Here it is February and I'm finally getting serious about tackling my 13 skills.
So without further ado, here they are...
1) Entrepreneurship. This is the highest priority skill on my list. It will also be the most challenging. Jack talks a great deal about the importance of developing a secondary source of income in case your primary income stream is lost. That just makes sense. He also talks about turning your passion into a career. I've spent the last 20 years in a job I despise. It's a paycheck and nothing more. The thought of spending the next 20 years in the same job is pretty darned depressing. I've had the entrepreneurial bug for years, yet I haven't a clue where to start. Like I said, this will definitely be the most challenging item on my list.
2) Writing. This is closely related to my top priority skill. I want to focus mainly on generating steady output. My goal is to journal daily and blog at least 3 times per week. Blogging will most likely be part of entrepreneurship, and a key aspect of blogging is publishing content on a regular basis. In order to the that I have to, you know, write on a regular basis. This will be a challenge because I am quite the procrastinator when it comes to blogging. For instance, I spent most of last month working on the list of skills I am posting here.
3) Marksmanship/Firearms. Last October I picked up a Ruger 10/22 Takedown and I'm itching to work with it. Attending an Appleseed event seems like a great way to learn about marksmanship, improve my skills, and put some rounds through my 10/22. There are currently 3 events scheduled in my state. Unless more are added, my best option is to attend one scheduled in late March. I'm in Nebraska, and the potential for winter weather in March is pretty high. May not have a choice though. [cf TSP Ep 975]
4) Blade Sharpening. One of life's little annoyances & dangers is working in the kitchen with dull knives. I'd like to be able to sharpen my own kitchen knives, pocket knives, scissors, garden tools, etc.
5) Gardening. I've been gardening half-heartedly for several years now, but this year I want to get serious. I've got about 80 square feet of in-ground garden space that I want to convert to a raised bed. I also have a variety of self-watering planters I put together over the last couple of years. I'd like to make it all as organic and low-till as possible. An additional challenge will be doing this in a drought and with water restrictions that the Mayor is already threatening to put in place.
6) Composting. I'm going to have to get creative on this one since I'm limited on space and my husband is not thrilled by the idea of a compost bin in the yard. His suggestion is to start a guerrilla compost pile in the empty lot behind us. I'm not comfortable doing that, but it may be my only option.
7) Canning. I want to try my hand at water bath canning. Since I plan on improving my gardening skills, I also want to work on my food storage skills. I am reading Jackie Clay's book "Self-Reliance: Recession-Proof Your Pantry", and at the end of the section on water bath canning she writes "If you can boil water and tell time, you can do it easily." I've got both of those skills down, but I'm still intimidated by this one.
8 ) First Aid / Emergency Medicine. Last summer I took a Basic First Aid class through our local community college, but the class was web-based so there was no hands-on training involved. I'd like continue to expand my knowledge and get some hands-on experience. First step might be to get CPR certification, although I'm not sure how useful CPR is any more. I'm going to have to explore my options a bit more. If I can't locate any feasible options I might switch this to something in the "herbal remedies" or "making salves & balms" categories.
9) Fire Making. Learn to make a fire several different ways. I thought I knew how to do this, at least in theory, but last fall I failed miserably when trying out our Ecozoom. Seriously
. Even though this skill is lower on my list, it is an important one.
10) Knots. Learn to tie at least six basic knots from memory. There is a separate thread in this forum that lists a lot of different options. I did a rough tally of the most frequently mentioned knots and came up with these: Bowline, Clove Hitch, Taughtline Hitch; Square Knot, Trucker's Hitch, Slip knot. I also want to learn to use paracord. A good starter project will be to make a paracord bracelet.
11) Lock Picking. Learn the basics. I'm interested in this mainly out of curiosity. First step: make sure I won't be breaking any local or state laws in the process. I know I'm okay on the state level, but need to make sure I'm okay locally. Local law enforcement in this town is pretty strange at times.
12) Self Defense. This really should be higher on my list. I've had my concealed carry permit for a few years but haven't done nearly enough training to make it truly useful. I'm embarrassed to admit that since obtaining the permit I have never actually carried my weapon.
I could provide a list of excuses for this but in the end none of them are acceptable.
This needs to change! So I want to develop my skill at using my handguns for self-defense, increase my comfort level when it comes to actually carrying. Kathy Johnson (aka, Cornered Cat) will be teaching a 2-day course here in April. I sent my registration last week, but don't know yet if the I'm in the class. If that falls through, I've got a couple of other options.
13) Glass working. The last skill on the list is strictly for fun. I already work with stained glass, and want to broaden my skills and create mosaics and/or fusing. Naturally, this is the skill I've made the most progress on.
So there they are. Time to get busy!
Beth
