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    </figure></iframe></div></div></figure><p id="8dc7">I’m not crying after watching that scene again. You’re crying.</p><p id="54e1">Seriously. That look of amazement on his face? The surprise when he realizes that all the mundane exercises he has done have taught him how to do something? And then he does the thing? That is how I feel when a passenger says something to me in Spanish, I understand it, and respond. In Spanish.</p><h2 id="d7f0">It’s All a Process</h2><p id="486b">I went into a department store the other day to buy a single item. While I stood in the line of people in the maze before the register, the people behind me had a conversation in Spanish. I picked up words but couldn’t grasp the conversation.</p><p id="8234">I got back to the car and told my wife. “They were talking too fast. I wanted to tell them Lentamento!”</p><p id="2ac9">My wife said, “Lentamento is a word in Spanish?”</p><p id="3b7b">I realized my mistake and said, “No, the word is actually lentamente. Lentamento is a word used to tell a person to eat a mint more slowly.”</p><p id="6e7f">I made a joke. If you think it feels good to laugh at yourself in English, just wait until you can do it in two languages!</p><figure id="2146"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*WJiUE25jduWooE-B"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@aleccooks17?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Alec Cooks</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="b0d0">The Journey Will Change You</h2><p id="a4c6">Just like with how I learned words at first and was surprised to find I could put them together, I’ve set to train my ears. Duolingo offers podcasts with true stories from Spanish-speaking countries. As I listen, I learn a lit

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tle about the culture that informs the language.</p><p id="e356">There are regular context descriptions provided in English by the host. The Spanish spoken is at an intermediate level. I’m not quite there yet. I enjoy the process, though, because I can sense my improvement already. I can follow along and make sense of what I do understand.</p><p id="5dc8">I stay with it because I’m motivated. To continue my streak. To be able to speak with many more people and learn to see the world differently. I had a philosophy teacher once tell the class</p><blockquote id="362d"><p>“Until you speak more than one language, you don’t have a language, a language has you.”</p></blockquote><h2 id="e119">It All Adds Up</h2><p id="9eeb">Whether you realize it or not, if you stick with it, eventually it will stick to you. I’m still surprised when I’m able to put together thoughts in another language. <i>“Wow! I do know how to say that!”</i></p><p id="adbf">It may be years before I’m able to have a conversation. Before I can watch a Spanish movie without subtitles. I know a lot more now than I did 2 years ago. In another two years? I’ll know even more.</p><p id="f53e">You’ll be amazed by what your mind can do!</p><p id="5c83">In veritas, MW Mercer</p><p id="7e01"><i>I really appreciate you devoting a little of your time today to read my work! I’m investing this time and energy from my life in order to transition away from selling my time away doing other things.</i></p><p id="bb38"><i>You can join Medium.com to read everything I write (and works from thousands of other great writers, too!) by clicking the link below. I’ll get a portion of the cost of your membership- only about $5/ month- and I’ll thank you very much!</i></p><div id="4a85" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/@m-w-mercer/membership"> <div> <div> <h2>Join Medium with my referral link - MW Mercer</h2> <div><h3>As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Ty_DcNpVkNDtWEAb)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Transform Your Life and Let Self-Motivation Shape How You See the World

Duolingo and The Karate Kid are more alike than you think

When I started to practice Spanish on Duolingo over 775 days ago, I may as well have been given a paper with which to stand the deck. Like Daniel in the Karate Kid, when I started my quest, there was no way I could have realized what it would lead to.

There were glimmers, for sure. The lessons in the app vary. At times, I’m asked to match vocabulary words. Other times, I’m asked to type in English what the app presents in Spanish. Sometimes, it will present an entire sentence in English and ask me to type it into my phone.

There have been times I have done that- I kid you not- where I enter the words and guess. To be literally surprised to learn that I really know how to say that thing in Spanish? It’s great!

Faith In the Process

One of the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People is to “Begin With the End in Mind.” I love this. For most things. Duolingo is different for me. I have a vague notion of what I’d like to achieve, but I don’t know exactly how to achieve it.

Along my journey, I receive encouragement from Duo, the owl, about my progress. One of the things he points out is

15 minutes a day can teach you a language. What can 15 minutes of Social Media do?

I’m not here to badmouth anything. What people do with their time is entirely up to them. I reason that time is the single most valuable commodity that many of us have. When I spend my time, I really like it when I have something to show for it.

The Virtue of Practice

Remember in The Karate Kid when Daniel got frustrated with all the work he was tasked to do?

I’m not crying after watching that scene again. You’re crying.

Seriously. That look of amazement on his face? The surprise when he realizes that all the mundane exercises he has done have taught him how to do something? And then he does the thing? That is how I feel when a passenger says something to me in Spanish, I understand it, and respond. In Spanish.

It’s All a Process

I went into a department store the other day to buy a single item. While I stood in the line of people in the maze before the register, the people behind me had a conversation in Spanish. I picked up words but couldn’t grasp the conversation.

I got back to the car and told my wife. “They were talking too fast. I wanted to tell them Lentamento!”

My wife said, “Lentamento is a word in Spanish?”

I realized my mistake and said, “No, the word is actually lentamente. Lentamento is a word used to tell a person to eat a mint more slowly.”

I made a joke. If you think it feels good to laugh at yourself in English, just wait until you can do it in two languages!

The Journey Will Change You

Just like with how I learned words at first and was surprised to find I could put them together, I’ve set to train my ears. Duolingo offers podcasts with true stories from Spanish-speaking countries. As I listen, I learn a little about the culture that informs the language.

There are regular context descriptions provided in English by the host. The Spanish spoken is at an intermediate level. I’m not quite there yet. I enjoy the process, though, because I can sense my improvement already. I can follow along and make sense of what I do understand.

I stay with it because I’m motivated. To continue my streak. To be able to speak with many more people and learn to see the world differently. I had a philosophy teacher once tell the class

“Until you speak more than one language, you don’t have a language, a language has you.”

It All Adds Up

Whether you realize it or not, if you stick with it, eventually it will stick to you. I’m still surprised when I’m able to put together thoughts in another language. “Wow! I do know how to say that!”

It may be years before I’m able to have a conversation. Before I can watch a Spanish movie without subtitles. I know a lot more now than I did 2 years ago. In another two years? I’ll know even more.

You’ll be amazed by what your mind can do!

In veritas, MW Mercer

I really appreciate you devoting a little of your time today to read my work! I’m investing this time and energy from my life in order to transition away from selling my time away doing other things.

You can join Medium.com to read everything I write (and works from thousands of other great writers, too!) by clicking the link below. I’ll get a portion of the cost of your membership- only about $5/ month- and I’ll thank you very much!

Join Medium with my referral link - MW Mercer

As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…

medium.com