Every student hopes that by going to college, they will acquire the skills they need that will lead to success. However, most of the skills that contribute to success are not found in the four walls of a classroom. A Stanford University study conducted by Carol Dweck showed that these skills have more to do with changing the mindset.
Time Management
Effective time management is being able to prioritize what the important things are. However, people often confuse important with urgent and end up doing urgent things that are not really important. Then, they find out at the end of the day they weren't able to do anything. One method that works well is the Eisenhower box which helps people determine the important from not.
Learning to Say No
Saying yes to everything is harmful to one's health. According to a study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, people who cannot say no are prone to burnout, stress, and depression. Saying no to another commitment before you finish one gives people focus to perform the task with excellence rather than to spread themselves too thinly.
Getting enough sleep
Lack of sleep causes poor performance because there are toxic proteins dislodged in the brain that can only be flushed out by good quality sleep. Poor performance will never lead to success; thus, being able to get quality sleep will result in big ROI.
Taking initiative
Initiative is a skill that will give people big ROI when they master it. However, it takes discernment to identify when to take initiative even though it's scary or not doing something because of laziness. Initiative takes risks and pushes the self out of its comfort zone until success is achieved.
Listening
Being able to focus on what the person is saying while listening takes a lot of skill because, by nature, people love to talk and be the center of attention. Listening means patiently waiting and suspend judgment until the big picture comes to light.
Learning when to shut up
Just like listening, learning to shut up at the right time requires a lot of skill because it also means controlling your emotions. In conflict, it takes emotional maturity to do this and only a few people have the skill to deflect a heated argument through careful and logical negotiation.
