Chapter 1 : Life Skills (Standard Foundations)

To realize the greatest benefits education can provide, commit yourself to do the following

1. Attend all classes 2. Arrive for class early 3. Have all necessary materials ready 4. Listen attentively to your instructor 5. Take notes 6. Highlight important points 7. Pay close attention during summary and review sessions 8. When something is not clear, ask for clarification. If you are still unsure, ask again for assistance

Some of the most important life skills for you to remember and practice include:

1. Being helpful and caring for others 2. Making good friends 3. Feeling good about yourself 4. Having a sense of humor 5. Maintaining a cooperative attitude 6. Approaching work with a strong sense of responsibility 7. Being consistent in your work 8. Adapting successfully to different situations 9. Sticking to a goal and seeing a job through to completion 10. Mastering techniques to become more organized 11. Developing sound decision-making skills

To be an ethical person should embody the following qualities:

1. Self care: to be helpful to others, it is essential to take care of yourself. 2. Integrity: Maintain your integrity by aligning your behavior and actions to your values 3. Discretion: Do not share your personal issues with clients. Likewise, never breach confidentiality by repeating personal information that clients have shared with you. 4. Communication: Your responsibility to behave ethically extends to your communications with customers and coworkers. Be aware of what you say and how you say it. Be conscious of your nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions and body language

The Whole Person

An individuals's personality is the sum of their characteristics, attitudes, and behavioral traits.

Your Creative Capability

Being creative means having a talent, such as painting, acting, playing an instrument, writing, cutting hair, applying makeup, or creating nail art. Creativity is also an unlimited inner resource of ideas and solutions

Establishing Good Study Habits

Focus on small tasks, one at at time. Studying in groups can bring positive results for everyone, including improved study skills and a better understanding of the material. Part of developing good study habits is knowing where, when, and how to study

Repetition

Helps your short-term memory secure a firmer grasp on the information, making it easier to retrieve when you need it. Whether you repeat information in your head, say it out loud, write it down, or practice it hands-on.

Motivation and Self-Management

To achieve success, you need more than an external push: You must feel a sense of personal excitement and have a good reason for staying the course. You are in charge of managing your own life and learning. Embracing your creativity will help you to achieve this goal successfully.

Acronyms

You can create an acronym by using the first letters in a series of words

Ethics

are the moral principles by which we live and work. When your actions are respectful, courteous, and helpful, you are behaving in an ethical manner.

Long-term Goals

are usually measured in larger increments of time, such as two, five, or ten years - or even longer

Organization

can be used to process new information for both short-term and long-term memory use. If a new topic seems particularly overwhelming, categorize the information into smaller segments

Short-term Goals

can usually be accomplished in a year or less

Songs or Rhymes

do no have to be complicated can be simple

Mnemonic

is a device that helps you remember or recall information; it can be a word association, acronym, song, or rhyme, or any other form of memory trigger that helps you to recall information

Mind Mapping

is a method you can use to create a visual representation of your thoughts, ideas, or class notes. Basic guidelines: 1. Write the main topic or problem in the center of a piece of paper 2. Think about the topic and allow your ideas to flow 3. Write down key words or ideas that come to mind 4. Use lines to connect the key words to the main topic 5. Expand on the key words by creating new connections to additional thoughts or information 6. Use colors and/or symbols to highlight important information

Perfectionism

is an unhealthy compulsion to do things perfectly. success is not defined as doing everything perfectly. As long as you learn from your mistakes, you will be successful. Someone who never makes a mistake may not be taking the necessary risks for growth and improvement.

Procrastination

is putting off until tomorrow what you can do today. This thought process may be attributed to scheduling too many tasks at one time, which is a symptom of faulty organization

Game Plan

is the conscious act of planning your life, instead of just letting things happen. While an over-all game plan is usually organized into large blocks of time (five or ten years), it is just as important to set daily, monthly, and yearly goals.

Goal setting

is the identification fo long-term and short-term goals. When you know what you want, you can draw a circle around your destination and chart the best course to get there. By mapping out your goals, you will see where to focus your attention in order to fulfill your dreams

Prioritize

ordering tasks on your to-do list from most important to least important

Visual Study Skills

the need to visually lay out thoughts, plans, and ideas is key to retaining information. Mind mapping and note taking can be effective learning tools.

Self-actualization

the process of fulfilling one's full potential, requires a lifelong commitment. Stay the course and fuel your passion by following proven success-building steps

Demonstrate Effective Time Management

1. Learn to prioritize by ordering tasks on your to-do list from most important to least important 2. When designing your time management system, make sure it will work for you. For example, if you are a person who needs a fair amount of flexibility, schedule some blocks of unstructured time. 3. Never take on more than you can handle. Learn to say no firmly but kindly, and mean it. It will be easier to complete tasks if activities are limited. 4. Learn problem-solving techniques that will save you time and need-less frustration 5. Give yourself some downtime whenever you are frustrated, overwhelmed, worried, or feeling guilty. You lose valuable time and energy when you are in a negative state of mind. To handle these difficult times, try practicing the technique of deep breathing. Fill your lungs as much as you can and exhale slowly. After about 5 to 10 breaths, you will usually find that you have calmed down and your inner balance has been restored. 6. Have a notepad, organizer, tablet, or other digital application accessible at all times 7. Make daily, weekly, and monthly schedules that show exam times, study sessions, and any other regular commitments 8. Identify times during the day when you are energetic and times when you want or need to relax. Plan your schedule accordingly 9. Reward yourself with a special treat or activity for work done well and efficient time management 10. Do not neglect physical activity. Remember that exercise and recreation stimulate clear thinking 11. Schedule at least one block of free time each day. This will be your hedge against events that happen unexpectedly 12. Understand the value of to-do lists for the day and the week. These lists help prioritize tasks and activities, a key element to organizing time efficiently. 13. Make effective time management a habit

Practice ethical behavior by employing these five professional actions:

1. Provide skilled and competent services 2. Be honest, courteous, and sincere 3. Avoid sharing clients' privater matters with others 4. Participate in continuing education and stay on track with new information, techniques, and skills 5. Give clients accurate information about treatments and products

Mission Statement

An essential part of business which establishes the purpose and values by which an individual or institution lives and works. It provides a sense of direction by defining guiding principles and clarifying goals as well as indicating how an organization operates. It often becomes the cultural pulse of an organization. As well-thought-out sense of purpose will also help on the journey to success. Your mission statement can lead you in the right direction and help you feel secure when things temporarily go off course.

To enhance your creativity, keep these guidelines in mind:

1. Be positive: Criticism blocks the creative mind from exploring ideas and discovering solutions to challenges. 2. Look around for creative inspiration: Tap into the creative energy of art museums, music, fashion shows, and magazines 3. Improve your vocabulary: Build a positive vocabulary by using active problem-solving words like explore, analyze, and determine. 4. Surround yourself with others and who share your passion: Many talented people find that they are more creative in an environment where people work together and share ideas. This is where the value of a strong team comes into play.

Action Steps for Success

1. Build self-esteem: Self-esteem is based on inner strength and begins with trusting your ability to achieve set goals. It is essential that you begin developing high self-esteem while you are in school. Reading positive affirmations is a great way to start 2. Visualize success: Imagine working in your dream shop. You are competently handling clients, loving the job and the environment. The more you practice visualization, the more easily you will turn your vision into reality. 3. Build your strengths: Practice doing whatever helps you maintain positive self-image. If you are good at something, the time you invest in that activity will allow you to feel good about yourself. Remember that there may be things your are good at that you do not realize. 4. Be kind to yourself: May be the hardest, but it is the most important one for success. Eliminate counterproductive self-critical or negative thoughts. If you make a mistake, view it as a learning opportunity to improve yourself and get it right the next time. 5. Stay true to yourself: Be yourself and be professional. It takes too much time and effort to be someone you are not. Being unique is a valuable asset 6. Practice new behaviors: Because achieving success is a skill, you can develop it by practicing positive new behaviors, such as speaking with confidence, standing tall, and using proper grammar 7. Keep your personal life separate from your work: Talking about your personal life at work is counterproductive and can cause the whole shop to suffer. Try to separate your work life from your home life and develop a healthy work-life balance 8. Keep your energy up: Successful beauty professional take care of themselves. Get the proper amount of sleep, eat healthy foods, and manage your time wisely. Also, create balance by spending time with family and friends, having hobbies, and enjoying recreational activities. 9. Respect others: Make a conscious effort to respect everyone. Exercise good manners by using words such as please, thank you, and excuse me. Practice being a good listener and remember not to interrupt others when they are speaking. 10. Stay productive: 3 bad habits can keep you from maintaining peak performance 1. procrastination, 2. perfectionism, 3. lacking a game plan. Will see an almost instant improvement in your productivity when you eliminate theses troublesome tendencies.

Although most of us develop our own way of taking notes, here are some general tips to get you started

1. Develop or select or note-taking template that works best for the way you like to organize new information 2. Date and number the note pages for easier organization when you need to review them 3. Listen carefully to lesson introductions and summaries 4. Use key words or phrases to identify main points 5. Use complete and accurate sentences when the instructor says, "You need to know..." or "This is important..." or when technical definitions are used 6. Use marks or symbols to emphasize important words, definitions, and so on 7. Use symbols, pictures, and diagrams to create visual reminders or to illustrate a concept 8. Use colored pens or highlighters to emphasize important points

Characteristics of a healthy, positive attitude:

1. Diplomacy: AKA tact is the ability to deliver truthful, even sometimes critical or difficult, messages in a kind way. Being assertive may help people to understand your position 2. Pleasing tone of voice: The tone of your voice is a personality trait 3. Emotional stability: learning how to handle a confrontation and how to share your feelings in a professional manner is important to building emotional stability and control. 4. Sensitivity: being sensitive means being compassionate and responsive to other people 5. Values and goals: Values and goals guide our behavior and give us direction 6. Receptivity: Be interested in other people and responsive to their opinions, feelings, and ideas. Involves taking the time to really listen to others. Be open-minded and willing to work with all personality traits 7. Effective communication skills: Commit to practicing effective communication through active listening and both verbal and nonverbal skills

Where

1. Establish a comfortable, quiet place to study without interruptions 2. Have everything you need - books, pens, paper, proper lighting - prior to studying 3. Remain as alert as possible by sitting upright. Reclining will make you sleepy!

Beauty professionals should study and have thorough understanding of life skills because

1. Practicing good life skills will lead to a more satisfying and productive beauty and wellness career 2. Beauty professionals work with many different types of clients, and life skills can help keep interactions positive in any situation 3. The ability to deal with difficult circumstances comes from having well-developed skills 4. Having life skills builds self-esteem, which helps individuals achieve their goals

When

1. Start out by estimating how much study time you need 2. Study when you feel most energetic and motivated 3. Practice effective time management by studying during blocks of time that would otherwise be wasted - such as while you are waiting in the doctor's office or taking a bus across town

How

1. Study just one section of a chapter at a time and review key points 2. Highlight key words and phrases as you go along 3. Test yourself on each section to ensure that you understand the information

Word Associations

To promote better long-term memory, try to associate new information with prior knowledge by using word association techniques

How Goal Setting Works

When setting goals, categorize them based on the amount of time it takes to accomplish them. when larger aspirations are divided into short-term goals, you will find that accomplishing each short-term goal progressively leads to the accomplishment of the larger goal. Remember to set feasible goals, create a plan of action, and revisit the plan often.

Note Taking

is a valuable skill to develop for studying and for working in the business world. Effective note takers listen carefully and pay attention to verbal cues that alert them to important information. When taking notes, listen and watch for these cues: 1. The speaker emphasizes words or phrases 2. You hear a directive, such as "You need to know" or "You might want to remember." 3. The speaker uses definitive words, such as main or first, that provide the importance or the order of something 4. If it gets written on the board, it is usually important