75 Skills To Master
I have arrived at a point in my life where I spend more time thinking about things I have not done rather then what I have accomplished.
So the timing is right to look back on a list of the 75 skills every man should master. Here it is in rapid-fire fashion:
Give advice that matters in one sentence. Tell if someone is lying. Take a photo. Score a baseball game. Name a book that matters. Know at least one musical group as well as possible. Cook meat somewhere other than the grill. Not monopolize the conversation. Write a letter. Buy a suit. Swim three different strokes. Show respect without being a suck-up. Throw a punch. Chop down a tree. Calculate square footage. Tie a bow tie. Make one drink in large batches, very well. Speak a foreign language. Approach a woman out of your league. Sew a button. Argue with a European without insulting soccer. Be loyal. Drive an eight-penny nail into a treated 2-by-4 without thinking about it. Cast a fishing rod without shrieking or sighing or otherwise admitting defeat. Play gin with an old guy. Play go fish with a kid. Understand quantum physics well enough that you can accept that a quarter might, at some point, pass straight through the table when dropped. Feign interest. Make a bed. Describe a glass of wine in one sentence without using “nutty”, “fruity”, “oaky”, “finish” or “kick.” Hit a jump shot in pool. Dress a wound. Jump-start a car, change a flat tire and change the oil. Make three different bets at a craps table. Shuffle a deck of cards. Tell a joke. Know when to split your cards in blackjack. Speak to an 8-year old so he will hear. Speak to a waiter so he will hear. Talk to a dog so it will hear. Install a lighting fixture without asking for help. Ask for help. Break another man’s grip on his wrist. Tell a woman’s dress size. Recite one poem from memory. Remove a stain. Say no. Fry an egg sunny-side up. Build a campfire. Step into a job no one wants to do. Sometimes kick some butt. Break up a fight. Point to the north at any time.
Create a playlist in which ten seemingly random songs provide a secret message to one person. Explain what a light-year is. Avoid boredom. Write a thank you note. Be brand-loyal to at least one product. Cook bacon. Know that Christopher Columbus was an SOB. Throw a baseball overhand with some snap, throw a football with a tight spiral and shoot a 12-foot jump shot with confidence. Find your way out of the woods if lost. Tie a knot. Hold a baby. Shake hands. Iron a shirt. Stock an emergency bag for the car. Caress a woman’s neck. Know some birds. Negotiate a better price. Deliver a eulogy.
I better stay around for a while because I have some catching up to do.