I recently reached level B1.3 in German, a key milestone towards my goal for the year: going from B1.1 to C1.1.
PS: After 120 classes with Lingoda, I definitely recommend them.
I’ve been dedicating 90 minutes a day for over 100 days, and I’m starting to see real progress.
I don’t have a natural gift for languages (I wish I did), and there’s no magic trick (I don’t think they exist).
But I do have a foolproof method that works for me, no matter the project: work, sports, learning a new skill…
And it could definitely help you accelerate your most important projects.
(Also check out: 10 principles that helped me realize my dreams)
Success depends more on our character than our technical skills.
Character: Your Strategy for Success
No matter what we’re trying to achieve, if we can master our character, we’ve already won half the battle.
Instead of :
- Reacting to distractions, let’s decide what we’ll accomplish.
- Trying to do several things at once (often poorly), let’s choose to do one thing well.
- Focusing on unrealistic expectations (the outcome), let’s find joy in the process. (I explore this idea in this article: 4 Ideas to Develop Your Focus and Find Enjoyment in Practice)
The good news? By improving these aspects of our behavior, we’re building a solid foundation for all our other projects.
The Method: Your Tactical Playbook for Success
3 Steps for a Breakthrough in 90 Days
- List everything you want to achieve.
- Choose ONE major project. The One Thing.
- Block time in your calendar EVERY DAY (5, 10, 30, 90 minutes or more) for the next 90 days.
Your progress depends on :
- Time invested daily:
- Whether it’s 5/10/30/90 minutes or more, consistency is key.
- Duration: (How many quarters you stay focused)
- I’ve noticed with languages, it’s hard to stay focused for more than a quarter, but the biggest progress comes after at least 9 months.
- Your Starting Point:
- When you’re a beginner, you progress quickly, but beware of plateaus. Knowing you’ll hit those helps you stay the course.
Working on my character through my “language project” helps me not only with German but accelerates all my other goals.
Conclusion
Thinking, deciding, and acting build our character.
And our character, combined with a good method, enables us to speed up our most important projects.
What project will you choose to accelerate in your Q3?
PS: I’m considering launching a program to help a small group of ambitious people (max 8) succeed in their next quarter… I’ll be offering a special deal for the first cohort. If you’re interested, email me at dror@optionstogrow.com and I’ll get back to you.
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