Your Self Development Podcast

Dear Listener,

In trying to come up with a more empowering, realistic and workable definition of what an Underdog really is, we are going to explore several topics such as:

3 general self-views and our level of control over each one

The pitfalls associated with thinking of yourself as competing.

I look forward to sharing!

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

When considering a language training program, I feel it's important that you consider wisely. Why? Well, because at the end of the day, it's your investment that will be affected. What kind of investment are we talking about? It's not just about money. At least as important is your time and energy commitment - neither of which can be recovered. As I once heard, "The energy you spent going up the stairs, you don't get back by going back down the stairs."

There are several key elements to look for when considering a language training program, and each can play pivotal role in the ultimate failure or success of your project. 

Join us as we take a look at what those elements are.

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener, Dear Aspiring 2nd Language Learner, 

It has been said that our habits determine our destiny. Have you ever asked yourself, "What would my life be like if I acted on one or two cutting edge habits, everyday for the next 365 days? How would I change? How would my life change?"

Now I ask you, aspiring 2nd language learner, what if you decided to do 1 or 2 cutting edge type activities everyday without fail for 365 days? What would your life as regards that target language be like?

There are many things we can do on a daily basis if we decide:

• listen to a podcast for 15 minutes while getting ready in the morning
• do certain grammar exercises everyday
• speak with s/o in the target language everyday for X number of minutes

But now we hit on THE POINT. 

Do any of the above actions 3 fulfil the criteria of Active, Performance-based and Sustainable?

No, they don't...not all 3 criteria, and not automatically.

So what can we do?

Join us on today's podcast to hear about my story and how it led to a revelation in language learning which, when I put it into practice, changed my life.

I look forward to the privilege of your time.

Yours in Learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

Massive, heroic victories come about as a result of enormous amounts of un-heroically plodding along...showing up and imperfectly getting it done ON A REGULAR BASIS. 

Let's create spaces in our day when we can be creative and/or learn. For the purposes of this season, it has to do with learning, for the most part.

Authentic learning where concrete performance results are concerned is a constant exercise of do, fail, adjust, do, succeed, learn...do it all over again. 

As the great Tom Peters says: "Fail faster, succeed sooner." Effort - failure - adjustment - effort - learning. Wash, rinse, repeat. You must do this often enough so that a critical mass builds up, of the 4, and you push yourself to the other side of autonomy in communication. But you must repeat, repeat, repeat...consistently. That's where personal efficiency comes in. 

What do we mean by Efficient?

Join us as we explore this and other concepts to help us overcome our own barriers and obstacles to mastering our target language!

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

Let's be careful not to confuse what feels comfortable with what "works", is effective or better produces the results we are seeking. 

A person can feel comfortable getting very inferior results.

Why then, do they continue doing it? 

In many ways we are the product of our educational system - and some or many aspects of them may have nothing to do with effective learning.

There are many ways to learn to communicate effectively in a target language, and the beauty is that this is one of the areas of education, at any level, where an individual can, in fact, actively follow what might work better for them, even if it may not be as "academic" as they are used to.

What are some of the variables we need to take into consideration in order to better know ourselves as bona fide learners? Join us and find out!

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

Every type of transformation takes time. This goes for the negative as well as the positive transformations. And these time periods are known as gestation periods. 

Each of your language communication goals has a gestation or incubation period. It will take a set period of time for the thought energy in the form of an idea to be transformed into concrete results - another form of energy. The daunting challenge is that we simply do not know how long that might take. Listen in as we take a look at strategies to help us better leverage this magnificent principle which, if properly understood, can lead us to all the splendour we look for in our lives, including in our language learning projects. Just as, if not even more importantly, this may also lead us to a greater sense of peace and well-being. 

Thanks for listening!

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

Welcome to our renamed podcast: We Go 4 It! 

It's been said that every effect has a cause, and if we wish to control the effects (ie. the outcomes or results), we're going to have to focus on the one thing we CAN control, which is our causes. In the classic sense of "Sowing and Reaping", we'll take care of the sowing (planting) and nurturing, and the reaping will eventually happen.

Within the context of our language communication goals and objectives, what are the effects we wish to engender, and how can we be more efficient and effective in engendering said desired effects? 

In this context, our Causes are qualitative and quantitative in nature. What will we be thinking about while we are engaged in activating said Causes? Hopefully we will be present and thinking just about what we are engaged in doing at that moment. This requires focus, which we are fully capable of doing by our nature.

If we want to be able to DO/COMMUNICATE something particular in the target language, what are we going to need to KNOW? How often and for how long are we going to need to practice? How are we going to practice? How are we going to evaluate progress?

Focusing on Causes gives us something concrete to hang onto when we are traversing the occasional "bad days", which are part and parcel of the natural rhythms of day to day living. You cannot control all the variables around you, but you CAN control your Causes...what you are thinking and doing to move a bit closer towards your goal on a regular basis. That Power always resides within you at your beck and call waiting to be utilized. Let's embrace it and soar to whichever heights you have fixed your eye on!

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

A clear understanding of the Law of Rhythm is essential if we are to act consistently when pursuing our most cherished goals and objectives - the "Must Haves" I call them. 

Not only is it important to understand how the Law of Rhythm works in general, but we must also become familiar and respect our own natural rhythms. When it comes to learning a new language, for example, it might be a good idea to have clear answers to the following questions:

When do I learn best?
When am I best able to focus?
When am I most relaxed and open mentally?

Where the ebb and flow external to yourself is concerned, an understanding of the Law of Rhythm will give you something to hang onto when deep within your campaign of "showing up" on a consistent basis. For it is consistency of right action that is a principal element in succeeding at whatever project you have set your sights on, regardless of external cycles.

Not everyday will be a great, or even good, performance day, but muddling through at times in order to maintain consistency of action is better than stopping altogether just because you feel you are not at your best. Rarely is it the perfect time to get anything meaningful done. It only looks that way in retrospect.

So treat yourself well by understanding your own unique performance rhythms and applying a couple of simple strategies to acknowledge external rhythms without being controlled by them. 

It is, after all, YOUR choice.

Yours in learning,

Norman

Dear Listener,

For every problem, there is a solution. For every question, there is an answer. For the purposes of learning a 2nd language, we want to look through to the other side of our challenges in order to engage in pragmatic, non-dramatic identification of viable solutions that help us move steadily towards our objectives. 

In this podcast we are going to take a look at the Law of Polarity (The Law of Opposites), and discover how it can help us solve some of our more intractable language learning problems. Some of these may be of the "existential" variety to the point that if left unresolved, they may force us to abandon our learning project altogether.

Here are just a few of the more common and pernicious ones:

"I'm too old."

"I've never learned a foreign language before."

"I have nobody to practice with. I have no opportunities to practice."

"I don't have time to practice everyday, to be consistent enough with my homework assignments, etc"

We'll also listen to my story as I explain how I learned Spanish for the first time at the age of 15, the particular obstacles in my way, and how I overcame them to become fluent. The same approach I then used to learn French 20 years later.

You never know, the next 15 minutes may very well hold the key you've been looking for.  

Email me with your comments and your own stories. I look forward to hearing from you!

Yours in learning,

Norman

Learning another language is a masterclass in change. Change which can potentially take place on numerous levels. At its most fundamental, authentic change takes place at the level of one's vibration. Understanding this can serve to motivate us to engage in learning practices which will methodically and consistently affect our vibration as regards whichever language we are seeking to master. Understanding what "practice" is and engaging in this certain kind of practice will move you quickly towards becoming the person who will actually do it - who will communicate more effectively - and you become that person in vibration! At that point your gains become permanent - that is, an integral part of you. What a compelling proposal!