The Stuff of Life

The Stuff of Life
For those of us who find nature to be both aesthetically beautiful and life-sustaining.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Social Survival Skills

Ants working in socially developed colonies are the ultimate survivors 

As promised this is a continuation of a previous post (Part II).
Here is an excerpt from that post:

Whether or not the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) is in our near future, down the road or never comes to pass, the fact remains that if you are reading this, you currently live in the world AS we know it. The world as we know it is a social landscape. Everything we have built and everything we do is contingent on other people. We have all become the people we have become because our ancestors were survivors. Our ancestors were adept at creating and maintaining groups, tribes and societies. Because of their ability to function in a society or group, the people before us mastered the art of making clothing, tool making, fire, water collection and purification, container making, shelter building, hunting, foraging, fishing, trapping and agriculture. Ironically, all of these things are things that most of us today no longer know how to do on our own. If we face a catastrophic change in our current state of the world, these skills would once again mandate who lives and who doesn't.

But first, those ancestral survivors mastered and honed their social skills. They worked together toward a common mission of survival. In order for you to confidently move toward honing the abilities that they once had, you must first master the art of social survival. Even if your preference or your plan is to be a lone wolf, because you live in a social world, your odds are greatly increased if you have social skills to add to your basic-needs "survivor pack".

The following is a short list (PART II). This list is not all encompassing and will be added to in future follow-up posts, but here is a mini foundation of basic "social survival skills" for interacting, attracting, inspiring, motivating, and leading people:

4. Appreciate people: show it, share it, give it. This is important in all relationships and interactions. Everyone needs and wants to feel appreciated and it is important to take that extra time to say it and to show it. In my experience, many people will jump through hoops for you as long as they feel that their efforts are appreciated. This is a very easy thing to do and in exchange, most people will be happy to help you out as well. This type of social interaction is a win-win. Remember to be genuine in your efforts as no one appreciates lip-service. Attempt to show your appreciation in your actions and in your behaviors, in small things and for simply being who they are. How you treat others and how you show your appreciation for others will shine through in your ability to be an effective leader.

5. Figure out what other people desire or want and find a way to inspire this within them: This is about honing the ability to inspire and motivate other people. This is a key quality in having and displaying charisma, motivational speaking ability and leadership skills. Whether you are leading yourself, your family or your subordinates, it is imperative that you capture the essence of what motivates other people in your circles and beyond. Once you know how they are motivated and by what, motivating and inspiring them in a forward direction is much easier.

Inspiring others can accomplish great things. Plus, it feels good to positively impact other people who may later thank you for inspiring them toward something they might not have otherwise accomplished. The number one skill that you can use to inspire, motivate and transform people is to arouse that "desire" or that "want" from deep within them.

6. Smile! Be aware of your face!! This seems like such a simple concept, yet if you watch people and their facial expressions, you will see concern, anxiety, stress, fatigue, fear, depression, exhaustion, irritation and many other emotions and feelings, but rarely will you see genuine happiness. watch yourself for a few days or even for one day and attempt to smile whenever and wherever you encounter another person young or old. Allow your face to really light up. People will respond warmly to you. People are drawn to magnetic, charismatic and happy people. People want what you have to offer.

Smiles are good for you and they are good for them. Babies love smiles for a reason. Think about your smile every time a child enters the room. Children are very intuitive at an early age and will read your face. This carries into adulthood and we all slowly become experts at reading faces, body language and other hidden communication. Smiling at other people is the number one easiest thing that you can do to connect with other people, improve your social skills and get other people to respond positively to you.

These three skills are the continuation from Part I (1-3) of your "social survival kit. "There are many others that I will share with you to add to your kit in time. First, read and re-read these three life skills and begin to practice them everywhere you go and in everything you do. Social skills, like tool making and fire starting, must be learned and practiced.

Master these and master your social landscape.








2 comments:

  1. The world as I know it doesn’t seem like it will end one day, but I guess mankind’s activities are on the verge of demolishing the world as I know it. I am always prepared with disaster survival skills; I know little of social survival skills. Your article has been really helpful with the social survival skills, especially the fifth one. You can also check out the following post to learn a few more skills: http://survival-mastery.com/basics/survive-the-end-of-the-world.html

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