Skills for the Future
As I have gotten older, I have learned that there is a large gap between the life that I remember as a kid and the life kids actually lead today. Due to technology and the rate at which it is changing, I am realizing that my boys’ future is going to look much different than my reality. When I think about my main responsibility as a dad, it’s to prepare my boys for life when they get older. One thing I make clear to them is that life doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger in your ability to deal with it.
When I researched what skills they could obtain that will help them the most, I found one line of work that would give them the most important skills across the board. It was Entrepreneurship. I feel like I’m not able to predict what the future job market is going to look like, but I think many jobs currently available will be taken by artificial intelligence. I believe the future for them will be for them to be their own bosses and own their own businesses - be entrepreneurs. If this is going to be the case, then I need to make sure to teach my boys as many skills and mindsets as I can to prepare them for their future.
So I decided to line up the skills and mindsets I wanted them to learn for their future, skills and mindsets that are not only important in life, but specifically for entrepreneurs. Here’s a list of them that were most important to me:
- Don't take “no” for an answer
- Question everything
- Never assume
- Quality is everything
- Say “please” and “thank you” often
- Make weaknesses strengths
- Collect feedback
- Focus on the customer
- Manage self-doubt
- Look for lessons in challenging times
- Visualize what you want
- Aim high
- You only fail if you don’t try
- Grit, perseverance, patience
- Leadership skills
- Integrity
- Negotiation and collaboration
- Think outside the box
- Accounting, finance, budgeting
- Philanthropy
- Communication
- How to help others succeed
- How not to internalize what others think of you
As you can see, this list is LOOOOOOONG!!!! I didn't encourage reading the Jocko Willink book because it had this idea of entrepreneurship embedded in it. I just felt this was an idea I would talk to them about in the future. When it did come up, I still wasn’t sure what they could do. I honestly thought mowing lawns and snow blowing was going to be their first business.
When Zach brought the box of sports cards to me I thought they were basically worthless, just as they had been for the last 30 years.
But that’s when I found out cards have made a comeback in a MAJOR way!
Give your kids somewhere to go and always to value themselves.