Earlier this week, I was struck by the fact that yet another client (it’s got to be at least 10 by now) has “learn Italian” on their “to do before I die” list. I’m not sure why it’s so popular among the people who work with me (do they KNOW that I’m an Italophile?), but there you have it.
Learning to speak a foreign language isn’t the same thing as flying to the moon. I mean, it’s a lot more likely that you’d be able to learn a language than arrange for space travel these days. It feels pretty doable, and yet for many of my clients, they haven’t been willing or able to take a step toward that Top 5 goal.
It got me thinking about ruts – those comfortable (or at least familiar in their discomfort) spots in our lives where we just don’t change. What do we get out of staying in them? No change = no options for adventure or delight. Seems like a pretty darned good reason to do something different, wouldn’t you say?
There’s an old adage that goes like this: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” It’s a great argument for trying new things.
To paraphrase another, the definition of insanity is attempting to solve a problem in a manner you’ve already attempted, over and over again. I’m pretty sure Albert Einstein’s responsible for that one, and he makes a great case for getting out of a rut, too.
Where have you worn a groove in your life? Wanna get out? Take one step. If you’ve got a Top 5 desire to learn Italian, here are seven ways to start:
- go to a translation site on the web and look up an Italian word each day
- sign up for a course
- buy Rosetta Stone discs
- hire a private tutor
- go on a trip to Italy and speak no English
- hang out somewhere where Italian’s spoken and just listen
- buy a subscription to an Italian periodical and invest in a good dictionary to have by your side while attempting to read it
Try something. If you don’t like it or it takes too much time, do something else. The world needs more Italian speakers, and you need to get that item checked off your list!
And, when you’re ordering your next meal at a Roman cafe and speaking not a word of English, you can say “Grazie, Christina!”
