India: In Pursuit Of Personal Excellence: Development Of Life Skills

Personal excellence is the pursuit of developing, refining and mastering the skills that help us become the best that we can, with all that we have. It is the reaching for and realizing our full potential as human beings. To pursue personal excellence, development of life skills is indispensable. Life skills are the competencies that help to function appropriately in the environment. Life skills are essentially those abilities that help promote mental well-being and competence in young people as they face the realities of life. When targeting life skills it includes development through various aspects under three headings that is head, heart and hand. When focussing on development of skills through head, it includes managing and thinking. Similarly through heart it includes relating and caring and through hand it includes giving and working. Thus Life skills encompasses problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, decision-making, creative thinking, interpersonal relationship skills, self awareness building skills, empathy, and coping with stress and emotions. Researcher has discussed life skill approach to teaching. These strategies or approaches in teaching are discussed focussing on 2 life skills, that is, Communication skills and critical thinking. Ways to enhance communication skills and critical thinking have been encompassed in this study. The present study may lead to the enhancement of practices and approaches for the progress and evolution of children. Key Words: Personal excellence, Life skills Policy