Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To
be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less
making them a jack of all trades. Contrary to what you may
have learned in school, a jack of all trades is far more equipped
to deal with life than a specialized master of only one.
While not totally comprehensive , here is a list of 50 things
everyone should know how to do.

1. Build a Fire – Fire produces heat and light, two basic
necessities for living. At some point in your life this knowledge
may be vital.

2. Operate a Computer – Fundamental computer knowledge
is essential these days. Please, help those in need.

3. Use Google Effectively – Google knows everything. If
you’re having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you
that needs help.

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it
may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help.

5. Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a
time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge.

6. Do Basic Cooking – If you can’t cook your own steak and
eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it.

7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention – If you
can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save
your breath.

8. Win or Avoid a Fistfight – Either way, you win.

9. Deliver Bad News – Somebody has got to do it.
Unfortunately, someday that person will be you.

10. Change a Tire – Because tires have air in them, and things
with air in them eventually pop.

11. Handle a Job Interview – I promise, sweating yourself
into a nervous panic won’t land you the job.

12. Manage Time – Not doing so is called wasting time, which
is okay sometimes, but not all the time.

13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and
you needed it 5 minutes ago.

14. Remember Names – Do you like when someone tries to
get your attention by screaming “hey you”?

15. Relocate Living Spaces – Relocating is always a little
tougher than you originally imagined.

16. Travel Light – Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper,
easier, smarter thing to do.


17. Handle the Police – Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is prison.

18. Give Driving Directions – Nobody likes driving around in
circles. Get this one right the first time.

19. Perform Basic First Aid – You don’t have to be a doctor,
or genius, to properly dress a wound.


20. Swim – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by
water. Learning to swim might be a good idea.

21. Parallel Park – Parallel parking is a requirement on most
standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so many people have
no clue how to do it. How could this be?

22. Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may
wind up like a charming Alcoholic fellow.

23. Select Good Produce – Rotten fruits and vegetables can be
an evil tease and an awful surprise.

24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters are
not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a
basic understanding of basic hand tools.

25. Make a Simple Budget – Being in debt is not fun. A
simple budget is the key.

26. Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only about
25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would be nice
if you could communicate with at least some of the remaining
75%.

27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper push-
ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your
time.

28. Give a Compliment – It’s one of the greatest gifts you can
give someone, and it’s free.

29. Negotiate – The better deal is only a question or two away.

30. Listen Carefully to Others – The more you listen and the
less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss.

31. Recite Basic Geography – If you don’t know where
anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people will
assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too
much at all.

32. Paint a Room – The true cost of painting is 90% labor.
For simple painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9
times what it would cost you to do it yourself.

33. Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At the next
company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve
been working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative
response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will not cut it.

34. Smile for the Camera – People that absolutely refuse to
smile for the camera suck!

35. Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There is a fine line
between successful flirting and utter disaster. If you try too
hard, you lose. If you don’t try hard enough, you lose.

36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless,
and not taking notes is a recipe for failure.

37. Be a Respectful House Guest – Otherwise you will be
staying in a lot of hotels over the years.

38. Make a Good First Impression – Aristotle once said,
“well begun is half done.”

39. Navigate with a Map and Compass – What happens
when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere?

40. Sew a Button onto Clothing – It sure is cheaper than
buying a new shirt.

41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This isn’t
rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows sheer
laziness.

42. Type – Learning to type could save you days worth of time
over the course of your lifetime.

43. Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal
identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be
careless.

44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices –
You don’t have to be a computer science major to understand
the fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using
firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief someday.

45. Detect a Lie – People will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life.

46. End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There
is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to keep.
There is also no reason why you should have to make a decision
on the spot about someone you hardly know.


47. Remove a Stain – Once again, it’s far cheaper than buying
a new one.

48. Keep a Clean House – A clean house is the foundation for
a clean, organised lifestyle.

49. Hold a Baby – Trust me, injuring a baby is not what you
want to do.

50. Jump Start a Car – It sure beats walking or paying for a
tow truck.

Nice article i must say!!!