Here are a few things that I believe all women need to know how to do.

How to Change a Tire

Not only is it extremely expensive to get somebody out to your stranded car if you don’t know how to change a tire; it can be dangerous. Having somebody pull over to help you can be extremely dangerous, especially if the road is not well lit or if it’s not used frequently.

Changing a flat is a skill that every woman must know how to do, as we will all have a flat or two in our lifetime.

How to Negotiate with a Contractor/Tradesperson

This is one of my most hated tasks; negotiating with somebody who thinks I don’t know what I’m talking about.

My boyfriend is a carpenter, and my dad sells building supplies. I know my stuff when it comes to housing, construction, and building materials, especially since I worked for my dad almost every summer since I was 12.

This is important on both sides of the equation; if I am working for my dad and negotiating a price with a contractor, or if you are a home owner negotiating a price with a contractor or tradesperson.

There are some pretty crappy people out there who will take advantage of people they do not perceive as smart or who doesn’t know what they are doing. Unfortunately, some people have a penchant for preying on women because they think we can’t hold our own.

You simply need to know how to protect yourself from these people taking advantage of you. If you don’t know anything about the subject (say, your floor needs refinishing), then somebody is going to try to charge you way more than they are worth. Compare prices. Research. Learn the process. Show them you know what you’re doing.

How to Negotiate in General

There is a lot of chatter about women not being paid as much as men in North America because of lack of negotiation on the part of women. I don’t know if I believe this “excuse” for pay inequity; the truth is we live in a prejudice, unfair society and I’m sure negotiation is only one tiny piece of the problem (though it certainly contributes to the issue).

In any case, and this is something that I didn’t even do with my new job, we should know how to negotiate in general.

I find it’s a completely different ball field negotiating with somebody who is working for you, versus negotiating with somebody for whom you are working.

Negotiation skills – along with persuasion, since they go hand-in-hand – are very important skills that women need to be able to do.

How to Say No

Most (though certainly not all) of the women I know are extremely hard workers. That being said, I know that many of us feel guilty for saying we can’t do something because we have too much on our plates.

Whether it’s a friend asking us to do a favor that we don’t have time to do, or a coworker dumping more work on our plates because they’re going on vacation, it’s extremely important to learn your limit and be able to politely say no if necessary.

As much as we want to be the hero, and we want to be reliable and helpful, taking on too much is a disservice to ourselves, our families, and our friends.

I’m just learning to say no when necessary. Every time I’ve had to, the people who are asking are gracious and they understand.

Do you struggle with any of these? Can you think of any other important things that women should know how to do?

4 Things All Women Need to Know How to Do is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

What this means, is that I spend a lot of time in my day job screening people out of opportunities that they have expressed interest in, and a lot of time in my spare time studying exactly what it is that is holding so many of us back.

I don’t believe that the cause of women’s issues lands squarely on women’s shoulders, but I do think that we have to take responsibility for some (if not many) of the things that limit us in the workplace and in our relationships.

Often, our behaviours is what hinders our potential, security, and success. Our behaviours can hold us back from getting that promotion (even if we earned it), getting the recognition we deserve, and getting what we want.

These are behaviours that I see over and over again with women of all ages, but particularly of the millennial generation. I struggle with them too. We need to learn to get past these four deadly sins.

Lack Confidence – And Show It

We’re all a little unsure of ourselves at times. Some days, we don’t wake up feeling like Superwoman.

Whether we feel that we bit off more than we can chew, or we’re just having an off day, lacking confidence in ourselves is a huge barrier to our own success. There’s a difference between lacking confidence outwardly, and strategically hiding our doubts.

Have you ever met somebody who just seems so sure of themselves? They do things with such ease and confidence, things that you would be shaking in your boots to do? Like those people who go up on stage in front of 500 people and carry out a presentation or speech effortlessly, without even a single stutter?

They’re nervous. They are not 100% confident in their ability to deliver that speech, despite their calm demeanour.

Fake it until you make it. Practice your “I know what I’m doing” attitude in the mirror, whether you are starting an internship or your on the first day at the job, or whether you’re trying to not make an ass out of yourself in front of your new boss. It’s an attitude that comes with practice, and you need to know how to fake it so people can take you seriously and you can get ahead.

Use Language That Minimizes Your Contributions and Achievements

 Which sentence sounds better, more professional, like it’s coming from somebody who you would respect and take seriously?:

“I’m not sure if I’m on the right track but I actually just thought I’d take a second to see whether this statement in the report is right? I just thought it happened differently.”

“I noticed that this statement in the report is mis-worded.  It supposedly happened differently”.

I don’t know about you, but I think the first one is a statement from a person just begging you not to take them seriously. You “just” wanted to do something? Is it that minor? You “actually” thought? Is it a surprise that you were thinking and analyzing the report?

There are a lot of things wrong with the first statement, and it minimizes the person’s contributions. There is a great article on this on Huffington Post.

Let People Put Their Needs/Wants in Front of Your Own

 A sure-fire way to make sure nobody takes you seriously is to let people bulldoze you. Women, in general, get a lot of flack for exhibiting the same behaviours that men are respected for. If a woman is direct and firm, she’s described as “bitchy”. If a man is direct and firm, he’s described as “smart” and “powerful”.

We’re all wading shoulder deep in gender stereotypes (including men), so lets start rejecting them and standing up for ourselves.

You’re not a “bitch” if you tell somebody who cut in front of you in a line that they cut in front of you. You’re not being “catty” or “dramatic” if you stand up for yourself if somebody is attacking your idea at work.

On the same note, stop being everybody’s assistant. If you take on assistant type duties (making the coffee, taking your coworkers papers to be filed), you’re single handedly stunting your growth. Studies show that women are more likely to pick up the assistant type tasks, just because they see that it needs to get done and nobody else will do it. STOP. Somebody else will do it. If you don’t, there will be others.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t help people out, but don’t sequester yourself into a role that is not yours.

 Don’t Protect Yourself

Here’s the thing. I’m a practical person. I love my boyfriend, but I have seen many, many couples divorce and split up. It’s sad, but it happens. Nobody gets married thinking “Hey, if it doesn’t work out, there’s always divorce!”; but you’ll never meet a successful company that doesn’t have a contingency plan, and you should have one too.

As women, we have a duty to ourselves; we must protect ourselves. I believe that each member of a couple should have their own RRSP, own career (even if one of you has to put it on hold for a short while for children or dream chasing), own car (or method of transportation), and own emergency fund. You may not hold the same beliefs, and that is fine, but if you don’t, then find another way to protect yourself.

I’m simply saying that no matter how in love you are, and no matter how good things are going, protect yourselves. Nobody else is going to watch out for you if anything happens.

It’s sad to see so many women stunt their own growth and undermine their capabilities, even subconsciously.

4 Ways to Hinder Your Potential, Security and Success (For Women) is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.