“The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills. Everything else will become obsolete over time.”- Peter Drucker
“No one is born with skill. It is developed through exercise, repetition, through a blend of learning and reflection that’s both painstaking and rewarding. And it takes time.”-Twyla Tharp
My pipo, we don come again…
The heading of this article says it all and as challenging as it might sound, it is the truth. Now, not everyone will fall under this umbrella of making a living or making passive income from their skills, notwithstanding it is advisable to have something you can do with your hands.
Skills are people’s abilities, knowledge, and expertise that are needed to carry out specific tasks or activities effectively.
The beautiful thing about learning a skill is that you can go into whatever niche you prefer, be it in finance, tech, beauty and fashion, gastronomy (cooking). Even if you’ve developed yourself to be an excellent English teacher or hair dresser, it is something o. Whatever it may be, once you become good, you already have an edge in that industry.
Skills are forever with you no matter what happens and ‘when the going gets tough’, you have something to turn to and rely on. Especially to the young and vibrant ones (and students) reading this, the time to start learning that skill is now.
Many people give excuses as to why they cannot learn a skill– ‘there is no time, no source to learn, the skill/business idea is too complex’… All these are issues that are resolvable if you are willing to sit down to plan well and get to work.
The age we are in has made information readily accessible to our fingertips, you can start by watching YouTube videos, reading articles and going through free courses to get more knowledge on the skill you want to go into.
Yes, learning a new skill or starting your own business might be hard but the gratification and the reward you get after is worth it.
When learning a new skill or starting a new endeavour these are the things to look out for:
- Set realistic goals- Set up a plan on how you want to go about the process of learning. Write down the goals you hope to achieve and keep your word to yourself. You want to buy a stall and start selling African foodstuff but you don’t even know how to get the wholesale products yet. No na.
- Meet the masters in your field- Simply put, ask questions my brother. For every business out there, there is someone who has mastered it, there is someone you can look up to and tailor your training to be like theirs. And you can even learn from their mistakes, get direct advice from them or even partner with them. Not everybody is your competition. In some situations, you do not have to know these people personally, you can just follow online and learn from a distance.
- Practice- You have heard it said that practice makes perfect. And you will agree that the saying is true, so practice, practice and practice. Whether it is a tech skill or cooking and presenting good food, don’t be caught slacking at your own enterprise. Learn until you reach mastery. This is the only way you can get better at what you do and reduce the stress as time goes on.
- Have a changed mindset- Erase that thought and mindset of “I cannot do it”, and be ready to change your perspective towards that skill/business idea. You will be shocked at how far you can go once you change your mindset. Have a good vision for where you want to see yourself before the end of next year and begin to note what you need to do to reach your goal.
- Be patient- A very important ingredient! You might not see the exact results you want, and things might not work out the way you planned, but with patience, everything will eventually come together. Continue to invest in your idea– money, time, knowledge– and you will be surprised at how things work out with diligence.
Everyone wants to start a side hustle now. And there’s still a demand for those who are skilled even in the most overlooked sectors. If you have the opportunity to learn a skill, invest in it. If you see a market demand or need for a particular product or service in your environment, start building a business to attend to that need.
Your skills add to your value as a person and your side-hustle/enterprise will help you in times you do not even expect. In everything, do everything with seriousness and strive for excellence.
Abeg, look for something to learn. There is a lot of information on the internet these days. Don’t be left out of it. We wish you success in all your endeavours!
