32) Question Everything
Nobody has all the answers, and even the answers we think we do have often end up being debunked or disproven when more information is presented later. When in doubt, just follow the money trail and observe the ego in yourself and others. Most of what we’re told (and tell others) is motivated by attempts to solidify one’s egoic identity and amass greater wealth, not truth.
33) Don’t Save the Best for Last
If you want to learn a language, don’t wait until you “have more time”. If you want to quit your job, don’t wait until “the right time” or when you have a comfortable financial buffer saved up. If your relationship sucks, don’t wait until a big fight forces a break-up. Decide what it is you want to do with your life (your “bliss” as it were) and start today. Right now. Seriously, what are you still doing on this blog!? Go out and get living!
50 Fun Facts About World Languages
Check out this nifty infographic from NeoMam Infographic Studios that shares 50 facts about languages, some interesting (Pinocchio is the book available in the most languages after The Bible), some funny (a man spoke to his baby for 3 years in Klingon), and some downright sad (e.g. one endangered language dies out every 2 weeks). Enjoy!
Busted! Five Myths About Learning New Languages Debunked
In this guest post by Jennifer Birch, she busts the all-too-common myth that “only children can learn a foreign language well”, along with four other frequent offenders that are likely holding you back from mastering a foreign tongue.
Language Immersion Using Social Media
In this guest post, website developer, language tutor, and language enthusiast Teddy Nee shares how you can learn a foreign language better by immersing yourself via social media networks, plus some powerful little features that you might not know about.
Master Japanese 7.0 is Now Available + EPUB & MOBI Versions
I set out to simply fix some typos in the sixth edition of Master Japanese but ended up going much, much further. I am big believer in kaizen (改善・かいぜん, “constant improvement”), but one of these days I will need to learn how to take smaller bites. ; )
Radio Drama Can Make Waves in Language Learning
In this guest post, writer and editor Matthew Pink shares how language learners can acquire vocabulary, improve pronunciation, build confidence, and have an all around good time recording radio dramas.
Supercharge Language Acquisition by Improving Brain Fitness
Language ability obviously starts in the brain, so we should do everything we can to maximize this organ’s blood flow, plasticity, and functionality. Fortunately, there are three guaranteed ways to do just that…
Language Learning: Why Most Fail & How You Can Succeed
If an adult fails to learn a foreign language (and most do), most of us assume they simply don’t study hard enough or just aren’t good at languages. It’s certainly true that some learners are lazy, and given the same methods, certain folks tend to pick up languages faster than others. But neither of these is the real issue; both are but symptoms of the underlying problem: 1) Crappy Methods, 2) Crappy Materials, and 3) Crappy Attitudes.
The NOT To Do List for Successful Language Learners
To do lists seem like a good idea in theory, but they have one major disadvantage: there is an infinite number of potential to do items. With this in mind, Timothy Ferriss, best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek (and a speaker of 6 languages), recommends “not to do lists” instead. Since they isolate a finite set of behaviors that are getting between you and your goals, they are far more effective than traditional to do lists. This tool applies perfectly to language learning, where most learners waste a lot of time on ineffective methods, bad materials, and counter-productive attitudes.
The Only Way to Learn a Language
Disregard everything I have written or said since beginning this blog and the Language Mastery podcast. Ignore every single one of the 150,000+ words in my Master Japanese guide. There is only ONE way to learn a language…
Benny Lewis Interviews Tim Ferriss, Author of “The 4-Hour Chef”
Benny Lewis, the Irish Polyglot, and Tim Ferriss, the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef, discuss language myths, and how to learn languages quickly using the 80/20 rule.
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