I’m thinking about this question lately: what is the most important skill we need to have? What kind of skill do we need most in this kind of world? To answer it, I guess we need to see what the main characteristic of our world is.
What words will you use to describe this world? For me, there are two words which come to my mind: change and speed. The world is changing and it is changing at increasing speed.
Since we are now living in that kind of world, I once thought that the most important skill is the ability to learn quickly. Of course it contains truth: to be able to keep up with this world we need to learn quickly. This way we can quickly adapt to new changes whenever they occur.
But later I thought that the ability to learn quickly alone is not enough. The world is changing so fast that even those who can learn quickly may not be able to keep up. There’s one more thing required: the ability to choose what to learn. This way we won’t waste our time learning something which is not useful. We learn only those things which are the most effective for us. The number of new things to learn is huge that choosing which one to learn becomes increasingly difficult. Mastering the art of choosing what to learn is valuable because it will save our time – not to say our entire career.
So to summarize, I think this is the most important skill we need to have: the ability to choose what to learn and to learn them quickly. If we master this skill, we will be ready to face whatever new waves coming in our way.
If you have other thoughts about what you think is the most important skill, feel free to share them in the comments.
Comment by ggwfung
#1 3. February 2007, 7:48 am o'clock |
it’s identifying the information sources most relevant to us. You are right.
In a way, the internet is a giant playground for the mind. It doesn’t really matter what our physical characteristics are like, it’s our thoughts and ideas.
Nice article, and highly relevant to a fast changing world.
ggw
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#2 4. February 2007, 10:32 pm o'clock |
Thanks ggw … I agree with you, the Internet is a giant playground for the mind. It is orders of magnitude bigger than any other mind playground in human history.
In fact, I believe that this era will have special spot in human history. It is in this the era that thoughts and ideas from the whole world can be exchanged like never before.
Comment by Ashish Mohta
#3 5. February 2007, 8:44 pm o'clock |
For me its change and upgrading.You cant survive without being updated for new things.And Speed will depend on the environment.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#4 7. February 2007, 9:29 pm o'clock |
Yes Ashish, we won’t survive if we do not update ourselves. I think learning is one way for us to update ourselves.
Comment by Sania Wyatt
#5 22. February 2007, 10:17 pm o'clock |
The ability to learn what to choose is an ability that needs to be learn on its own. So conceptually we must first master the ability to choose and from that we go on to become adept at learning quickly. Interesting idea and great blog post. Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Sania
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#6 23. February 2007, 8:13 pm o'clock |
Thanks Sania. Yes, “the ability to choose what to learn” is something we should learn on its own. Ideally we should have it before “learning them quickly”. Sadly, there are very few resources about it compared to “learning them quickly”.
Comment by HP van Duuren
#7 21. April 2007, 8:09 pm o'clock |
Personally I wonder if “Learing ability” is the most important keyword to focus your attention to. To me “Learning” seems to be an attempt from your Mind to add knowledge to my development. To me “Development” seems to have to do with Improvement of the Talents I have. Therefore things like ‘Spirit’ and ‘Soul’ seem to be important ‘Ingredients’ to take into account.
In fact I wonder if for my Development it sometimes isn’t better to ‘un-learn’ some of the garbage that I have learned or conditioned myself with. Also taking into account that learning usually seems to deal with ‘The Past’, and not the ‘Present Time’.
Hopefully this makes some sense?
(If it does or doesn’t please let my know via my email at my Blog.)
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#8 22. April 2007, 5:22 pm o'clock |
I think there are many perspectives to see this issue from. In my case, I tend to see it from the perspective of “how to keep up with this fast-changing world”.
Your observation is very interesting. I agree that the role of “soul” and “spirit” are very important, and that we often need to “un-learn” something. These are new ways to look at this issue. Thanks for sharing!
Comment by HP van Duuren
#9 23. April 2007, 9:41 pm o'clock |
I don’t know if this is making any sense but, I am under the impression that with only using my mind, it sometimes feels like I am like a ‘Victim of time’, while when I attempt to let ‘Spirit’ and ‘Soul’ play a role also, time becomes an ‘ally’. . Asif I also act on ‘inner knowing’ or ‘knowing by heart’ rather than – like a ‘moving target’ – trying to act on continiously changing ‘rules I learn’ or am conditioned with. Asif my ‘Higher Self’ is in the driver seat. (whatever that might be.) I also write about this kind of stuff in my Syndicated Column: “HP’ Happy Vibe” You can find it on my blog.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
#10 23. April 2007, 11:28 pm o'clock |
This post focuses on the practical aspect, and that’s why I wrote nothing about spirituality. But I agree that spirituality is indeed an important part of successful life. It gives us peace of mind and guidance.
Comment by HP van Duuren
#11 30. June 2007, 2:47 am o'clock |
I think that Reading Skills are indeed very useful in this information age.
Recently I discovered a very interesting site that might revolutionise the way we take in information! You can find out all about it at this link:
http://www.rapidreader.com/index.html#meantome
and if your head isn’t spinning enough because of this incredible new way of reading, you can also read about an other important skill on my blog,
‘It’s not about ‘Reading’…., ‘
It’s about Writing, ‘Successful Writing’ it’s about a little secret, about how to become a ‘Bestseller Writer’
And if that also itsn’t enough to let your head spin, also read my post titled:
‘Logic is Over Rated’.
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# 2. March 2007, 2:19 pm o'clock |
[...] Somehow, it matches very well with what I believe to be the most important skill: the ability to choose what to learn and to learn them quickly. [...]
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#1 7. May 2007, 5:52 am o'clock |
[...] Life Optimizer – What is the Most Important Skill to Have? [...]
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#2 5. June 2007, 10:12 am o'clock |
[...] MindThis area deals with your desire to learn. In this fast-changing world, your ability to absorb new skill and knowledge become increasingly important (in fact, I think this is the most important skill you should master). To have a strong desire to learn, be sure to develop your intellectual hunger. [...]
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#3 8. June 2007, 11:40 pm o'clock |
[...] I once wrote that the most important skill in this fast-changing world is “the ability to choose what to learn and to learn them quickly”. Smart learners master this skill well because they are able to both choose what to learn (which makes them effective) and to learn them quickly (which makes them efficient). [...]
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#4 28. June 2007, 11:02 pm o'clock |
[...] Reading skill is absolutely important in the information age. These days we need to be able to absorb new information as fast and as efficient as possible. Since most of the information is presented in the form of text, reading skill is a must. It is a substantial part of what I believe is the most important skill: the ability to choose what to learn and to learn them quickly. [...]
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[...] skill is among the most important skills to have. So, given the importance of learning skill and the value of the e-book, I do think this is [...]