“Nobody can teach you a language, you can only learn it yourself.”

The author emphasizes that anyone can learn a language, regardless of innate talent. Success in language learning depends more on mindset and approach than natural ability. The author encourages readers to approach language learning with confidence and optimism, setting the tone for a positive learning experience.

The Power of Mindset and Approach in Language Learning

The ten rules of effective language learning are:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Start with Why</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Set Smart Learning Goals</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Create Strong Daily Habits</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Build Your Learning Input Machine</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Let Your Principles Guide Your Learning</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make Input Your Top Priority</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Build Your Smart Grammar Machine</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Build Your Listening Comprehension Machine</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Don't Memorize, Familiarize!</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Embrace Change. Start a Revolution!</li></ol>

10 Rules of Effective Language Learning

Understanding your "why" is crucial in language learning. Your motivation serves as an anchor during challenging times, especially during the "motivation dip." The author stresses the importance of reflecting on your reasons for learning a language, as this will make a significant difference in your learning journey and help you stay committed to your goals.

Understanding Your "Why"

"You can develop this connection (with the language) by visualizing how you will use the language in the future, with whom and where, and how it will feel. Creating a detailed vision of life in your target language can be an excellent source of motivation and support during the learning process."

Develop Your Connection with a Language

"Performance goals are related to your everyday activities.They force you to ask yourself a critical question: "What do I need to do on a daily basis to achieve my goal?" Performance goals are about habits. They are about daily actions."

Performance Goals

"This is where a Smart 3-month Plan can take your results from ordinary to extraordinary. The difference between a 3-month plan and an annual plan is huge: the further out you plan, the less predictability you have. A 3-month plan is more predictable, more focused, and built around performance goals. In essence, the key takeaway is to invest 3 months in mastering a few skills rather than spreading yourself too thin and being average across every skill level. "

Smart 3-Month Plan

This book introduces the concept of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-related.• Specific – They target a specific area that you would like to improve. • Measurable – Progress towards the goal can be quantified. • Achievable – You should be able to reasonably complete the goal. • Relevant – The goal should be well-aligned with your needs and desires. • Time-related – You should know when to expect to complete the goal.

SMART Goals

"If you know how you want to use your target language in the future, then you’ve essentially identified a specific skill (or skills) you need to develop in order to get there."

Identifying Goals for Language Learning 💭

"We first make our habits, and then our habits make us." - John Dryden Creating strong daily habits is key to successful language learning. The author suggests "anchoring" your new language learning habit to something you already do regularly, using the formula: "After I [your anchor], I will [new habit]." This simple trick can make your language learning routine more consistent and effective, helping you integrate language learning into your daily life.

Creating Strong Daily Habits

"The key is to stay consistent. It's important not to skip a day. Start with 5 or 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration over time. When forming new habits, consistency is much more important than intensity. I started by listening to podcasts for 10-15 minutes a day and then gradually scaled up to 30 or even 45 minutes a day. I also began by talking to myself for 3 minutes a day, and then increased to 5, 10, and eventually 15 minutes a day. The key is to start small and increase over time, focusing on consistency rather than intensity."

Consistency is Key

When it comes to resources, the book advocates for a "less is more" approach. It warns against falling into the "next-shiny-language-learning-tool syndrome" where learners constantly jump from one resource to another. Instead, focus on one resource at a time, using one technique and doing only one activity for about 3-4 months before moving to another. This approach helps maintain focus and avoid overwhelm.

The "Less is More" Approach to Language Learning Resources

"In Clear’s own words: “The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.If you find yourself feeling unmotivated to work on a task, it is often because it has drifted into an area of boredom or been shoved into an area of great difficulty. You need to find a way to pull your tasks back to the border of your abilities where you feel challenged, but capable.”

The Goldilocks Rule

The book emphasizes prioritizing input over output in language learning, citing Stephen Krashen's theory that we acquire language by understanding what we read and hear, not by speaking and writing. This may seem counterintuitive, but it is highly effective. Spend most of your time listening and reading before diving into speaking and writing, allowing your brain to process and internalize the language.

Input over Output

“We acquire language from input. We learn from understanding what we read and what we hear, not from speaking and writing. Our ability to speak and write fluidly and accurately is the result of acquiring language from input.” — Stephen Krashen

The Power of Input

“This is how you learned as a child, and it still applies to you as an adult. However, there is one specific limitation that children have that you don’t: you do not need to practice input for years before you can seriously consider meaningful, fluent output. As an adult learner, you only need to focus on input for the first few months of your language learning journey. Then, you can begin working on both input and output simultaneously. However, input should still make up the majority of your language exposure. The remaining time can be dedicated to as many output activities as you’d prefer.”

This is how you learned as a child

The author suggests following an 80-15-5 formula: 80% of your time on input (listening and reading), 15% on output (speaking and writing), and 5% on study activities like grammar drills. This balanced approach ensures comprehensive exposure to the language. For example, in an hour of study, spend 48 minutes on input, 9 minutes on output, and 3 minutes on study activities.

80-15-5 Formula

The book advocates for learning grammar through context rather than isolated rules. As Lomb Kató said, "Learn grammar from language and not language from grammar." The author suggests spending 90% of your time on comprehension and only 10% on specific grammar rules. This approach helps you naturally absorb grammatical structures through exposure to the language, making learning more intuitive and effective.

Grammar through Context

“The more meaningful, interesting and comprehensible content you consume, the more your brain is going to absorb “language samples” and start figuring out patterns by itself. Rather than relying on grammar drills (processed foods), a better use of your time is to use grammar in context (grass-fed). This is how you learned grammar in your own native language.”

Consuming Meaningful Content

"Adopt a SFKS (skill-first-knowledge-second) approach which involves a 3-step process of focusing on understanding the content first, using brief grammar explanations to solidify understanding, and then revisiting the content again to merge your skills and knowledge."

Adopt a SFKS Approach

Building listening comprehension is crucial, and the book offers a practical approach called the WWH: WHAT to listen to, WHEN to listen, and HOW to listen. For beginners, start with materials that include dialogues, audio, and translations. As you progress, move on to podcasts and eventually authentic materials like radio shows or movies, gradually increasing the complexity of your listening materials.

Building Listening Skills

The book introduces the "Smart Listening to Podcast" technique for intermediate learners. This involves listening to a podcast while reading its transcript, then reading the translation (Google Translate or DeepL), and finally listening without any text. This comprehensive approach helps you understand the content deeply and significantly improves your listening skills, providing a structured method for tackling more complex audio materials.

"Smart Listening to Podcast" Technique

"If you’re an intermediate learner, my recommendation would be to dedicate time to listening to at least 1-2 new podcasts a week (something fresh and new!) Then, on the other days, you can choose audio content that you’ve already listened to and broken down. To review the most content and therefore maximize your memorization potential, you should make your listening review activities (whether you resort to the Listen-to-Review technique or else) a daily habit."

Podcasts for Intermediate Learners

"It’s important to spend at least 15 to 30 minutes every day listening to your target language, whether you choose to read and listen, delve deeply into a podcast, or simply listen. However, if you can manage to spend 30, 45, or even 60 minutes, that would be even better, as the more time you devote, the greater the benefits. By being attentive and focused when listening to native speakers, you will absorb more of the language’s natural flow and patterns, which will in turn improve your reading, writing, and speaking abilities."

The Power of Daily Listening Practice for Language Learners 🎧

When it comes to vocabulary, the book suggests a counterintuitive approach: stop trying to memorize words! Instead, focus on familiarization through consistent exposure to the target language. This takes advantage of your brain's natural ability to adapt and improve, leading to greater language proficiency. You'll naturally absorb vocabulary through repeated exposure in context, making the learning process more organic and effective.

Vocabulary

"To quickly and significantly enhance your vocabulary, follow these steps: 1. Immerse yourself in engaging, comprehensible content consistently. 2. Use the "Listen-to-Review" technique—repeatedly listen to content you've already understood. 3. Bridge input and output by incorporating new words and phrases in meaningful conversations with native speakers."

Enhance Your Vocabulary

"Deliberate vocabulary-building activities, such as flashcards and vocabulary lists, can be useful in moderation but should not be the primary focus of language learning.When creating flashcards, make sure to extract meaningful phrases or language fragments to better remember the context in which the vocabulary appears."

Flashcards and Vocabulary Building

For improving speaking skills, the author suggests recording a short voice message about a video or podcast you recently found and using new vocabulary in your short summary of the content. Another suggestion is having a pretend "conversation" with yourself, where you try to verbally summarize some language material you recently covered.

Improving Speaking Skills

"Consistency is key in language learning. Remember, when forming new habits, consistency is much more important than intensity. It's better to study a little bit every day than to have long, infrequent study sessions. This approach helps build a sustainable language learning routine."

“There is one grand lie - that we are limited. The only limits we have are the limits we believe.” — Wayne Dyer "Why do we generally put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfectionists with our target languages when we’re not even close to being perfect in our native tongues? Our thoughts can hold us back from ever achieving any success in a language. That’s why we need to take a look in the mirror and assess our own beliefs, values and principles."

Breaking Free From Limiting Beliefs

"A person with a fixed language mindset thinks that since they’re “not naturally skilled at it,” they will never learn any decent degree of fluency. They overemphasize their inability to learn in the past or at school and the thought of this failure reinforces their limiting beliefs. A person who has a growth language mindset would flip things around by saying: “I may not be good now, but if I put in the work and approach this the right way, I can become a great language learner soon!”

Changing Your Language Mindset

"So, every time you see a successful language learner, instead of feeling threatened, intimated or disheartened, ask yourself the following questions: • What is something that I admire about this person? • What is he/she doing right so that I can do the same? Transform your internal monologue to: “When I see others succeed in learning a foreign language, it inspires me to believe that I can do it, too. What actions did these individuals take that led to their success and how can I apply what they’ve done for myself?” Now, that is a growth mindset for language learning."

Being Inspired by Successful Language Learners

"Here is the fastest way to change your mindset. Take action! Don’t wait, don’t think too much. Try new things. Get out of your comfort zone. Test your beliefs. One big lesson I have learned from my life - not only in language learning - is this: Thinking creates anxiety, action cures it. As a reminder to act rather than endlessly contemplate, I have this quote stickied next to my laptop: “To change and believe, you have to live and breathe.”

The Power of Action

Hi there! I’d like to share some of the highlights from an amazing book by the inspiring polyglot Luca Lampariello! I really enjoyed reading it, and I hope it inspires you too. 😊✨

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

books

Books

10 Essential Rules for Smart Language Learning: How to Pave your Path to Fluency in Any Language (by Luca Lampariello)

"The Romans didn’t believe that an exceptionally gifted person was a genius; they believed that an exceptionally gifted person had a genius.The idea of an external genius helps to keep the artist’s ego in check, distancing him somewhat from the burden of taking either full credit or full blame for the outcome of his work. If your work is successful, in other words, you are obliged to thank your external genius for the help, thus holding you back from total narcissism. And if your work fails, it’s not entirely your fault. You can say, “Hey, don’t look at me—my genius didn’t show up today!”

The Genius Concept in Ancient Rome

"Creative entitlement simply means believing that you are allowed to be here and, merely by being here, you are allowed to have a voice and a vision of your own.The poet David Whyte calls this sense of creative entitlement "the arrogance of belonging".Often, what keeps you from creative living is your self-absorption (your self-doubt, your self-disgust, your self-judgment, your crushing sense of self-protection). The arrogance of belonging pulls you out of the darkest depths of self-hatred - not by saying "I am the greatest!" but merely by saying "I am here!"

Creative Entitlement

“I’ll tell you who I am: I am a child of God, just like anyone else. I am a constituent of this universe. I have invisible spirit benefactors who believe in me, and who labor alongside me. The fact that I am here at all is evidence that I have the right to be here. I have a right to my own voice and a right to my own vision. I have a right to collaborate with creativity, because I myself am a product and a consequence of Creation. I’m on a mission of artistic liberation, so let the girl go.”

I have a right to my own voice...

"Just say what you want to say, then, and say it with all your heart. Share whatever you are driven to share. If it’s authentic enough, believe me—it will feel original."

“You can recognize the people who live for others by the haunted look on the faces of the others.” I would so much rather that you wrote a book in order to entertain yourself than to help me."

"Merely by pursuing what you love, you may inadvertently end up helping us plenty. (“There is no love which does not become help,” taught the theologian Paul Tillich.) Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart. The rest of it will take care of itself."

When you do what you love, it lights up the world...

"It doesn't matter whether you are a genius in something or not. Don't burden yourself with such labels. Just love and enjoy what you're doing. Your joy and lightness are the only needed components for inspiration to approach you.""Actually, pigeonholing is something people need to do in order to feel that they have set the chaos of existence into some kind of reassuring order. Thus, people will stick you into all sorts of boxes. They will call you a genius, a fraud, an amateur, or a pretender."

It doesn't matter....

"It doesn’t matter in the least. Let people have their opinions. More than that—let people be in love with their opinions, just as you and I are in love with ours. But never delude yourself into believing that you require someone else’s blessing (or even their comprehension) in order to make your own creative work. And always remember that people’s judgments about you are none of your business."

Let people have their opinions

"It would be unreasonable and immature of me to expect that I should be allowed to have a voice of expression, but other people should not. If I am allowed to speak my inner truth, then my critics are allowed to speak their inner truths, as well. Fair’s fair. If you dare to create something and put it out there, after all, then it may accidentally stir up a response. That’s the natural order of life: the eternal inhale and exhale of action and reaction."

"You don’t just get to leap from bright moment to bright moment. How you manage yourself between those bright moments, when things aren’t going so great, is a measure of how devoted you are to your vocation, and how equipped you are for the weird demands of creative living."

"I think it’s far more honorable to stay in the game—even if you’re objectively failing at the game—than to excuse yourself from participation because of your delicate sensibilities. But in order to stay in the game, you must let go of your fantasy of perfection.It starts by forgetting about perfect. We don’t have time for perfect. In any event, perfection is unachievable: It’s a myth and a trap and a hamster wheel that will run you to death."

Illusion of Perfection

The writer Rebecca Solnit puts it well: “So many of us believe in perfection, which ruins everything else, because the perfect is not only the enemy of the good; it’s also the enemy of the realistic, the possible, and the fun.”

"When you finally realize this liberating truth—nobody was ever thinking about you, anyhow. They aren’t. They weren’t. They never were. People are mostly just thinking about themselves."

Liberating Truth...

"You try and try and try, and nothing works. But you keep trying, and you keep seeking, and then sometimes, in the least expected place and time, it finally happens."

"What you produce is not necessarily always sacred, I realized, just because you think it’s sacred. What is sacred is the time that you spend working on the project, and what that time does to expand your imagination, and what that expanded imagination does to transform your life. The more lightly you can pass that time, the brighter your existence becomes.Our creation, art is just one of forms. And we should not get attached to it. If we get attached to whatever form, our infinit nature gets refuced to this single, finit form. We should treat our creations lightly.... Iike a game."

Like a Game

"My favorite meditation teacher, Pema Chödrön, once said that the biggest problem she sees with people’s meditation practice is that they quit just when things are starting to get interesting. Which is to say, they quit as soon as things aren’t easy anymore, as soon as it gets painful, or boring, or agitating. They quit as soon as they see something in their minds that scares them or hurts them. So they miss the good part, the wild part, the transformative part—the part when you push past the difficulty and enter into some raw new unexplored universe within yourself. "

When things are getting interesting

"Don’t let go of your courage the moment things stop being easy or rewarding. Because that moment? That’s the moment when interesting begins."

"Martha Beck says of the ego, “Don’t leave home without it.” But do not let your ego totally run the show, or it will shut down the show." Your ego is a wonderful servant, but it’s a terrible master—because the only thing your ego ever wants is reward, reward, and more reward. And since there’s never enough reward to satisfy, your ego will always be disappointed."

"In other words: If you can’t do what you long to do, go do something else. Go walk the dog, go pick up every bit of trash on the street outside your home, go walk the dog again, go bake a peach cobbler, go paint some pebbles with brightly colored nail polish and put them in a pile. You might think it’s procrastination, but—with the right intention—it isn’t; it’s motion. And any motion whatsoever beats inertia, because inspiration will always be drawn to motion. So wave your arms around. Make something. Do something. Do anything."

How to find inspiration?

“I am certain I will be a success”—because that is not fierce trust; that is innocent trust, and I am asking you to put aside your innocence for a moment.Fierce trust demands that you put forth the work anyhow, because fierce trust knows that the outcome does not matter. The outcome cannot matter. Fierce trust asks you to stand strong within this truth: “You are worthy, dear one, regardless of the outcome. You will keep making your work, regardless of the outcome."

Fierce Trust

The fiercest questions of all are these:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">What would you do even if you knew that you might very well fail?</li><li class="ql-align-justify">What do you love doing so much that the words failure and success essentially become irrelevant?</li><li class="ql-align-justify">What do you love even more than you love your own ego?</li></ol>

Fierce Questions

“Why should I go through all the trouble to make something if the outcome might be nothing?”The answer will usually come with a wicked trickster grin: “Because it’s fun, isn’t it?” Anyhow, what else are you going to do with your time here on earth—not make things? Not do interesting stuff? Not follow your love and your curiosity?

Because it's fun

"Creativity is sacred, and it is not sacred. What we make matters enormously, and it doesn’t matter at all. We toil alone, and we are accompanied by spirits. We are terrified, and we are brave. Art is a crushing chore and a wonderful privilege. Only when we are at our most playful can divinity finally get serious with us. Make space for all these paradoxes to be equally true inside your soul, and I promise—you can make anything."

Paradoxes of Creativity

Hello my friends! I am exited to share some of my favorite highlights from the book "Big Magic" with you. I hope you find them as inspiring as I did. Enjoy! :)

The instant #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller "A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.” —PopSugar From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and City of Girls: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you’ve dreamed of.   Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

philosophy

Philosophy

creativity

Creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Elizabeth Gilbert has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Elizabeth Gilbert's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic

When people first fall in love, everything feels so perfect and effortless. There’s an abundance of attention and love, and both individuals bask in the feeling of being deeply seen, valued, and cherished. But as the novelty wears off and reality sets in, it becomes clear that keeping a relationship strong requires effort. As philosopher Alain de Botton wisely said, we know so much about how to fall in love and dangerously little about how to stay in it.

The Beginning of Love

At the core of every human interaction is a deep-seated desire to connect. We all yearn to be seen, heard, and understood. Throughout the day, people make what are called “bids for connection.” A bid can be verbal, like saying, “Wow, look at that sunset,” or nonverbal, like letting out a sigh. The way these bids are met—whether with warmth or indifference—significantly impacts the sense of safety and belonging in a relationship.

The Desire to Connect

There are three ways to respond to a bid for connection: turning towards, turning away, or turning against. For example, if someone says, “Look at those flowers,” turning towards would be responding with, “Wow, they’re beautiful!” Turning away might look like not commenting at all or giving a half-hearted response. Turning against, on the other hand, involves rejecting the bid with a negative or dismissive remark. These reactions deeply affect the quality and strength of a relationship.

Turning Towards, Away, or Against

Studies have shown that couples who turn towards each other’s bids for connection most of the time have stronger, more lasting relationships. For instance, couples who stayed married were found to turn towards each other’s bids 86% of the time, while those who divorced only did so 33% of the time. This highlights that responsiveness nurtures relationships, while dismissiveness can harm them. Paying attention to these small moments can make a big difference in keeping a relationship healthy.

The Importance of Turning Towards

Interestingly, turning away from bids can be more harmful than turning against them. It feeds into social isolation and sends a subtle yet harmful message of indifference, which can make someone feel unseen and undervalued. Often, missed bids aren’t due to a lack of care but rather distraction or preoccupation. Recognizing and responding to bids is key to avoiding this silent killer of relationships and ensuring that both partners feel valued and connected.

The Silent Killer of Relationships

One helpful practice is to label bids for connection when they happen. For example, if it seems like a bid is being ignored or rejected, simply saying, “Hey, I’m making a bid for connection,” can bring attention to it. This simple act can snap the other person out of their distraction and remind them of the opportunity to connect. It’s a small but powerful way to stay engaged and strengthen the relationship.

Labeling Bids for Connection

When someone shares something personal, like saying, “I’ve had a tough day,” it’s easy to respond with a superficial comment like, “Oh, that sucks, I’m sorry.” But taking the conversation a bit deeper, like asking, “I’m sorry you had a bad day. What happened?” can make a significant difference. This kind of deeper engagement helps strengthen the connection and shows genuine care and interest.

Going Deeper in Conversations

Sometimes, it’s not possible to immediately turn towards a bid for connection. However, acknowledging the bid and asking to discuss it later is still a positive response. For example, saying, “I’m busy right now, can we talk in a few minutes?” shows that the bid is recognized and that the person is valued, even if the conversation needs to be postponed. It’s about being mindful and ensuring that the other person feels seen and heard.

Acknowledging When You’re Busy

No one catches every bid for connection, and that’s okay. What matters is consistently making an effort. The secret to strong, healthy relationships isn’t in grand gestures but in mastering the art of these tiny moments. It’s the small, often overlooked ways that people turn towards each other that truly make a difference. Being mindful of these opportunities to connect can help maintain and strengthen relationships over time.

The Secret to Strong Relationships

Hey there! 😊 I recently watched a video by PickUpLimes, and it got me thinking about relationships and how we can keep that connection alive even when life gets busy. So, I'd like to share some insights I picked up from the video that might help us all connect a little better with the people we care about. 

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TIMELINE
0:00 Intro
0:18 Romantic relationships, for example 
1:04 Bids for connection 
1:49 3 ways to respond 
2:08 Towards 
2:33 Away
2:51 Against
3:41 What so many people don't realize 
4:31 Tip 1
4:58 Tip 2
5:17 Tip 3
6:02 Outro
6:17 Bloopers 😜

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❤ Sadia

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

mentalhealth

Mental Health

communication

Communication

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

videos

Videos

Welcome, all foodies and beautiful souls! Our mission is to make a nourishing plant-based lifestyle accessible to everyone 😊. Get inspired or find a calm and relaxing space with the collection of videos that help to nourish the cells and the soul. 

With love and gratitude, always,
❤ Sadia  

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ONE SIMPLE HABIT to improve any relationship ❤️

The whole point of journaling prompts is not to sort of navel-gazing, but to encourage you to take action and tweak the course of your life in some way or another. So many good things could happen in your life directly as a result of consistently journaling.

10 Powerful Journaling Prompts for a Better Life

This is an incredibly powerful question that you can ask yourself every 3 months. We often prioritize things for financial stability instead of our true passions.1.2) If I had all the time and money in the world, how would I use my talents to serve other people? A big part of what makes life feel meaningful is when we are doing things that we are good at - when we're using our strengths, and when we are doing something to serve other people.

1) What Would I Genuinely Do If Money Were No Object?

Here, you can think of family, friends, coworkers, people impacted by your work. Knowing this, can give you a very clear North Star. When you can have that level of clarity about the reason why you’re doing your work, it makes everything feel much more fun, meaningful and purposeful. And it helps sustain you through the moments when you’re tired or don’t feel motivated.

2) What would you like people to say at your funeral?

2.2) What sort of spouse do I want to be? What sort of parent do I want to be? What sort of child do I want to be? What sort of colleague do I want to be? no one cares about your performance. People care about how you made them feel. They care about how you showed up.2.3) To what extent am I actually living in alignment with that?

Some Follow Up Questions..

3) If I were to repeat the things I've done this week for the next 10 years, where will I end up, and is this where I want to end up?Imagine the last 7 Days repeated every single week for the next 10 years, as everything in life comes as a result of compounding. You're either compounding positively or you're compounding negatively.Do your decisions lead you to the future you want?Think about your ideal week and how it can compound over the next 10 years to shape your life.Life is a game of compounding, every decision we make has long-term consequences.

3) All of our decisions compound over the long term

You can look at your calendar and flip through the past 2 weeks. Then, rename your calendar events using a ++ if they gave you energy, -- if they drained your energy, and +- if they were neutral.Because how we spend our weeks is how we spend our lives.

4) What have I done in the last 2 weeks that has energized me?

You should split up your life into three different components.Within Health we've got physical, mental, and spiritual/ or body, mind, and soul. Within Relationships we've got romance, family, and friends. And within Work we've got mission, money, and growth. And you can also add the tenth category called JOY.In each of these different categories, how aligned are my current actions with the future that I want? You can assess each category by rating it on a scale of 1-10.

5) How is your Wheel of Life?

There are three questions:1. Your current path: What would my life look like 5 years from now if I continue down my current path?2. The alternative path: What would my life look like 5 years from now if I took a completely different path?3. The radical path: What would my life look like 5 years from now if I took a completely different path, where I didn't care about money and I didn't care about what people thought?This prompt can give you a lot of clarity on what your other options in life are. You can redo your Odyssey Plan every year.

6) What is your Odyssey Plan?

This image shows that our life could have taken a multitude of different paths, but we chose one to end up here.
However, where we are now, our life can still take an absolute multitude of other paths. It helps us realize that we have way more control and options available than we might think.

An Absolute Multitude of Other Paths

First, define your goal. Then, think about the Bottleneck — what is the one thing that’s most stopping you from getting there.It is a question that cuts to the heart of anything that we're struggling with.

7) What is the goal and what is the bottleneck?

SOME EXAMPLES OF GOALS AND BOTTLENECKS

Take a clean sheet of paper and write down ten goals that you would like to accomplish in the next twelve months.Then you take this list of ten goals and ask yourself: "If I had a magic wand and I could wave it to achieve any one goal on my list within twenty-four hours, which goal would have the greatest positive impact on my life?"This will jump out at you.Write this goal on a clean sheet of paper and then follow these seven steps: write it down, set a deadline, make a list of everything you need to do to accomplish it, organize the list into a checklist, take action, do something every day.

8) Which Goal Will Have the Greatest Positive Impact on My Life?

Do you work for your business or does your business work for you?
Has your business become a sort of prison that you've created for yourself?
This question can help you make necessary changes to your business and be in a less stressful state.

9) Question For Entrepreneurs

If I knew I was going to die 2 years from now, how would I spend my time?What things would I do more, and what things would I do less? And why am I not doing those things now?You can also change the timeline and take 10 or 5 years instead of 2.

10) If I Only Had 2 Years Left To Live…..

In the video, Ali shares 10 of his favorite and powerful journaling prompts that have had an enormous impact on his life :) What is your favorite prompt?

Use the promo code ALI to get a free share worth up to £100 or visit https://www.trading212.com/promocodes/ALI

This video does not represent financial advice, and I am not a financial advisor. When investing, your capital is at risk. Investments can rise and fall and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Free shares can be fractional. *Terms and fees apply - https://www.trading212.com/terms/invest. 

Journalling has had a greater impact on my life than almost any other habit I have. But having the right prompt or question makes a big difference, so in this video, I'm sharing 10 of my favourite. Enjoy x

🔗 LINKS:
My Journalling Hub: https://aliabdaal.com/journalling-prompts-template/?utm_campaign=Journaling%20Prompts%20Hub&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Long&utm_content=Long%20-%2010%20Journalling%20Prompts%20that%20Changed%20My%20Life
I'm launching a productivity community, join the waitlist here: https://waitlist.productivitylab.com/?utm_campaign=Productivity%20Lab%20Waitlist&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Long&utm_content=Long%20-%2010%20Journalling%20Prompts%20that%20Changed%20My%20Life
Check out my New York Times Bestselling book Feel-Good Productivity: https://www.feelgoodproductivity.com/?utm_campaign=Feel-Good%20Productivity%20Book&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Long&utm_content=Long%20-%2010%20Journalling%20Prompts%20that%20Changed%20My%20Life
If you've read the book, share your thoughts here: https://aliabdaal.com/fgp-rating/?utm_campaign=Feel-Good%20Productivity%20Rating&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Long&utm_content=Long%20-%2010%20Journalling%20Prompts%20that%20Changed%20My%20Life
If you want to start or grow a YouTube channel: https://go.aliabdaal.com/exp
Free Weekly Productivity Insights: https://www.aliabdaal.com/sunday

By the way, you can watch this video in a few other languages by changing the audio settings xx

🍿 WATCH NEXT:
My Ultimate Guide to Journalling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8vwGLMTx5I
7 Life Lessons I Wish I Knew Sooner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj23hsw5oqE
Why You Feel Lost in Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtMLCL_T2ak

MY FAVOURITE TOOLS & GEAR
⏰ Rize - How I track my time and stay productive - https://rize.io/aliabdaal
📩 Superhuman - My favourite email app - https://go.aliabdaal.com/superhuman
✍️ Shortform - My favourite place for book summaries - https://go.aliabdaal.com/shortform
📚  Readwise - How I remember everything I read - https://go.aliabdaal.com/readwise
🎵  Epidemic Sound - Music & SFX in my videos - https://go.aliabdaal.com/epidemicsound
⚙️ Notion - How I manage my life and business - https://go.aliabdaal.com/notion
💰Trading212 - How I invest my money - https://www.trading212.com/promocodes/ALI

MY OTHER SOCIALS:
🎙 My podcast Deep Dive - https://www.youtube.com/c/DeepDivewithAliAbdaal/
🌍  My website / blog - https://www.aliabdaal.com/
🐦  Twitter - https://twitter.com/aliabdaal
📸  Instagram - https://instagram.com/aliabdaal
📱  TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@aliabdaal
👨‍💻  Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-abdaal/
🎥  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aliabdaal/

WHO AM I?
If we haven’t yet before - Hey 👋 I’m Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur and I’ve somehow become the world’s most followed productivity expert. Through my videos here on this channel, my podcast Deep Dive and writing, I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you be more productive and build a life you love.

PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜

⌚️Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:25 - Prompt 1
2:56 - Prompt 2
7:22 - Prompt 3
9:33 - Prompt 4
10:56 - Prompt 5
12:43 - Prompt 6
14:56 - Prompt 7
16:36 - Prompt 8
18:30 - Prompt 9
20:14 - Prompt 10

timemanagement

Time Management

📚 Check out my first book Feel-Good Productivity here: https://www.feelgoodproductivity.com/

Hey, I'm Ali, a doctor turned entrepreneur, and the world’s most followed productivity expert 😜 

On this channel, we explore evidence-based strategies and tools that can help us be more productive, and build a life that we love. 

If that sounds interesting, consider subscribing! See you in the next video x

Ali Abdaal

Change Your Life by Journalling - 10 Powerful Questions

The menstrual cycle significantly impacts a woman's health, influencing not just reproductive health but all aspects. Hormonal fluctuations across the month can affect everything from mood to metabolism.

The Importance Of Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle typically lasts between 23 to 35 days and involves four main hormones: estrogen, progesterone, LH, and FSH. These hormones fluctuate across the month, affecting the body in various ways. The menstrual cycle is divided into two phases: the follicular phase (first half) and the luteal phase (second half), with ovulation in between. Each phase has different hormonal levels affecting the body differently.

Menstrual cycle

Menstruation, or the period, is when hormone levels are low. Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest during this period, and it typically lasts five to seven days.
Symptoms may include bloating, cramps, irritability, tearfulness, and gut-related issues like looser stools and nausea. This is due to a sharp drop in progesterone and an increase in inflammatory markers.

Menstruation (Beginning of the Cycle)

Hormone levels rise after menstruation, leading to what is often referred to as the best week for most women, or the 'spring' of the menstrual cycle. Known for the 'ovulation glow', better mood, increased motivation and strength, this phase also presents a decrease in appetite. Unlike the next phase with heightened metabolism and cravings, this time is usually symptom-free and overall positive.

The 'Spring' of the menstrual cycle

After ovulation, we enter the luteal phase, during which the previously low progesterone levels start to increase. This hormonal change triggers an increase in body temperature by about half a degree. Although this may seem insignificant, it can disrupt our sleep cycle, leading to feelings of grogginess and irritability. This change may also affect performance at work or during exercise. Additionally, we tend to retain more fluid during this phase, making hydration more challenging. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure you're consuming enough fluids during this time.

Luteal Phase

The content discusses how hormones orchestrate the menstrual cycle, affecting metabolism and health. It highlights the importance of understanding one's cycle, symptom tracking, and lifestyle adjustments.

How much do you know about menstrual cycles? Half of you will be a lot more informed than the other half. The menstrual cycle holds great significance in a woman's life, impacting various aspects of her body with over 90% of all women experiencing premenstrual symptoms. However, misconceptions and limited understanding still surround its effects, leaving many women in the dark about their own bodies.

Today, we’re joined by Hazel Wallace. She’s a medical doctor, nutritionist and author of The Female Factor. Here to give us an education on the menstrual cycle. 

Dr Hazel Wallace shares with us how the cycle affects almost every aspect of the body, from heart health and sleep to metabolism and even whether there’s scientific evidence behind ‘cycle syncing’.

Whether you’ve had a menstrual cycle or not, you’ll learn a lot during this episode. If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to joinZOE.com/podcast and get 10% off your personalized nutrition program.

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Quick fire questions
03:49 What is the menstrual cycle?
05:42 What is the luteal phase?
06:54 When does the menstrual cycle begin?
07:43 How regular are menstrual cycles - Do they change over time?
08:29 What is actually happening during the menstrual cycle?
09:41 What role does oestrogen have in hormonal changes?
10:48 How does the menstrual cycle affect performance in athletes
12:05 How does the menstrual cycle affect women?
16:30 Are cravings real? Why do they happen?
18:21 What is PMS and what do people experience?
20:11 Is there much research behind PMS?
21:40 What is PMDD?
23:16 How do you identify PMDD?
26:17 What is cycle syncing?
27:43 What role does nutrition have in reducing symptoms during the cycle
30:22 Can regular exercise improve symptoms?
33:52 How is sleep impacted by the menstrual cycle?
37:41 How does this impact our immune system?
38:56 Why is there such little research into this area?
41:13 How has the exclusion of women in research impacted us?
44:14 Menstrual cycle tracking - what is it and how can you do it?
46:31 How can tracking help?
47:26 What diet can help symptoms?
49:31 How does the menstrual cycle affect the microbiome?
52:07 How can intermittent fasting affect the menstrual cycle?
54:59 Summary
58:00 Goodbyes
58:11 Outro

Mentioned in today’s episode:
The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32661839/

Hazel’s book is available to buy here

Follow Hazel: https://twitter.com/Thefoodmedic
Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

10 Essential Rules for Smart Language Learning: How to Pave your Path to Fluency in Any Language (by Luca Lampariello)

Big Magic

ONE SIMPLE HABIT to improve any relationship ❤️

Change Your Life by Journalling - 10 Powerful Questions

How to "Hack" Your Menstrual Cycle With Diet, Exercise, & Sleep

Anastasia Stacy