I frequently receive unsolicited advice on how to improve my Spanish from my 5-year-old daughter, who's been bilingual for half her short life.
I can’t help but notice how my approach to learning a language has been so radically different than hers: I intellectualize it, she feels it. I’m self-disciplined, she’s recklessly spontaneous. At times I resist, she dives all in!
But most significantly, she’s never been afraid to say something incorrectly, which has wildly increased her opportunities to speak, be understood (even when mistakes are made), learn faster, and have more fun with it.
Whereas I, logically trying to conjugate verbs and remember genders, often refrain from speaking entirely, limiting my chances to practice, ensuring I won’t be understood, making advancement so slow, and having very little fun with the whole thing.
This got me wondering... where else in my life has my fear of making little mistakes held me back from major gains?
As I count the ways, I want to invite you to consider the same... maybe at work, trying out new hobbies, learning new skills, falling in love, communicating with family, or making more money?
John, everyone has genius in them. Letting it out, through trial and error, is the key. No one has ever made progress without making mistakes.
Wishing you a very HAPPY, fearless, and recklessly spontaneous, March -
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