One of the things I liked most about living in Morocco a year ago was that I got to speak French on a regular basis. I am good at it, but not quite fluent.
I have never actually tested how much I know about French, but it’s at least conversational. I know enough to be comfortable speaking to locals for long periods of time.
I still occasionally strain to understand them and vice-versa, but the sharing of verbal information does happen.The end result is good enough that it impresses many people. I am proud of my French speaking abilities.
Sounds cool, doesn’t it?But here is the ugly truth about this accomplishment:It took a lot of hours to get here. That time was spent memorising words, practicing by myself and reviewing.
In short, it was a lot of dull boring work.The same goes for most skills:Learning a musical instrument means hours of practicing your scales, becoming a good writer means hours of writing spent on your computer.You have to spend hours reading dozens of books to understand any subject in-depth.
People think it’s boring how I don’t spend a lot of money on fancy cars, big screen TVs, clothes or expensive drinks in clubs.That may be true, but I do these things so I can save money for traveling.It is boring to them, but I treat it as an investment for an adventure later on. To me, it’s worth forgoing these items so I can see more of the world.
The problem of needing it to be fun
For someone who writes a lot about doing crazy things, it might seem odd that I would advocate for doing dull activities.You might ask: couldn’t I reach my goals and have fun at the same time? That would be ideal, wouldn’t it?
I know there are a lot of things out there that try to incorporate fun while building skills. For instance, there are computer programmes that will teach you a foreign language in a fun way. There are countless workouts and diets that incorporate fun too. The trouble is that trying to make everything fun doesn’t work.
Everyone I know who gets into great shape puts in a lot of time and effort. No one gets there with the latest gadget saying it can be fun to get there.
I have tried programmes that try to make learning a foreign language fun. Many work really poorly because they focus too much on having fun instead of learning the language. Others work moderately.But none of them come anywhere near the dull activities of memorising words, reviewing and practicing. It’s not the most fun way to learn, but it’s the most effective way.
Boring can be great
You have to do what works. It’s boring to eat right and exercise regularly, it’s boring to traveling, it’s boring to memorise French words, it’s boring to drink water instead of soda.
But if you want to get anywhere, you have to embrace these boring things and stop trying to make things fun. Besides, it won’t all be for nothing. When you put in the time, you can achieve some really impressive things.
dosomethingcool.net
