30 Adults Share Basic Life Skills That They Failed To Learn
As a child, whenever you had a problem, you most likely went to your parents or some other adult to solve it. But as you grew up, you learned how to do things on your own. Part of being an adult is having a grasp on certain basic life skills - however, as it turns out, not every life lesson is as basic to one person as it is to the next.
The New York Times editor Jenee Desmond-Harris recently shared on Twitter her landlord's unexpected know-how blindspot, and then asked the internet to share their own. People delivered all sorts of hilarious answers, and some of them you might be able to relate to - from social skills such a the dreaded small talk to vital work skills. Scroll down to check out some of the best responses, and don't forget to upvote your faves! And don't forget to let us know in the comments, which seemingly simple things you've missed along the way.
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Whether it’s tying our shoes, correctly reading the face of a clock or learning to swim, we’ve all had a bit of trouble getting to grips with certain important (and elementary) life skills. Some people even find basic things like fixing the plumbing or driving a car to be — well — basic. But there’s plenty of us have a lot more trouble, because we might be afraid (a lot of us may have panicked the first time we went to a community pool) or we simply might have had no need for a particular skill (we may prefer getting around by bike rather than by car if we live in busy cities).
Sometimes I think I've nailed this adulting lark and am now a fully formed member of the human race. Then I try talking to a stranger and realise all I've done is cocoon myself in friends who don't mind talking about D&D 24/7
We all know the adage that it takes about 10,000 hours to learn a new skill. However, that’s not entirely true. Josh Kaufman, known for his inspiring TED talk and author of the book ‘The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast!’, has a very different idea.
According to Kaufman, the so-called 10,000 rule has been misinterpreted by the vast majority of people for quite some time now. He notes that 10,000 hours is the average it takes to become “an expert in an ultra competitive field”, which is far from the same thing as learning a new skill This is good news for most of us!
Name someone you have beaten in a trivia game. I bet you can't.
Kaufman states that to get from “knowing nothing to being pretty good” takes a far shorter amount of time: barely 20 hours. That’s more or less practicing something for 45 minutes every day for around a month. Doesn’t seem so scary, does it? Of course, you can’t multitask while trying to learn a new skill — you need to focus on it exclusively.
I wonder if this goes all the way to the basic of these people not knowing their right from their left. Also, if they're as bad as they say, how do they get where they need to go when they're alone?
The trick is to inhale with your mouth when out of water, slowly exhale through your nose while in the water. You can help yourself with humming while in the water.
Except if you exhale while underwater you can’t be under for nearly as long.
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Actually, this is very common. There're several reasons for it, but mostly people who do this had bad experiences with underwater swimming in the past. It's mainly a brain thing. You can't overcome thinking of inhaling water (or drowning) and while you think of it you do it. It is possible to unlearn it. Step by step and with good experiences, you can stop holding your nose. It's the same as with other fears - You have to do it once (maybe a few times more) and probably will get rid of the fear.
Yes I nearly drowned once. But what was more traumatic was my swimming teacher. I was five, and she shoved me under water and held me until the bubbles came out, then pulled me out. She thought if you knew what it was like to drown, you would be more likely to learn to swim.
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I can't either. I have to hold my nose when jumping in and when I go under at any time. I can't do the 'breathe out slowly so water doesn't go in' trick because I have a very weak lung capacity and can barely hold my breath that long as it is
Ya, and what about people that jump into the water without plugging their noses? How do they do that without water shooting up there?
When you breathe through your mouth, or hold your breath, you can feel a little muscle close off your nose. That is how you swim under water. That little muscle holds your nose closed from inside.
I would love to know how too! If I try to go underwater without holding my nose I get a violent pain in it.
I also can't do this and it's because I did try once but the water got in my nose so, I'll just deal with a noseplug. Who honestly cares?
You have to learn to seal off your sinuses with your soft palate. Try saying “t” really hard without letting air out.
Funny... unless I swim upside down, if I don't inhale, water doesn't go in my nose. Maybe it's different for other people.
I had no idea so many ppl struggled with this, I thought it was easy to not breathe in water. This explains why not everyone likes to swim underwater.
I learned to swim underwater as a child so it's easy, I don't have to think about it.
Breathe in before submerging and then exhale breath when under water, but not too much to the point where your lungs want to implode. Obviously come up for air.
It's like learning chords in music, one day it just clicked in my head how to do it and it's no big deal now, 50 years too late, lol.
Professional Scuba Instructor here: The response to panic when nose touches water is called the Mammalian Dive Reflex. All mammals are genetically programmed to shut the air passages when the head is under water. Put a baby in a pool and it will automatically stop breathing through the nose (without panicking). The key is to feel safe and relax first and foremost, take the time to get in the zone. Imagine what you want to accomplish, in this case exhaling underwater, and practice it slowly in a safe place. If you don't take the time to visualize, and you rush to try to overcome it, then you will spend the better part of your life wondering what's wrong with you.
I can't do that either, if I don't hold my nose I get excruciating headache for hours.
I am the exact opposite somehow. I think I was taught at an early age to not do that, and when i do it I just pop my ears
its been a little learning curve for me: try this method in baby steps (in the hot tub or low water): breath in slowly and breath out through your nose, sametime dive under water for some inches, still breathing out the remaining air, and then dive up. doing this more times, i realized, no water comes into my nose, when staying under water, after breathing out all air through my nose.
My boyfriend can't even swim. I suggested to teach him. He refused.... :-(
I can hold my breath without holding my nose and exhaling out of my nose while underwater, but I can't stop boogies from coming out and then they hang slightly out of my nose once I surface... real problem.
During wudu (ritual ablution/cleaning with water) Muslims clean the inside of their nose. You're supposed to sniff the water in. I cannot do this. I cup the water in my hand and forcefully splash it up my nose.
its pretty easy but i have to let go when im under the water and even then
Fitted sheets are supposed to be folded? I just wad them up in a ball and stuff them in the linen closet.
I cannot say 'similarly'. It always comes out as similarily, similaly, similarlarily etc.
I have a problem with converting the 24h clock to 12h. Keep messing up 5 o'clock (1700h) and 7 o'clock
Now this, I learned at middle school. One of the positives of having school uniforms in the UK!
Me too. It drove my driving instructor CRAZY. XD (still got my license after one try on the practical exam, hey!) I'm getting better at it though, lately.
And that's a benefit of growing up in the Netherlands: everyone gets swimming lessons. Some of us more than others, but we all do when we're little. Too much water around not to... :P
Note: this post originally had 64 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I can't hold pens and pencils "properly". I can write (although my handwriting is known as not so beautiful) and I can draw very well. But I hold the tools MY way.
I worked with a girl that held a pen really awkward and had horrible handwriting but she was quite an artist! We kept trying to get her to pursue a career in arts.
That's sweet. I hope she's doing fine.
I don't know why people are so uptight about it, honestly. People always told me that I was holding the pen / pencil 'too far down'. Screw it, it works for me and that's what matters.
I totally agree. I mean, I understand the importance of how you hold your utensils if you're doing something potentially dangerous. Then the "proper way" would mean the "safe way". But, come on, we're just talking about a pencil here. Whatever works for you and I.
Same. I hadn't even noticed until I was in middle school and a teacher told me to "write correctly"...
When I was in high school and I went to our local library to work on some personal drawings projects, there was this old man who had to interrupt me because he couldn't resist the urge to teach me the proper way of holding my pencil. Ugh, time wasted.
Screw "properly." The "proper" way is whatever feels right to you!
Totally!
Me too :)
Yay! Twisted pencil holders of the world, UNITE!
Me three! And I held a side job illustrating for a while, so it is definitely not an indicator of being bad at doing stuff with pencils. :)
Are you a left-hander? Because I'm, and some of my friends are, and none of us holds their pens "properly". As someone stated, the problem is that they only teach right-handers how to write in school. Left-handers are generally mocked, ignored and forced to write with their right hand. In the end, we end up teaching ourselves.
I was born left-handed, but my mom trained me to be right-handed to provide me with a more comfortable life. My maths teacher spotted that, back in high school, when she saw me writing on the board. Apparently, we move our hands in a different direction.
I always cross my legs when sitting, usually in the lotus position. When I try to uncross them the moment I stop thinking about it I cross my legs. Any suggestions on how to break this habit?
If you sit at a desk put a pillow on your lap, it will block you. I had to do that because crossing legs and twisting the body was causing me back pain.
this is a good idea! I have that problem too!
If you are sitting on a proper surface crossed legs and straight back are very good for your body ,rather than sitting on a chair ,feet hanging nd back arched
I was 60 plus, and still sitting cross legged....people laughed at me....now I have arthritis and can't do that anymore....I miss it....my advice....enjoy it while you can....
I do this too it hurts my ankle to sit "normally"
If I find someyhing I can't do, I force myself to do it until I get it down
Sounds like a great attitude.
I can't write very well, always in block caps, and rushed. I can't estimate, or approximate, distances. I can't blow my nose, or use my fingers to whistle. I can't drive, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to do basic maintenance on my car. There a lot of other physical skills I lack, as well, but my verbal reasoning skills are exceptional. At least that's what my psychologist told me. Oh, and I also lack empathy. Apathy, however, I have in spades.
I write in block caps too- still shockingly untidy and I always hope that no-one else needs to read my notes. Also can't whisle with my fingers, or roll my r's, which is embarassing when your name starts with an R.
Could be worse. Your parents could have given you your name, and as you got older, you could have developed rhotacism.
Can't dance, can't whistle, can't remember names, can't drive in reverse and when I park my car, I need enough space for a truck.
I can't dance, either. I would love to learn, but I don't have the confidence.
I can't drive in a straight line, going in reverse and I have to be really careful and try really hard to reverse out of a space if the back-end has to go left. Idk who decided I should have a license, really. lol.
I can't braid my own hair. I don't know how. No matter how many youtube tutorials, friendly advice, etc. It never works. I am a disgrace to my country. I also can't float on my back. My butt keeps going down. But I'm one hell of a swimmer otherwise.
I've never learned how to braid my hair properly. I end up looking like Pippi Longstocking.
SAME, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK
I can’t eat bubblegum (I swallow it after two seconds), can’t snap my fingers, can’t blow my nose, can’t swim underwater (for some reason my ass keeps floating up, although I’m not fat, and I just can’t understand what to do to stay under).
Everytime I chew chewing gum,I bite my tongue
I cant reliably do calculations in my head even though Im a math teacher. I have to write things out because I have such a bad memory.
I'm also a math teacher and I frequently tell my students that "one of the biggest barriers to doing math isn't ability, it's memory..." (I can also pass of my own mistakes sometimes as "tests to see who is watching".)
A secretary didn't know you can push the pills out of blisters, she would cut them out from the plastic side, one by one.
My migraine medicine is so over-packaged that I usually just wind up poking at it with manicure scissors.
Packaging is ridiculous!! When something says child proof, I find a child to open it for me....
I'm sure that really helps your migraines...
I absolutely, positively can't wash a window. I've tried every trick in the book. All I do is move the streaks around.
Have you tried drying it with scrunched up newspaper?
Yep. Thanks anyway.
have you tried vinegar and water? and to dry a micro fiber towel? like the ones they use for cars
I cannot fold a t-shirt to save my life. Every time I try, it looks like I wrestled it into submission. Since most of my shirt wardrobe is comprised of t-shirts, my dresser drawer is an abomination.
Just use hangers. No ironing necessary as well.
I know how i am just very lazy so i buy those fabric cubes and throw everything in them! my closet looks sooooo neat and organized! Just dont pull out the cubes LOL!
For those having a hard time with right and left - If you are right handed, think "write (which hand do i write with)" and that is your right hand. For lefties the opposite hand is your right =)
Great advise, thanks. I have huge issues with left an right and since I'm a physiotherapist I really struggle sometimes. Maybe now, I get it right more often.
There are so many things I didn't learn as a child which my peer take for granted like bicycle riding and swimming.
I can't blow bubble gum bubbles. That always frustrated and confused me.
I can't remember phone numbers. If my smartphone dies, the only one I can call is my mom's house phone. She had to call my partner 3 times the last 10years, to tell him I'll be late. And before that, my boss...
Don't feel bad. I can never remember my own phone number.Lol
I still have a landline....everyone else has cell phones.....It used to be, I'd call a number and ask for the family member I wished to speak too.....Now I'm expected to remember a different phone number for each family member.....
pretty soon, remembering anyone's # will be a thing of the past... like analog clocks and knowing how to write a check and being able to read cursive is becoming, now. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I knew all of my friends numbers, but now, I might be able to tell you 3.
I can't identify types/model/brand or cars. I can just simply tell it's a sedan or not, and that's about it. Can't even tell if other cars are the same model as mine. Don't ask me what species it is, it's a car. They're all the same in my eyes.
The majority of these don’t seem to be lack of skill, they’re lack of confidence. “Oh I can’t do that...” Youre right.
I cant tell the time on clocks without numbers or clocks with dots in place of numbers. Normal clocks im fine with, including those with roman numerals
When I have to add up manually I still secretly use my fingers to count. Anyone else?
I have no sense of weather. It can be 75 degrees and i still have no clue if i need to wear a sweater or a t-shirt.
Loud whistling, fast swimming, walking on hands, tying a tie, remembering lyrics, names and titles, AND walking on high heels without bending my knees too much. Wow, seems like a lot of work for me to do! :-)
I can't walk on heels either! Less than 30 minutes and my whole body is in pain!
I own a horse for 5 years right now... Still dont know how to ride, only walkink and few meters of trotting in riding arena
I have had the struggle of remembering when AM and PM are. Recently I am beginning to get over this problem, but it still comes as a struggle. I have found that considering AM as "After Midnight", and PM as "Pre Midnight", despite what they actually stand for.
I can do multiplication & division in my head but to just count I have to use my fingers
I called albums, alblums until I was in my mid thirties. I had no idea I was saying it wrong until a friend corrected me. Even now when I think about the word I still hear it as alblum.
I can't swim, can't go underwater without holding my nose (which certainly affects my ability to swim), can't fold fitted sheets, can't drive in reverse without hitting something IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY, can't whistle, can't remember names OR faces... in fact, my memory is so lousy I can't even remember all the things I can't do.
I can’t drink from a can. I’m allergic to most drinks that come in cans, so I never learned how. When I try, either nothing comes out, or it all comes out at once all over my face!
My wall clock and wrist watch are anti-clockwise, and my brain is so used to it that it takes me a few seconds to tell the time on a normal clock.
I get let and right confused when giving directions. Years of working in the theatre do this. Luckily when I say right and use the left arm, he knows to follow the arm not the words.
My memory is usually good, but I'm terrible at remembering names and still confuse the axes in coordinate systems (in 11 grade maths. as basically a straight A student, so it's not like I generally suck at the subject)
I can’t do a lot of things on this list lol. But nice to know I’m not alone. But I also realized that i literally can’t do a damn thing
I can't whistle with my fingers but then again never really tried to learn. I can do everything else listed above though.
I can't whistle. and I always think someone needs to scare my sneezes away, but that's hiccups. Despite how many times I remind myself, my first instinct is to scare someone when they sneeze, instead of saying bless you.
I have absolutely no coordination whatsoever I have already fallen down the stairs three times today and I am now sitting on my couch icing my sprained ankle
For the life of me I can't spell words out loud, I have to think about it so hard the majority of the time I forget the word I was trying to spell or that I was trying to spell anything, leave the person who asked me hanging and start doing something else.
I was at DMV a few years ago, and I actually recognized the face of the guy in line behind me. Did he live on my street? No. Go to school with me? Nope. After mentally going through my entire contact list, I finally turned around and said, "Hi! I'm really embarrassed but I'm sure we know each other, right?" And he looked at me oddly for a second and then said, "I don't think I know you, but I'm the ABC evening newscaster." Uh, right. I've been staring at his face every damn night for a half hour for YEARS.
I can't use textas without it somehow getting all over my fingers.
I can't do a lot of "around the house" stuff. I never hang pictures right. They barely stay on the wall and are always crooked. Most other stuff is done with a lick and some spit.
I can't roll my r's. I'm DYING to learn to speak Spanish, but I end up sounding like an idiot.
I can't say "car park" or "coin toss" without inverting the first letters. I can sometimes hear when I say "par cark" but I never hear "toin coss" it always sounds right to me.
I can't tell time unless the clock is digital, and I get very very stuck on making change with physical money as opposed to credit cards. I also still can't create all the letters in cursive. (Yet I've taken to writing in Greek)
Don't get me started on figuring out precentage of ANYTHING. Impossible! I've been showed about 20 different ways and I still don't get it.
I cannot, for the life of me, remember the artist or album of a specific song. I'll know the lyrics word for word but good luck getting me to tell you who sang it or which album its on! I also cannot braid my own hair, tie a knot that will reliably stay tied (all my laced shoes have slide fasteners on them), or understand the air pressure in my tires. I can fence with a sword in each hand and dead-eye a knife throwing target, but I'm fairly sure I'm going to die when my tires inevitably explode.
I can't purr - I have tried and tried but sounds like i'm hacking - haven't given up but dont see success anytime soon!
How often do you need to purr??
I've had multiple people try to teach me to play chess and I. Just. Can't. I'm otherwise educated, intelligent, and logical, but chess? Forget it.
I can’t describe someone; so if I was ever a witness to a crime the description of the person would be such a mess and based on characters I’ve seen on anime, movies, shows and music videos lol. I’d be such an unreliable witness. But the sad part is like if I ever see someone more than once I could tell you when and where. 😔
I can’t say the word colloquialism no matter how hard I try. It even took me 3 tries to look up the spelling because I can’t wrap my brain around the pronunciation.
I can't whistle or say the word "peripheral" correctly.
Kat Olmstead follower
I can't snap my fingers, so I guess I'm neither inevitable nor Iron Man. :P I also can't swim very well.
Way too many of these apply to me.
I cannot fry chicken. #fail every time
I know a 50 year-old who can't tell analog time.
I can't swim (taken 3 different classes), and I can't whistle.
I cannot for the life of me judge distances-I mean I will park about four feet away from the curb and think 'OMG! I bet I'm up on that curb!'
I can not be on time to save my life, would hope to for someone else's but I always seem to be 20 min late or 20 min early.
Chopsticks can't do them, people have tried to show me many times before but my fingers just cannot hack it. Also weight, some people can hold something and will have a rough idea of the weight of the thing they're holding not me.
I have to put my fingers in my ears when I wet my hair and rinse the shampoo and conditioner out when I shower. I can’t gargle because of my gag reflex. I can raise my left eyebrow but not my right eyebrow. Just to name a few.
Hey!!! I just found out I can't raise my right eyebrow either. I'll just add that to my list.
Can't raise my right eyebrow to save my life, lol.
I can't hold pens and pencils "properly". I can write (although my handwriting is known as not so beautiful) and I can draw very well. But I hold the tools MY way.
I worked with a girl that held a pen really awkward and had horrible handwriting but she was quite an artist! We kept trying to get her to pursue a career in arts.
That's sweet. I hope she's doing fine.
I don't know why people are so uptight about it, honestly. People always told me that I was holding the pen / pencil 'too far down'. Screw it, it works for me and that's what matters.
I totally agree. I mean, I understand the importance of how you hold your utensils if you're doing something potentially dangerous. Then the "proper way" would mean the "safe way". But, come on, we're just talking about a pencil here. Whatever works for you and I.
Same. I hadn't even noticed until I was in middle school and a teacher told me to "write correctly"...
When I was in high school and I went to our local library to work on some personal drawings projects, there was this old man who had to interrupt me because he couldn't resist the urge to teach me the proper way of holding my pencil. Ugh, time wasted.