“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
Albert Einstein
Do you feel like that, too?
I do.
What I have achieved is through hard work and dedication. But also because I’m passionately curious.
Does that apply to you, too?
Something I read recently in Scott H. Young’s blog:
“I knew someone who was enrolled in a college Spanish class. The class was divided into sixteen weeks, one for each verb conjugation. Most of the time, the most common three or four conjugations are all you really need. What’s the point of studying the pluperfect subjunctive if you can’t speak in the present tense without hesitation?”
This is something I truly believe, too.
I had ten years of French at school and later at college. I read Maupassant, Gide and Marivaux.
But I’m still not able to hold a decent conversation in the language.
Why do we learn those complex structures and tenses if we haven’t yet mastered the simple ones?
What are your thoughts on this?
If you find it difficult to understand English films, you might like to start with The King’s Speech.
The film tells the story of King George VI, his sudden ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the monarch overcome his stammer.
Watch the trailer here and see whether you’d like to watch more.
Is this the kind of film you like watching?
According to author Ryan Holiday, reading is a good thing. But not all reading is created equal.
If you want to be a great reader, you need to know how to read.
Here are 10 strategies Ryan recommends:
Actually, Ryan recommends 13 strategies in his blog.
But he says we only need to apply a couple of them, to become a better reader and a better person.
Are you already implementing any of these strategies?
Look at MacMillan Dictionary’s infographic to read the 10 words you need to know when looking for a job.
There are two words I’d like to point out: skilled and probationary.
A skilled job needs someone who has ability and experience. (gelernt)
A semi-skilled job is one which needs some basic skills. (angelernt)
An unskilled job is one that doesn’t need special training, education or experience. (ungelernt)
And a probationary period is a time during which someone who has been given a new job is watched to see whether they can do the job well and stay in the position.
In German, it’s the Probezeit.
Were these words new to you?
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the power to turn a life around.”
Leo Buscaglia
Sometimes we just need to stop and think. A small gesture can mean so much to someone.
