, but even with that small amount of tuition can now swim a length in 3 strokes to a basic standard.

NSA2103 · 16/12/2022 00:18

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 15/12/2022 22:18

Yez, touvh tyypimg. I
t's chafed my liofe...

🤣

Beancounter1 · 16/12/2022 00:39

Growing things that are expensive to buy - like strawberries, raspberries, properly ripened tomatoes.

Balaya · 16/12/2022 00:41

How to manage my mind.

I didn't have the best upbringing but didn't know it at the time, also didn't find out I was autistic until I hit 30.

I am pretty sure I was becoming my own worst enemy through my late teens and early 20s. I could not understand people's motivations, was very judgemental of everyone else, always believed I was a victim in every situation and was well on my way to serious MH issues. I started reading self help books, began owning my decisions and taking responsibility for my actions.

It took years but I became a very different person and really like who I am now. I am still inclined to fall into old patterns of thinking but good at noticing and redirecting my thoughts, it's made such a difference.

DuchessDandelion · 16/12/2022 00:55

First aid

Driving

mamabear715 · 16/12/2022 01:08

Working out easily how much material is needed for curtains, & enough carpet to cover a floor.. used to be much more helpful than it is now, admittedly!

Being calm in crises.

CherryRipe1 · 16/12/2022 01:14

Sewing, touch typing, cooking from scratch, judo/self defense & basic boxing which has saved my bacon a few times, diy/plumbing, first aid, driving, swimming/life saving.

mackthepony · 16/12/2022 01:15

Cooking cheaply and well. I must have saved a fortune