Lifelong useful skills

It recently came to me that I had encountered a certain issue numerous times throughout my life. It was difficult for me to be able to tell the position and neighbours of letters in the alphabet without having to go through all or parts of the alphabet in my head.

I just had not learnt it in a way in school that I would be able to do so.

I decided to find my own approach to learn this skill using visualization techniques since I knew that that is my preferred method of remembering.

Within a day I was able to apply it almost flawless, I was elated.

This got my thinking; What are other lifelong skills that might seem insignificant in the moment but add up to become a reoccuring issue throughout your lifetime?

Have you encountered something similar before and can you think of any skills in the same vein?

Replies

I can't remember exactly how it started, but probably a decade or so ago, I felt like I should learn some knots, I stumbled into animatedknots.com, carried a few feet of para cord in my pocket everywhere I went to practice, and now I feel confident in my ability to rig something up if needed (and I always have enough rope to leash a stray dog or tie something together in a pinch).

What was your method?

Arithmetic for me. It was always a struggle in school, as the demand to 'show your work' was painful and slow. I understand that it was to help the teachers see where you were making mistakes, but the numbers did things in my head that didn't conform to that process. Math homework took hours every night, and I learned to hate it with every fiber of my being.

As an adult, I was able to let that reflexive loathing go and just let the numbers do their thing, and it's great! I get correct answers with no stress. Schools, by their very structure, tend to inculcate the idea that there is one correct way to do things. While helpful in certain circumstances, it can make a person neurotic.