Anything can be applied to anything else if you try hard enough, but for any particular aspect of your life you wish to improve, there are probably going to be many far more efficient means of improving that than chess.
For example, chess may or may not help math skills, but it certainly does not improve math skills as much (and as efficiently) as math study and practice.
Edit: It seems you are asking two different questions. (1) Is one's life improved by chess in any way? (2) Can learning/playing chess help one do other things better off the chess board?
I interpreted the question as 2, and to 1, I would say that if one enjoys it and nobody gets harmed, that's enough to count as improving one's daily life.
This question has always bothered me.
Can chess be applied to the real world in any way??