Living life can be an art in itself. It is as mind-blowing as a beautiful picture. It is as mesmerizing as the skillful performance of a dancer. It is as melancholic as the saddest song. But would everyone agree with the above statements? I feel very few would agree with them. Does it mean that life is all about glitz and shine? Wouldn’t you look back on the laughs and cry over them? Wouldn’t you look back on the tears and laugh over them? But it is always manageable, folks. Always! Especially for those who know how to turn their lives around.

Taking part in a debate on “Are we living in a better world than our ancestors,” a panel of judges concluded that our ancestors could make better use of their lives than the present generation. They went on to add that youngsters need to be better at the art of living. Though the topic is still debatable, the key point is that there are certain skills that would enable us to turn our lives around. The World Health Organization calls these skills “life skills.” In fact, the need of the hour is to develop and promote an “Emotional Quotient” rather than an “Intelligent Quotient.” A sound emotional quotient boosts our creativity, idealism, buoyancy, and spirit of adventure. Life skills enable people who are capable of experimentation and risk-taking. They help us draw a very accurate parallel between increased potential and greater vulnerability.

Self-awareness helps one understand and establish a personal identity. It helps one explore one’s potential, establish a positive image, and develop a sound career perspective. Evaluating our triumphs and failures will help in this regard.

Building a healthy relationship is a milestone in turning our lives around. It helps one understand the significance of mutual understanding, respect, and socially defined boundaries. Adaptive and positive behaviors enable individuals to deal effectively with demands and challenges.

“Critical thinking” and “creative thinking” are two sides of the same coin. Both enable us to make our lives meaningful and productive. Critical thinking is the ability to see things in an open-minded way. It calls for approaching an idea or a concept from various angles. It calls for rational considerations. Creative thinking is the process of developing unique ideas. It requires a better intelligent quotient. Avoiding self-imposed limitations and re-conceptualizing the problem will enable creative and critical thinking.

Better social skills will help us conduct ourselves more smartly. When we are able to negotiate with others, we turn into socially productive individuals. Communication skills will definitely help us in this regard. Empathy is the ability to place oneself in someone else’s “shoes.” Communication skills, teamwork, and cooperation get a boost forward with empathy. Intuition reasoning will help us when making decisions. When we have to choose between possible solutions to a problem, decision-making skills and problem-solving skills will definitely help us.

If we are good at coping with our stress and emotions, we can be more successful in life. When we are stressed, we need to figure out the reasons for the stress and get them under control.

For a successful life, both life skills and livelihood skills are necessary. Livelihood skills allow us to have a sound career perspective, whereas life skills contribute to making us successful individuals. When these life skills are implemented, they cause attitudinal changes, which in turn help us lead life to the fullest.