Once we realize that the life skills are the most basic yet important accelerators to enable growth and balance in life, and then unquestionably we would like to learn more about them. The act of learning and acquiring theses known as “Capacity Building on Life Skills”. Capacity building is a technical word which can be used in multiple facets of life in several different contexts. For a company, it means to develop the possessions to get more profitable. The possessions of a company are its tools, machinery, and workforce and so on. Now let us imagine a company as a human. A human being’s first possession for being prolific are his life skills. In a new born baby who is yet to grow and develop, the first thing to acquire is the skills by which he or she can learn, engage and develop social interactions for a sustained growth. The ten steps described by W.H.O. relevant in capacity building of life skills are -: Self-awareness, Empathy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Interpersonal Relationship, Coping with Stress and Emotions, innovative mindset and emotional stability. Now my dear readers, if you are thinking that once a person learns / acquires this skill, he/she could be flawless. Well, this thought itself is flawed. This is because skills enable people and firms to operate efficiently and effectively but there are many external factors that may lead to not so desirable outcomes. Let us deep dive into each of these skills and understand their relevance. Self-awareness includes recognition of self, character, strengths and weaknesses. Developing self-awareness can help us recognize when we are stressed or feel under pressure. Empathy is the ability to imagine what life is like for another person. Empathy can help us to accept others, who may be very different from us. This can improve social interactions, especially, in situation involving ethnic or cultural diversity. We need to critically think about the important things so that we can get the best result out of a situation. This can really help students in the most difficult examinations. Now here comes the most important and that is decision making. Think like a protagonist of a story who is required to take the correct decisions to conclude with a desirable outcome. Building this is very important. Decision-makings linked with problem solving. It is a precursor to effective decision-making. Effective communication means that we can express ourselves, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our cultures and situations. This means being able to express opinions and desires, and needs and fears. And it includes the ability to ask for advice and help in a time of need. It also helps us to communicate / convey our thought process clearly and become a better influencer. As we advance practicing these skills, understanding people, solving problems, making decisions and communicating opinions, our well-being and mental health is exposed to stress. Scientific research has established that stress is the core factor in physical, mental, and emotional diseases. Unconscious physical, mental and emotional habits create stress, aging, addiction and disease. Through awareness and simple lifestyle changes one can reclaim and maintain youthful vitality, joy and wellbeing. Our feelings are a wonderful barometer of our well-being. When we are not pessimistic, our feelings remain positive, and we feel joyful, loving and peaceful. When we are feeling fearful, angry, or depressed it is a sure sign that our thoughts have become negative and dysfunctional. Developing this awareness and making the decision to eliminate negative thinking can be dramatically life changing. In conclusion, getting to teach about these life skills should be a good starting point for us to start capacity building.
