Life skills for young adults

I am busy watching 'The Time Travelers Wife', a series on the TV. Henry, the key character, is an ordinary man with an extraordinary gift, a gene that allows him to travel through time involuntarily. The time travelling takes some doing, so adult Henry is able to go back in time and help young Henry to learn to live with his time travel ability.

As a retired trainer, coach and facilitator with many years in leadership, team and personal efficiency development, I have asked myself this question. If I could time travel back to Ian aged 17, what advice would I give him and what life skills would I teach him, that would enable him to live a more fulfilling life. I feel at 78 that I have lived a meaningful and very happy life, but I know along the way I could have benefited from coaching from an older Ian. Coaching would not have changed the route of my learning journey, but I think I would have appreciated and learned more from the learning events I encountered along the way.

  

The picture on the left was taken in the prefects cottage (called the bush and yes we were allowed to smoke) at Plumtree School in (what is now) Zimbabwe. 

Advice I would give young Ian:-

1. Focus on LESS = MORE (by focusing on the few areas that really matter, you will achieve far more). 
2. Communicate in a simple but compelling way, making sure people get the message and buy in to what you want to change.
3. Assume nothing ... always ask questions to clarify.
4. Success and happiness are seldom the same thing, so periodically check to make sure you are not sacrificing too much of your happiness for your success.
5. Forget the rule book but always live by your personal values.
1. Put family first and let them know through your behaviour how much they mean to you.
2. Surround yourself with caring and challenging friends.
3. Trust, being open and honest is fundamental to all relationships.
4. Keep life simple and easy to manage.
5. Have fun, be free, enjoy life ...be HAPPY.

Skills I would teach young Ian:-

1. How to live a mindful life. [WHY: I learned mindfulness late in my life and wished I had been able to meditate, switch off autopilot and achieve a calm state during my youth]
2. How to work simpler, smarter and quicker.[WHY: my time management / personal effectiveness was rubbish up until I completed a personal efficiency programme. That transformed the way I worked and helped me achieve more in less time plus improved my work life balance]
3. How to communicate effectively. [WHY: learning presentation skills, influencing skills and the storyboard approach gave me a powerful skill that served me well throughout my career]
4. How to solve problems. [WHY: Exposure to quality improvement taught me tools and techniques that I could apply to solving problems and I have used them ever since for work and life] 
5. How to make decisions. [WHY: Possibly one of the most powerful tools that I learned in my 30s and have used ever since]

My proudest coaching challenge now awaits me

My two awesome 17 year old granddaughters, are into the second years of their A levels and then they are destined to go on to university to do meaningful degrees. Well the good news is that have accepted me as their life coach ... a very proud moment!

So we have decided that the starting point will be for me to help them to approach their lives in a Simpler Smarter and Quicker way. 

I admit I'm a bit rusty using the latest version of Camtasia but I have recorded a 12 minute video to explain what Simpler Smarter Quicker will cover.

I will be using this new blog to share hints, tips, tricks and skill modules that I believe will help my granddaughters succeed in life. Helping them to achieve their full potential but with plenty of fun, laughter and happiness.