Learning can be both an exciting and terrifying experience. There are skills to master, a different lingo to speak, and huge expectations placed on progress. It’s like a kid with a two-wheeler who fears falls, scraped knees, and broken bones. Half the battle with riding a bike is gaining confidence and realizing that forward movement aids your ability to defy gravity.
There are tricks to help you win. The first trick is creating early wins to boost your morale. Setting attainable goals builds a track record of success that encourages the student to attempt tough challenges. Giving yourself training wheels and practicing every day makes you want to get on your bike.
With the uncertainty this year has thrown at us, I determined I would snatch victory from the jaws of complete devastation. Sixty days ago, I traded my mind-numbing matching game app for a language app. Becoming fluent beyond my native tongue has been a lifelong dream. The app expects only ten to fifteen minutes per day. As with anything else, once I start, I often invest double the minimum time. I am close to completing a milestone. Once I reach the goal, I will test myself to determine my fluency. I wonder if my library has any foreign language children’s books.
What tiny steps are you taking today?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Jo Hawk 
Finally straightening out the ending of a stage play I’ve been working on for years.
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Wow Robert. That is amazing. Congratulations on your hard work.👍✨🎉
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Thank you, JoHawk! 🙂
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I love the concept that forward momentum is what keeps us from falling. And kudos to you on the language lessons!
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I am glad that image spoke to you Staci. Over the years, I have dabbled in many languages, but now it is time to master at least one. Andiamo. 😊
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So, you’re learning Italian? I took a course years ago and have been considering doing so again. But my daughter is getting married this year (to a nice Peruvian boy) so she’s trying to learn Spanish. There are so many similarities between Spanish and Italian that I confuse the two. I think I can only immerse myself in one foreign language at a time. And right now, I guess it’s Spanish. Buona giornata!
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Oh, how exciting. A wedding! Congratulations to the happy couple. 💕💕 I studied Spanish in school, (6 years worth) and I’m still not fluent – I get by. There are many similarities. I have also dabbled in Portuguese, German and Mandarin. But since I want to return to Florence whenever travel is safe again, I decided on Italian. Buena suerte con tus estudios de Español
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I’m going to need all the luck I can get. Assuming his family can travel (with restrictions because of Covid, we aren’t sure they can), I’ll be relying on the kids to translate for me. But my son-in-law to be is fluent in English, and his mother and sister are almost fluent. It’ll be fun, for sure! Thanks.
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You are all off on a grand adventure, Staci. I’m sure everything will be beautiful.
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And wow, Jo. That’s a lot of languages you’ve dabbled in. I’m impressed.
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Right? It’s high time to master at least one of them. 😎
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What a great choice to learn a language! Buena Suerte! (Which is not Italian nor do I have the upside-down exclamation point.) I’ve been getting to know a new-to-me computer and trying–very, very slowly–to set up a decent workplace for it.
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Thanks, Christopher. Making learning feel more like a game is helpful. I don’t envy you with setting up a new computer. The process is a PITA. One step at a time and soon you and the new machine will be old friends. 👍
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