There are some soft skills that most people do not realize are important. Yet, they can be crucial for achieving success in life.
Each of us has unique traits and abilities which in many ways determine our whole life. Certain qualities of a person sometimes become decisive when it comes to a new position or promising career advancement. Achievements can become a regularity, not an accident, if you consciously develop the qualities and skills that demonstrate your loyalty to principles and purposefulness. Such qualities tend to be classified as soft skills.
Soft skills help you be successful regardless of the specifics of the activity and the direction in which you work. Traditionally, in psychology, they are classified as social skills. They include the ability to persuade, to find an approach to people, to lead, the art of interpersonal communication, negotiating and teamwork. There are also cognitive skills like concentration, erudition, creativity, etc.
Let’s talk about soft skills which do not always receive sufficient recognition but can be more than effective.
1. Impudence
Impudence is one of those qualities that have blurred boundaries. People use this word in a variety of situations that can be opposite in nature. Someone will say with enthusiasm: “He did it. It’s an unprecedented impudence”. And someone else will say irritably: “You are so impudent!”
This evaluation will depend on the person’s reaction. Thus, there are two different types of behavior that can be called “impudence”: it is arrogance and confidence.
In the first case, a person’s behavior is a reflection of their arrogance and selfishness. As a rule, this person tries to humiliate and embarrass their interlocutor. They will raise their voice tone, will behave defiantly and will try to show their superiority in every possible way.
This individual always wants to be the first and receive all the best from life. Strangely enough, their desire to feel confident at the expense of others is caused by their fear of being humiliated. They really want to prove their worth and show that they are an important person. A typical reaction of others to this behavior is irritation and contempt.
In the second case, the person takes unexpected actions. At the same time, they often go against the opinion of the crowd because this person clearly understands their value, individuality, and significance.
Such behavior can cause confusion and even shock among others. But deep inside, these people will feel impressed and even envious because they are well aware that they themselves are not capable of such actions. At the same time, we all know that success is achieved by those who think and act outside the box.
2. Creativity
Creativity is the ability to create something fundamentally new and different from the traditional ways of thinking. A creative person is able to solve the problem in a completely new way by introducing just one original element or completely changing the concept of problem-solving.
Many psychologists consider creativity to be the highest manifestation of human potential. In work and business, creativity is one of the most important soft skills and keys to success, especially in the face of fierce competition.
3. Sense of Humor
A person who has a good sense of humor copes with difficult situations more easily. At the same time, sense of humor gives you an important bonus in communication.
People who are able to look at the situation with humor win the admiration of those around them without even trying. Recognition, respect and attention come naturally to them because everyone likes positive people.
A person with a good sense of humor can easily overcome life difficulties and deal with failure. And this is one of the most important skills for anyone who wants to reach success.
4. The Desire for Novelty
Millions of people live in obscurity and hate their lives just because they do not want and/or do not take real actions to change something.
These people fear change or just do not want to try something new, initially considering it nonsense. They are guided by biases and stereotypes, without even trying to look at the situation in a new and more open-minded way. For the same reason, many people of the older generation refuse to use the Internet, ignoring the convincing examples of practical benefits.
But successful people, on the contrary, are open to new knowledge, ideas, and technologies. That allows them to easily navigate in a changing environment and establish useful contacts with other people.
One of the most important soft skills successful people have is to be open to new information and learn on a continuous basis. Have you noticed that the more you learn, the more you understand how little you know?
This approach allows you to take advantage of opportunities that appear on your way. Successful people are always open to new ideas, new ways of thinking, and constantly challenge their beliefs.
In practice, the desire for novelty consists of the following elements:
- Creative imagination;
- The ability to visualize (including the most fantastic and original images);
- The ability to discover new connections between the elements of a creative task by similarity, contiguity, and contrast.
5. Curiosity
There are a number of opinions that curiosity is one of the human vices. This opinion, in particular, is upheld by representatives of religious movements because, allegedly, this feeling is an excessive or even immoral manifestation of interest in something.
Whenever we show interest in any matter or object, we are motivated by nothing more than curiosity. It is this that prompts us to try a new dish, listen to new music, watch a new film, etc.
Whenever we think about whether we should act in a certain way or not, we rely not only on logical arguments but also on our intuitive feelings. And curiosity plays an important role here. Curiosity has the role of a motivator of human actions in absolutely all spheres of life.
Curiosity is a manifestation of the unconscious desire for knowledge. Moreover, this is a feature of behavior that indicates a person’s ability to solve problems in an original, creative way. This conclusion was reached by American scientists who conducted an experiment with students.
This list can be continued and it is possible to name a variety of useful soft skills. However, it is worth remembering that all the secrets of success are hidden inside ourselves. We can become both creators and enemies of our own success.
Our soft skills and personality traits can either help us or become a real obstacle to our success. Only persistent and continuous work on yourself and your personality will bring you fruits. And Lady Luck will surely smile upon you.