The best skill to have
Apart from being on time for a Zoom call, I mean really, how hard is it, John?
Let’s get biblical:
A man died and went to heaven. He saw millions of people walking around, all completely naked and looking like they did when they were 21 years old. He looked around to see if he could recognize anyone. He saw a couple and immediately knew they were Adam and Even. How did he know?
Answer, at the end. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please obsessively forward this to people and tell them to:
Learn this and it will change your life.
The problem with having access to virtually limitless information is that you get something called choice paralysis - here’s some info on that.
The big S (that’s science, you pervert) teaches us that we actually perform better when we have less options.
So what do you do when you can literally pick any skill in the world and learn it, theoretically?
Want to learn Mandarin. There’s an online course for that.
Want to learn Photoshop? YouTube it.
Want to learn how to fight? Online classes or actual classes are more convenient than ever.
Learn guitar? Plenty of places for that too.
Even soft skills like negotiation or leadership can now be accessed in various forms. The problem with all this is that a lot of people end up in choice purgatory - where they don’t start working on an actual skill because they’re not sure if it’s the best option.
Look at it this way - any skill is better than no skill and no skill is entirely useless.
You are ALWAYS better off starting anything than postponing everything.
However, there is one universal skill that you should learn.
Getting. People. Excited.
I cannot stress this enough. Being able to share your enthusiasm about a subject in such a way that other people get excited about it too is one of the best skills you can have in life.
It’s not a talent. You learn it.
It’s a mix of empathy, storytelling and public speaking. But it’s accessible to anyone.
Most importantly, it will help you in so many aspects of life - from business to dating - and even improve your overall mood.
To start you off, here’s a tip: it’s not about sharing uncontrollably.
Showing that you are enthusiastic about something is just the first step, the next one is how do you make people different than you get on the bandwagon.
I get absolutely thrilled when I talk about the Star Wars universe. That’s not for everyone. If I would just keep ranting about how awesome it is, people would lose interest or just think I’m a hyped up nerd (I am, but I hide it well, ok?).
So I take a deeper look at what makes me excited and build on that.
Presenting Star Wars to a writer or creative? Talk about world building.
Presenting it to a designer or visual artist? Talk about the matte paintings of the set.
Presenting it to someone who’s not into sci-fi? Talk about the romance & politics.
It’s common sense, but we often forget it.
Get people excited about what you love by incorporating it in something they love.
Approach conversations with the purpose of getting people excited about something and you’ll see a huge difference in demeanor.
Plus you too will enjoy the conversation a hell of a lot more.
Answer: Adam and Eve were the only ones without belly buttons.