Yearlyglot

We’re all used to hearing it from people… or maybe even saying it ourselves. It’s one of the best excuses for not accomplishing the things we want to do in life, or for not having the things we want. How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh, I wish I could, but I… continue reading

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

I talk about fear a lot. Perhaps more than one might expect on a blog about learning languages. But I talk about it because I think fear is such an important thing to conquer. It is the thing that holds us all back from… continue reading

A common excuse I hear from people is “I’m just not good at languages like you”, or “sure, it’s easy for you, you have a gift for languages”. But the truth is, I don’t. I’m not even sure such a thing exists… but if it does, I certainly don’t have it.
That’s not to… continue reading

Have you ever found yourself in a perfect situation but afraid to take advantage of it? Have you ever passed an opportunity to talk to someone in a foreign language, out of fear that you would make a mistake? Do you ever downplay your studies or your skills out of fear that your reputation… continue reading

Human nature is to fear the things we don’t know or don’t understand. When people act in a strange way, or talk in a strange language, it is easy to become fearful or distrustful of them. But once you start to learn, the fear is erased, and often replaced with curiosity and even a thirst for more.

I said recently that you can do more with a 100% comprehension of half the vocabulary, than you’ll ever do with 50% comprehension of all of it. Today, I want to give some real life examples of how you can be creative, and make yourself understood with a solid understanding of essential vocabulary.

I often insist that I’m not any more gifted than anyone else. It’s easy to excuse away my success by just saying I’m gifted, because it takes the responsibility off of yourself when you fail. But it’s self-delusion.

The ease with which I learn a language is a direct result of my curiosity. I don’t have a better memory than anyone else. But what I do have is a genuine curiosity about how language works — I am fascinated with how people communicate.

Stop trying to learn a foreign language. I’m not kidding. Stop trying. If all you’re willing to do is try, you’ll be happier and better off if you just stop now. There was a cute little muppet once, who famously said in his signature zen-like way, “Do, or do not. There is no try.” No one has ever said it better.

When I started this blog, I made a point that it is important it is to have clearly defined goals by which to measure success, and then I laid out some goals for this year. As it turns out, I think those goals were a bit too easy.

What is the one thing that holds people back more than anything else? What prevents people from doing the the things they really want, whether it’s learning to dance well, or trying a new style of clothes, or learning a new language? The answer is self-consciousness.