The number one skill that will always be relevant – Get it and forever be on top
As the saying goes, “the only constant in life is; change.” Almost every other thing in the world changes in one way or the other over time. Think back to about a decade ago if you were born by then, and you will realise that majority of the things that we upheld are either no longer available or they are less important than they used to be.
In the same way, nearly every currently hyped thing will soon have its sinking moment when no one will place any value close to what it has now on it again.
The world of football presents us a classic example where at a particular point in time, a certain player is on top of his game and scoring all the goals you can imagine, but within a few years he’s no longer sought by any team because he is either too old to play, or he’s lost what makes him valuable. At other times, new players who are more skilful than him have been discovered.
This applies in almost every other area of life too. In the professional world, it’s some abilities which make certain people relevant in whatever setting they find themselves. Once they lose those abilities, they’re out. Also, if others emerged with other abilities which they cannot match up to, they become obsolete.
In light of all this, the question is, could there be a skill which would be always relevant? At glance, you might be tempted to say no, because everything changes over time. Fortunately, that is not true. There is one skill which will always be relevant, and everyone, regardless of their position in life, would have to strive for this skill to remain relevant in everything they do.
This skill is the ability to learn, pick up and apply knowledge outside your comfort zone.
Let me explain further: because all things change with time, you have to get ready to change with it to stay relevant. You must be good at learning new things, quick to pick up new skills and also excellent at applying the knowledge that you obtain.
This goes to mean that, you have to be ready to learn new things and apply what you learn. This is usually very uncomfortable because most of the new things will not be things that you have been psyched for. The new things are usually going to be outside your comfort zone and you have to be able to come to terms with that.
I like the way a friend puts it and I would like to conclude by quoting that; “You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable” if you want to really stay on top of your game always.
Remember that your current skill may not be needed forever. Once you become redundant it’s like you don’t exist any longer and nobody will bother trying to get your attention for anything. Don’t think learning is a thing for students only such that once you are out of school you stop learning.
It’s common to hear many students in their final year say, once I’m done with this final paper, I don’t know when next I will learn something again. I wholly disagree with this sentiment and I think the latter part should read “I don’t know when next I will bury my head in a book again”. This is because learning is not only about books. So, don’t think I’m asking you to go read some books to stay relevant.
Reading books is just one means of learning but in order to be truly relevant, we have to look at all aspects of learning. Focus on what works, always lookout for new trends and start preparing yourself for the future.
If you know how to learn, quickly pick up any skill and apply the knowledge you obtain easily, then you will remain relevant forever.
Dr. Ehoneah Obed (Pharmacist, Software Engineer, Health Informatician, Founder)
My work focuses on identity engineering, which is the deliberate process of designing and updating who you are, personally and professionally.
Most people experience identity as something fixed or accidental. It is shaped by parents, early success or failure, education, and society’s definition of what a “good life” looks like. They adapt to it rather than questioning it. What most people do not realize is that identity is not just something you discover. It is something you can actively engineer.
Personal identity engineering is about gaining control over how your beliefs, values, and self-concept are formed and reinforced.
Professional identity engineering is about translating that internal identity into skills, work, leverage, and visible contribution in the world.
When people feel stuck, it is rarely because they lack motivation or talent. It is because they are trying to change outcomes while leaving the underlying identity system untouched. Careers stall. Confidence collapses. Direction feels unclear. The system keeps producing the same results.
I learned this by rebuilding myself multiple times.
I trained as a pharmacist for six years. While working in hospitals, I began learning to code alongside my job. That led to building real software, selling products, transitioning into software engineering, completing a master’s degree in health informatics at the University of Toronto, and now building startups and systems full time. Each transition followed the same pattern. My identity did not change because I thought differently. It changed because I took specific actions that produced new evidence, and that evidence forced a new story about who I was capable of being.
That is the core mechanism behind identity engineering.
Identity updates when you intentionally generate evidence that contradicts your old self-image, then compound that evidence until the old identity can no longer run the system.
This blog is where I document that process. I write about how to design identity experiments that are small, controlled, and reversible. How to build proof-of-work that changes both how you see yourself and how the world responds to you. How to move forward without waiting for clarity, confidence, or permission.
This is not motivation and it is not coaching. It is systems thinking applied to human change.
I also write The Ledger, a weekly record of systems and experiments for building a life you own.
And I built the Identity Audit, a diagnostic tool that helps you understand your current identity state before you attempt to change it.
I am not presenting a finished theory. I am engineering this in real time, using my own life as the test environment. If you want more agency over who you are becoming, both personally and professionally, you are in the right place.
