Your Skill Capital
The Asset You Keep Overlooking While Chasing Money
Y.A. Leinge
5/19/20262 min read
“We must work our talents out and work them out skillfully and then our rainbow of excellence will show.”
– Israelmore Ayivor (Ghanaian Author)
More often than not we place undue attention on one of the most effective idea-killers — finance. You get captivated by an enthralling idea and as you dig into its possibility and feel the energy flowing through your veins, your mind drifts to how much it will cost and suddenly your whole being gets flaccid. Unfortunately, financial capital is a constant — you will always need it. Fortunately, it isn’t the only type of capital you need and inasmuch as you can do little about it, you can do a lot about the other forms of capital.
One of such forms is your skill capital. Have you met folks who constantly rant about how they do not have enough money and if only they did they would be better-off in pursuing their dreams? When next you do, ask how much self-developed skill they have in line with their dreams and it will shock you how grossly ill-prepared they are to deliver even if the finances show up.
Here is what developing your skill capital will do for you:
It will push you to dream deeper and better
When you develop skill, your imagination expands with it. You begin to see possibilities that were invisible before — because now you have the tools to actually reach them.
Make you self-dependent as opposed to people-dependent
Skill reduces the number of doors you have to knock on. The more capable you are, the less you have to wait on someone else’s approval, availability, or generosity to move forward.
Will make you a leader in your field
People follow those who know. When you consistently develop your craft, you naturally rise and others begin to look to you for direction — not because you campaigned for it, but because your competence earned it.
Will make you take all jobs — big or small — seriously
A skilled person understands that every task is a chance to sharpen their edge. There is no such thing as a “small job” when you are intentional about growth. Excellence becomes a habit, not an event.
Help you plan your own future
When you know what you can do, you can map where you are going. Skill gives you the clarity to design your career rather than simply react to whatever life throws at you.
Set you out of a crowd of lay folks
In a sea of people with similar dreams, skill is what makes you visible. It is the difference between being just another face in the crowd and being the name people actually remember and refer.
Give you opportunity to name your wage
Value commands price. When your skill is evident and undeniable, negotiation shifts in your favour — you stop begging for what you deserve and start stating it with confidence.
So how do you develop your skill capital?
To develop your skill capital you need to operate in your area of passion. You will rarely develop skill when you are not passionate about a thing. In addition, you must develop a disciplined habit. A pattern must emerge in your activities if you would be skillful. Finally, you must repeatedly practice on duty. The secret of the best of the best? Practice, practice and practice! The money may come later. The skill must start now.