If there is one thing I love more than learning about people’s character strengths, it’s learning about their hobbies.  And what better way to learn about someone’s hobbies and personality than seeing what courses and software they use.

With that said, here are some suggestions for courses and software that can improve life.  At least, these are some of the ones I have on my 2023 agenda, except for the cooking classes.

Critical thinking course.  An excellent critical thinking course helps you structure, challenge, and resolve dilemmas.  I read books on critical thinking, and they seemed philosophical, adopting a particular political ideology.  But a critical thinking course provides practical models that help you map out your dilemma to create win-win solutions.  If you love math and logic or want to learn how to better problem-solve, then a critical thinking course will take you to the next level.

Grammarly.  I think Grammarly is a great way to gain confidence in business, educational, and personal writing.  This tool tightens your writing so that it reads more professionally.  For example, I’ve noticed that my business emails typically contain many unnecessary words.  But Grammarly tightens my writing to create a professional tone.  The software also edits academic citations and references, although I have yet to use it in this capacity.

Cleaning services training.  If you’re like me, you didn’t sufficiently learn the art of cleaning, despite the spotless home Mom kept.  But cleaning is a skill.  I realize that it doesn’t take just time; it also takes an element of knowledge.  So, I sought two-week janitorial custodian courses that I could complete during my work holidays.  However, lessons don’t seem to be offered in person for a single enrollee.  So, instead, I plan on taking an online cleaning certificate program.  With the money and time invested in daily cleaning, anyone can keep a spotless home.

Private Swim Lessons.  Everyone can benefit from fitness skills.  So, I plan on taking private swim lessons to finally learn the art of swimming.  As a child, I took pre-beginners and was deemed the second-best swimmer in my group.  However, our instructor failed all of us but one.  So, I never learned how to swim beyond a dog paddle, backstroke, and tread.  But we should never stop learning in life.  And I highly recommend taking private and public fitness lessons simultaneously.  After all, all our acquired skills have eternal relevance, even when we are in our 90s.

Cooking class.  I found this neat site online for cooking lessons.  It offers both online and private cooking classes.  It’s called Cozy Meal, and it’s located at  https://www.cozymeal.com/canada/calgary.  This site looks inviting.  However, I don’t think I’ll sign up as I typically eat raw or canned foods like salmon.  But you may want to become a top-class cook.  In that case, Cozymeal may be an opportunity.

You may have a completely different set of interests.  Whatever you prefer is best.  But I recommend you try private or group classes, as coaching can take you to the next level.  After all, lifelong learning is paramount to a life well led.  And what you choose to learn strengthens what makes you unique.  After all, the old notion is you become what you think about.