Life Lessons: Who teaches us?

When we go to school, we learn so much, sometimes without even realizing it, including many of the soft skills in life, like how to get along with people. There are also things that we are unlikely to use on a regular basis. Have you used those trigonometry formulas you learned lately?

There are also so many things that we don’t learn that would be useful when we leave school, like:

• How to find somewhere to live, how to find a job, how to find the right job

• How to build friendships, relationships, and a sense of community and belonging

• How to manage our resources and provide for ourselves, how to save, how to achieve larger goals in life

• How to have a place of your own and eventually buy a home of your own

• How to be happy – feel satisfied and fulfilled.

These are all challenges that most people face in their lifetime, and very little of this is taught at school. While we learn from those around us, sometimes we learn things that aren’t helpful too eg. limiting beliefs about money and resources, relationships.

Most of us learn by making mistakes and taking the long road. Many of us would do things very differently if we knew what we know with 20 or more years of practice or experience. That was part of the reason for developing the courses that I have – to guide young people through these challenges and stages of life, to fast-track some of these milestones in life, avoiding many of the pitfalls. Having worked with and coached many amazing young people, it was clear that these skills need to be learned.

For example, knowing that: 

• When you apply for a job, an employer is looking for a person that can get along with and support others, interact with customers, and is reliable and trustworthy – not necessarily an academic superstar or someone who is talented but difficult. Attitude and being engaged in the role are so important. 

• If you want to achieve something big like buying a car, traveling overseas for an extended period, moving cities/countries, and/or buying your home – you need a plan, and you need to be able to save as a first step. 

• Having good friends that are genuine, positive, and supportive is important. There will be times in life that are tough, so being able to enjoy the good times and help each other through the difficult times is critical. 

• Finding your purpose is sometimes difficult; it takes many of us years, if not decades, to do this. Life is too short to grind away at something you loathe - find a way to follow your passion. 

• Having a home that makes you feel secure, and comfortable, and that you are able to relax and enjoy – is good medicine and can change your whole way of looking at life – how you spend your weekends and who you share it with. 

• Making a few relatively simple choices about how you manage your money and where you choose to buy a home can make tens of thousands of dollars difference, if not more.

So why not be more aware and learn some of these important skills? For a very small outlay, these courses could save you huge amounts of time and money, see below:

Life Skills – Moving out of home and more (finding a job, a place to live, simple budgeting, managing risks) 

Life Planning (how to develop a plan and direction and how to achieve it) 

Managing your Finances – Weekend Bootcamp (how to develop a budget that allows you to achieve your goals) 

Unlocking Home Ownership (understand the steps to buying your own home, how to assess what you can afford, and how to get the most capital growth).