Language Power

Is your thinking too Dutch?

 
There is a wise saying in Dutch that seems to make a lot of sense: Ga niet over één nacht ijs, which means do not go over ice of one night.... The intention of this spreekwoord (saying) is easy to guess of course... If you ar ready for a new adventure, do not start too soon.... it is better to wait a little. Because, if you want to skate and if it has only frozen one night, then you will get very very wet.... :( 

So, this advise is quite useful.... do not marry after one night, do not start your own business after one night.... just wait enough and then once time is ready really go for it!

But.... is it useful for speaking a new language? What if you want to speak fluent Dutch? Would it also be a good idea to wait then? MMMMMM.... not necessarily so....

Sure.... if you get stuck in your conversation, it may feel like falling through the ice and yes... some people even freeze.... but..... for speaking great Dutch this is not the best piece of advice!

Most people love the thought ga niet over 1 nacht ijs. So they take courses, listen to cd's but... and they wait. Hoping that one day circumstances are good enough to finally speak it.

Well guess what? This moment will never come of course, if you only wait! So forget about ice and skating if you want to speak great Dutch! Why not think of a nice sea in stead? And then what you can do is to dive in to it.... or at least get in the water, even if it is with one toe! :)

So, just start saying words that you know already. Or if you can start with very small sentences... It may not look impressive for you in the beginning but.... at least you are in the water.... All you have to do is to feel comfortable with it and.... one thing is certain, if you do it again and again, you will soon notice that it is more fun to dive in!

So, if there is one word that you can say in Dutch, then by all means say it! Yes, it may look and feel insignifcant, but.... it is a really good place.... it is the place where great fluency can really start!

 

How it all starts with one picture....

Would you like to learn a new language much faster and with much more result? There is one great technique, and not so many people are aware of it. However, once you know how to apply this, it can make a huge difference. So... let´s reveal a new secret :)

Before you start to learn a new language, it might be useful to ask yourself what picture you hold in mind when you think about learning learning a new language.... What picture comes up? Is it a mountain that you have to climb? Is it a school where you have to study really hard? Do you have to defeat a huge and ugly looking dragon?

How do you look at new words for example? Are they a hurdle that you need to take every time? Do they only form obstacles?

Although it may be hard to believe, it is easy to increase your learning capacity if you could only change some pictures that you have in mind about learning a new language. While most people always always complain about learning new words, I looove them for example. But who knows? The only reason might be that my picture of learning new words is different.

When I think of learning new words, I think of an air balloon. And I just imagine that the more I fill up my language capicity with new words, the higher I can fly and the greater my view will be.... In this sense, for me learning many new words is literally uplifting! It makes me feel lighter as I feel that now I can achieve so much more....

So once again, just see what pops up while thinking about learning a new language. And only ask yourself if it will really help you.... If not, then change it into something more productive.  By the way, you can use your imagination for each and every language that you want to learn. If you want to learn Dutch, then simply imagine that each word that you learn is like putting a bulb in the ground. And then of course.... the more bulbs you have ..... :)  For Spanish you could think of a sunflower seed. Or for Japanese, you could imagine that it is like having extra weight, so you could be a great sumo wrestler!

You see? It is really up to your imagination! So have fun with it, and soon you may find out for your self that you will feel much better!

Do not worry if you do not live in the now....

According to Oprah and Eckhart Tolle it is the best thing that you can do. Live in the NOW and you will find everything that you need, like longlasting peace and calmness..... So who on earth would not like to have this? All you have to do is to forget about the past and the future. That is it. And that you will find everything you have been looking for....

I don´t know about you, but for me at first sight, it looks really easy. But then if I want to do it, then it turns out that it is not that simple at all... Because before I know it, I do think about the future, soon enough, only within a couple of seconds!  And then my reaction is of course.... ouch! I missed this present moment again.... What should I do? Will it ever happen?

Luckily, I found out that sometimes thinking about the future can be really good. Imagine that you live in Holland and that you like to learn Spanish. Will it happen if you only live in the now? Probably not.... Because then you will hear only Dutch, and maybe some English....

Thinking about a future situation can be one essential skill that you must master whenever you want to speak another language. You will have to do things that seemingly do not serve you now. And therefore it is as if your efforts for learning this new language do not have any value at all.... And... if you are like most people, you like instant gratification. If you cannot get it now, then you may not do anything at all....

Therefore thinking about a situation in which you will speak a new language, is a highly advanced human skill... On the other hand if you want to have something NOW, you can do the following. While looking at new words, imagine how great it would be if you could use them with elegance and ease... Just imagine how a new world would open up then, full of new adventures... and while thinking that this could be a great outcome for you, you can even have a great time now!

The power of language

Isn't it strange? Most of us do get excited by the thought of speaking another language fluently but.... surprise surprise, we never ever do it. Yes.... we can imagine it would be fun, we can see the benefits of it, sometimes we even know that it is a necessity, we buy cd's, go to school but then still at the end..... NADA! :(

Did it ever come to your mind that often we talk about MASTERING a new language? Well.. this may already explain the root of most of your problems.....

It is as if you have to catch it, to tame it and to control it. And that is often not that easy at all... more often we end up fighting with it! As soon as we try to master Dutch or Spanish, it seems to fight back as a fierce lion. We want to lock it up in our brains . But somehow it quickly escapes. No wonder that often we associate learning a new language with a long and inevitable struggle. Not something fun to do and therefore we simply give up.

The problem is that consciously or subconsiously we translate an inspiring goal with thoughts of fighting and sometimes - if we  really hate learning it - even with war. As a logical consequence it drains all our energy, and we feel empty at the end... The language is just stronger than us, at least that is what you could think in first instance. Not really a cheerful idea right?

With this blog I want to share some new insights. What if you could see a new language as a friend, rather than a servant that needs to be controlled, and what if learning a new language could give access to new powers within you that you could never imagine? 

If you like this idea, then stay tuned... I will soon come up with loads of new stuff! 

Best regards,

Albert Both
Language coach