5 keys to open the doors to your skills

There are many ways to know your skills. Those five (5) ways described here are practical steps to explore the real you that might had been expelled out of the fast running hamster wheel. Take the 5 keys below as eye openers. You can give one or more of them a try and most probably you will be surprised by some skills that you have but you didn’t realize so far. Otherwise, you might think that you know enough of your skills. The “enough” word has two folds. The bright side of saying enough is when you decide that it is enough from something that bothers you. The dark side of saying enough is when you try to confine yourself in your comfort zone. Anyhow this list is valid at anytime you think that what you have is not enough and you want new better things and opportunities in your life. Now, you can find your skills or potential skills through:

1. Finding a mentor or a life coach
2. Following an archetype
3. Accepting new tasks
4. Exploring new hobbies
5. Trying new things

1.Finding a mentor or a life-coach

The title might surprise you or you might think it is too fancy to consider. I had been there myself and it helped me through a transformational phase in my life. Moreover, it opened my eye that I was doing this job with a lot of friends and colleagues without noticing. I was just calling it, support. But, it was actually mentoring and coaching. You will find my complete story below. And you can acquire my support through this link.

To understand what mentors do and the difference between mentors and life coaches we will simplify it here.

A mentor

Is someone who will help you personally or as a business to grow. When I say you below, I mean yourself , your career or your business. He can take you to the next step. He can comprehend where are you now, what are your potentials and, what are the opportunities available at your door steps. Let’s say, he is a second eye to your status but an experienced one. This doesn’t mean that he is going to dictate what you should do or take decisions on your behalf. Simply, he will bring your hindsight in front of you. At the end of the day you will make the choices but now it will be out of a clearer vision. Not only a mentor is showing you the improvement opportunities that you are capable of but you can see your own innate skills that enables you to take this step.

Life-Coach.

Is slightly different from a mentor. He doesn’t bring you ideas and opportunities that are not in your current sight. You ask his service so he helps you to be able to go through a current situation.

A Maintenance example to differentiate mentors and life coaches

Suppose that you had decided to upgrade your maintenance process. Suppose that you had decided a certain upgrade to your maintenance process. Then you need someone who has the experience to guide you through the steps you should take to manage this change. That’s a coach who can advice you about the big picture and the technical and psychological efforts needed to accomplish this change. On the other hand, you want a mentor if you don’t know what’s wrong with your current maintenance process. He can ask the right questions that probe the underlying root causes. His role is allow you have a better vision of the situation and he gives you suggestions. As we said before, he won’t tell you do and don’t do. He is simply capable of seeing the possible next steps after where you are now based on your or your teams skills

A personal experience

I had been through this experience myself through acquiring the services of a life-coach from Chopra Center. It was a six month long transformational experience that I really admired. I was on the doors of a new experience in my life and I found this seminar about Chopra center life coaching experience. It had a free session gift. That’s what we call synchronicity. Unfortunately many of the coincidences that pop up in front of us are lost because we are running very fast on the hamster wheel. Anyhow when I decided to step out of the 9 to 5 work routine storm, I was looking for all the support I can get. And, to have a life-coach was a new real door. He was listening and then pointing out the values and attributes that I have and how it might help me or stop me.

As I told it was an eye opener that I am already doing the roles of mentoring and life coaching to others but without spelling the words. That’s a new skill that I couldn’t realize myself.

2.Following an archetype

An archetype is an ideal or a modal of how we want our life to be. It is not necessary a real person. It might be a mental image that is inherited through the collective consciousness. This applies to your personal life, professional life or business. You have a perception of how it is expected to look like. It might not be the real image that you want but it is what shall unfold, why? Because that’s your subconsciously generated modal whether good or bad. If you believe that maintenance is all about troubles, That’s what shall be dominating your maintenance career. Even if you decided to improve or upgrade the maintenance performance, you will find a lot of problems in your way. To select the proper archetype is to select what you really want to be and not where the collective consciousness is expecting you to go. When you take the steps to follow this modal, you will start to explore your really potentials. Those are the skills that you practice naturally or can start to practice without doubt.

The gap you find between where you are and where you or your business want to be is the skills gap that you want to close. This idea didn’t pop up to deepen your self pity that you are not there. On the contrary, it popped up to tell that you can be there. Just you need to be open for the coincidences that will come your way and expect the good.

3. Accepting new tasks.

That’s a magical door to know your real potentials and skills. And of course to know those skills in your team. Stories make concept easier to That’s a magical door to know your real potentials and skills. And of course to know those skills in your team. Stories make concept easier to comprehend. The second project I managed in my career was 4 million USD’s operation rooms. I was gifted this project 6 months after joining my second company and 2 years from my graduation. Some consultant or what I explained above as mentor, had seen my potential that I didn’t know at this time. As an Electrical Engineer, I was expecting to grow deeper knowledge in my profession. I didn’t know by this time that I have project management skills. The project included, electrical modifications, processes modifications, structural modifications and contractual modifications. It took me 6 month to put all the parts together. I didn’t expect the amount of effort that I am ready to put and the coordination and communication skills that I have. Moreover, the biggest bliss of all was that I wasn’t complaining of the non electrical stuff and problems that I need to handle. Also, it showed me the patience I have in dealing with elder staff who undermine your efforts and show disbelieve in you. Not to mention those how were passing you wrong information and looking to enjoy seeing you falling down like in Tom and Jerry cartoon episodes.

One key was to accept the new task and to go on with it without complaining. The other key was refusing negative expectations thrown in my way by others or even by myself when something goes wrong.

4. Exploring new hobies

Exploration is a little pit more than just reading about it. May be watching some videos about it, asking someone or joining some discussions and accepting the fact of being the new illetrate comer. But what are the hobbies available over there that I can explore?

You can see them in those around you. Someone is going for camping, rafting, sYou can see them in those around you. Someone is going for camping, rafting, skiing, etc. Or other one who is starting yoga, painting or music classes. Maybe someone who starts to learn more about online technologies and to use or build cloud apps. You don’t have to consider it an alternative career as I did, you may only think of it as a temporary escape from the everyday repeated work and life scenarios.

If you can’t see this in the close circle around you, you may try to explore them online. You can go for Udemy or SkillShare. Check which courses are popular or even have offers. See what others are learning. Pick a one that resonates with you and give it a try.

5. Trying new things

That’s the simplest of all. Try new food, new coffee, new dressingstyle, new brand, new hair style, new route to work, rent a car that you would like to drive, new music style to listen, new movie to watch, etc.. The most important key here is “do not complain about those new experiences”. Maybe you tried sushi 🍣 for the first time, you can like it or not. Don’t pretend to like it if you didn’t and don’t judge who like it.

In conclusion,

Those five (5) keys described here are practical steps to explore the real you that might had been expelled out of the fast running hamster wheel.

Finding a mentor or a life coach

Following an archetype

Accepting new tasks

Exploring new hobbies

Trying new things