I read to expose myself to to new ideas – to learn, grow and apply.

You're absolutely right with respect to do the doing.

Like I said in my last paragraph of this page, if I've successfully applied only one concept or idea I've learned from a book I've read, the priced I paid for the book was worth every single penny.

But what if you didn't know there was a BETTER way of 'doing'? That's why I read

I might write a similar blog entry, inspired by your post! It will be fun to read different perspectives on the same topic.

Great points. Of course, that will work too – perhaps that will be my inspiration writing a post on “How to Improve your Social Skills while on the job – and get paid for it too!”

I agree that taking on a job that will force you to improve your soft skills would work. You learn on the job where you’re forced to improve and pump out the sales or you don’t. Sink or swim and at the same time learn.

I found that when I was wanting to learn how to communicate better and more comfortably, I learned it through seeking out and working at sales jobs.

It’s purposeful and therefore adds some structure to the plight. And what better way to learn social skills than to actually do it for a whole shift and then to get paid for it?

Instead of approaching a stranger at a bookstore, why not *work* in a bookstore and have helping strangers and talking to strangers as your job? You will find that speaking and approaching people comes a lot easier in your personal life when it is also your job to do it.

I look to retail jobs as reinforcement of social skills and monetary compensation rolled in one! Taking those skills to a cocktail party is okay too.

I had a lot of help with my friend Malcolm to get things up and running. I thought the process would be harder, but in hindsight it doesn’t taken that much to get a wordpress platform up and running.

I’m still tinkering around, so this isn’t the final public version before I go “live” even though it already is.