We all collect skills along the path of life, some of which are unavoidable and some of which we actively seek out to learn. There are never too many skills to acquire – seemingly useless skills suddenly come in handy at the right time. Skills are needed to help us deal well and effectively with the challenges of life. Learning a new skill simply means being open to new experiences and ideas and expanding our insights and abilities.

Do you know how to change a bike tire, tie different knots, keep a plant alive, tell a good joke, meditate, use a compass, ask for what you want? And the list goes on and on. All these skills add a bit of flair to our lives, makes us a bit more independent and helps improve confidence in our abilities. It also leaves others wondering how we got to be so awesome.

Under this Series in The Koa Club, we want to help you as you tackle the question: “I wish I knew how to….” We have been told that those who consistently succeed are those who are best at learning new skills and they make the commitment to dedicate their spare time to the pursuit of learning. We want to help you learn countless random but valuable skills to improve your life, personally and professionally and we encourage you to acquire some badass life skills through this Series at The Koa Club.

When Susan was young, she used to watch her dad strike up conversations with cabdrivers, doormen, other diners in a restaurant, and literally anyone who crossed his path. She asked him why he talked to everyone and he told her that we should not be afraid to engage in conversations and that every conversation provides us with an opportunity to learn and to build a potential relationship of some sort. Today, like him, Susan talks to everyone she meets, and from that one key social skill, she was able to build a strong personal and professional network which has been critical in helping her to get to where she is today.

You don’t need natural charisma nor be an extrovert to have effective social skills. Arming yourself with a good set of social skills such as knowing how to properly communicate, interact with others, assert yourself, listen to others, handle difficult conversations or deal with conflicts, can go a long way to help you in building solid long term relationships, build confidence in your private and public persona and succeed in your career.

This Series in The Koa Club will be focused on helping you navigate your way through a variety of social interactions, tackling social anxiety, and building or improving on your arsenal of social skills.

Why do we want to exercise? There are numerous reasons to engage in physical activities – it energizes us, strengthens our muscles, combats health conditions and disease, improves our mood and helps us look good. It has also been proven in numerous studies that exercise increases cognitive abilities and memory. It is one of the most effective ways to help your brain operate at full capacity.

Just because you have never run a marathon, entered a century bike race, climbed a mountain or swam competitively does not mean you cannot consider yourself an athlete. At The Koa Club, we consider an athlete to be someone who enjoys and seeks out physical activities, sets goals to achieve in one of those activities, and feels pride in the commitment and achievement. It is never to late to learn a new physical activity, commit to a bucket-list goal, and take on a challenge to have a healthier lifestyle. We understand that leading a healthy and fit lifestyle can be difficult. There are so many temptations and so little time in our busy lives to devote to activities like exercises and smart food choices.

This Series from The Koa Club will focus on effective ways for us to maintain our wellness, learn new physical activities, enhance our current abilities, and to attain a better, more active and healthier lifestyle. So, ditch the snooze button and come join us in this Series.

We recognize a leader when we encounter one – they are often charismatic, they exude influence, they inspire others, they make a meaningful impact and people are naturally drawn to follow their lead. So how do we know if others see us as a leader?

We have all encountered situations in our lives where we voluntarily or involuntarily took the lead, such as when we volunteered to lead a team on a project at work or when we took charge of an emergency because no one else knew what to do, but being a great leader is not by chance. Successful leaders make a conscious choice to constantly develop their leadership skills and competencies, whether by watching other leaders and emulating their behavior or engaging in focused training to hone their abilities in that area.

Under this Series, we plan to hold talks and discussions with experts to help expand our leadership toolkit. What if you do not necessarily want to lead anything or anyone, is this Series of any use to you? The short answer is yes – this Series will also provide opportunities to expand our knowledge in professional growth development, to improve our workplace management skills, to cultivate mindfulness in our work strategy, and to develop important capabilities towards career and organizational success. We encourage you to set a course for career and business growth through attending this Series of events from The Koa Club.

Do you enjoy being outdoors, whether hiking, trail running, climbing mountains, rafting whitewater, digging up oysters and clams, or even navigating your way out of the woods? There are many ways we can have fun outdoors and different activities we can participate throughout the year. Playing outdoors relieves stress, enhances social interactions, increases fitness levels and builds active, healthy lifestyle.

With this Series under The Koa Club, we explore the gambit of outdoor activities that are available to us in the Pacific Northwest, with the goal of sparking interest in new adventures, building our understanding and respect for nature, and learning to maximize our outdoor experiences. We plan to collaborate with people and organizations who are passionate about the outdoors and who can guide us in exploring our options for outdoor fun under this empowering Series.

We have all heard it – first impressions are crucial. A Harvard study revealed that it typically takes eight subsequent positive encounters to change another person’s negative first impression of you. Appearances matter in first impressions and also in ongoing interactions. Sociolinguist Albert Mehrabian found in his comprehensive research on communication that in a face-to-face encounter, 7 percent of a verbal message comes from the words used; 38 percent comes from the vocal tone, pacing, and inflection; and 55 percent of the message is transmitted by the speaker’s appearance and body language.

Do you wander into your office in the morning dressed in something that looks like you have just been lounging on the couch eating potato chips for days? Do you go out with uncombed rock-style hair? Do you go to bed with all the makeup on with the belief that it will magically disappear while sleeping? Yes, we have all done that and wish someone had given us some good tips on what to do or more importantly, what not to do, with our appearance.

This series is focused on helping us look our best, what we can do to improve our skills in this area in small or big ways, and how can make the powerful positive first impressions we deserve.

If we love food, does that make us a foodie or a foodaholic, a gourmet or a gourmand? The Koa Club defines a “gourmand addict” as someone who greatly loves and appreciate good food and drink, who wants to understand the components of food and drink, who wants to learn the many techniques involved in making delicious food and drink, who wants to use food and drink to explore interesting cultures and far-flung places, and who wants to learn all this with others who shares a similar passion.

Under the events through this Series, we will learn to respect food and beverages, build our palates and learn to speak fluently through food and drink. Let’s toast to a tasty series!

We advocate community service to our members for many reasons – it teaches us to have compassion and understanding, gives us opportunities to improve and leave our mark on your global and local community, promotes personal growth and self-esteem, and helps us to engage in causes that we are personally passionate about.

The Koa Club will collaborate with other organizations to allow our members to explore areas of interest in volunteerism. Our events under this series will be focused on creating or participating in volunteer initiatives for a wide range of charitable programs. By giving back, we get the chance to develop and demonstrate skills, participate in non-typical activities, bond over selfless acts and make a difference at the same time!