French 101

I decided to study French this year. I studied in high school for three years and have always wanted to be fluent. I have found on many of my travels not only in Europe, but in the Middle East and Africa, that French can be very valuable in communicating with those who may have little or no experience with English. I love the way French sounds and I love French films. It's a priority.

When I decided to become fluent in Spanish, I moved to Mexico and lived there for 6 months. It would be nice if I could do the same thing this time and spend 6 months in Quebec or France, but I don't think that is very realistic. As an alternative, I have decided to study French every day this year.

I am using 3 different systems: Pimsleur, Barron's, and Rosetta Stone. I alternate between them and sometimes use one for several days in a row. Some days I will spend 10 minutes studying and other days I will spend an hour or more. One crucial difference this time has been a commitment to studying every day.

I am not sure if I will be fluent by the end of the year, but I am much more likely than if I did nothing. Doing something always makes the chance of success much greater.

Remarkable

What would be remarkable for you to achieve? You get to choose what it would be. You get to choose how you'll accomplish it. You get to decide the first and last steps. It's all up to you.
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Small Blooms

On a January trip to the San Francisco Bay area earlier this year, I went for a hike on a trail north of San Mateo. All along the trails was a very nice succulent plant that covered the embankments. I took a cutting knowing that if I planted it at home it would grow. I was incredibly happy two months later when it bloomed. The bloom really surprised me. I have raised cacti and succulents before that have bloomed, but having grown up and always lived in areas where these plants don't exist in nature, it has been rare to see.

I posted a picture of the bloom on facebook and a friend of mine who grew up in the San Francisco area commented that she can remember seeing this plant everywhere growing up but never really appreciated it. The picture reminded her of how truly beautiful it was.

It made me think, if the bloom of a succuclent from Northern California that I replanted can make me happy, what other small things have I not been appreciating that could actually put me in a mood or state that is positive and grateful? It is very easy to let small things remind us of joy, beauty or truth if we will allow them to. What small thing will make you happy today?

Four Simple Steps.

Creating exactly the life you want is possible. It doesn’t require genius or innumerable talents. It does require desire and the willingness to commit over and over again to achieving the results that matter most to you. If you want to change something in your life, if there is a result you don’t have that you want, it can be yours.

When a baby is learning to walk and falls on the first few or first hundred tries, the baby’s parents don’t give up. The baby doesn’t give up either. She tries again and again until she succeeds. The ability to achieve in life is hard wired into us. You can use this basic ability as a pattern for the present and future.
  
Four simple steps will help you to make the choices and act in ways that will lead to creating your perfect life. You can start by choosing to be successful. Choosing to be successful is not something that can be decided once. It is something that must be decided again and again. When you can commit to obtaining the results you want, you can get up when you fall, and in moving on, achieve those results that matter most to you.

These steps will also help you to discover more clarity about what ideas and actions can assist you in your journey. Use these steps anytime you identify a result you want to create in your life. The steps are simple, but incredibly powerful.

Let’s get started.

Step 1. Identify your Result.

What is the exact outcome you are looking for. Be detailed and specific when describing it to yourself. Make sure you are clear on the Who, What, When and Where of the result. You must know what the result will the look, sound, and feel like. Visualize your result and talk it through with yourself or someone else. The more clarity you can have about what you are reaching towards will increase your likelihood of achieving it.

Step 2. Create an Action plan.

What are the actions that are necessary to make your result a reality. This part of the 4 step process covers the How of your result. Create a plan with each action you will need to implement. Also, think about the resources or individuals who can help you in your plan. If the list is overwhelming, you may want to break this result into smaller ones and work on them individually. This approach can help you to focus on the short and long term results of your life more easily. Make sure one of your actions is simple and able to be accomplished every day. Set yourself up for success with an action you know you will follow through on and complete.

Step 3. Make the Choice to complete your result.

 It is crucial to have total commitment to following through and taking those actions that will create your result. Write your goal as a single sentence written in the present as though it has already happened. Writing the goal in the present (ex. I speak fluent Spanish.) creates a different kind of perspective for your mind. The goal becomes an attainable result. This sentence is a contract with yourself. Read your goal everyday. Commit to yourself to taking action and achieving the goal. Commit to someone close to you regarding accomplishing your goal. Check in regularly with them about your progress.

Step 4. Ensure your Beliefs will support you.

This step covers the Why of your result. Think about the reasons why you must achieve this goal. What strengths will support you as you work towards this result? How will it benefit you to have this result as part of who you are or part of your life? What will it cost you if you don't achieve it? What consequences will it have? It's important to have beliefs that you can and must accomplish this result. Write some of the beliefs that support you down in simple sentences. Read those beliefs each day to support you as you act and work towards your goal.

You can use these steps to accomplish any result in your life. Use them each time you have a new challenge you are working toward achieving and success will be yours.

Don't Be Afraid of First Steps

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Money is the Great Motivator? Think Again.

Exercise is Key

Everyone knows exercise is crucial to the weight loss process. Watching your diet alone may not produce the kind of weight loss you are looking for (loss of fat and not muscle). Watching your diet alone will not build the muscle necessary to burn fat stores and keep the fat off long term. Exercise is key.

If you are not exercising now, choose to start today. Walk (march) in place for five minutes. Walk around your block. Walk to the next telephone pole and back on your country rode. It is simple, it is doable, and you will feel great for having done it.

Then the next step... and this is key, do it again tomorrow, and the day after that and plan on keeping it up for at least a year and probably for the rest of your life. 5 minutes a day. You can do it. It will provide results. You may choose as the days go on to increase your time to 10 and then 20 minutes or 2 blocks and then a mile or more. It is up to you. You don't have to think about running your first 5k or marathon right now, although that may be your plan, just think about walking for 5 minutes today.

The priority is to commit to your health and your future. Commit to spending 5 minutes each day exercising. See where it takes you. 5 minutes can start a process that will change your life forever.

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

The Smallest Amount

Often starting with the smallest amount is the best way to begin achieving a new goal. Wether the goal is to run a marathon or write a novel, you can begin with tiny, doable actions you know you will complete.

If the goal is to run a 5k race, you don't have to go out and run 3.1 miles all at once the first day. You don't even have to run. Go outside, or get on the treadmill and walk or run 100 yards. Less than a minute later, your done. The next day, or at least every other day, walk or run 200 yards. About a minute later, your done. Continue until your walking or running a mile and continue until your up to 3.1 miles or 5k. In a month or two, you are ready to complete your first 5k.

Writing a novel? Start with one page per day. If even that seems overwhelming, start with one sentence, but commit to doing that one sentence everyday. Work up to a paragraph and then a page. Before you know it, the first chapter is done and you are on your way.

Starting with the smallest amount you know you will do allows for instant success and insures that you will act. Choose a result. Find the smalles action you can do on a continual basis and start achieving.

Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

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