Monday, July 14, 2008

Learn Something New this Summer

Not too long ago my daughter and I went to park with blank canvases and paint brushes in hand. Side by side, we began painting pictures of the beauty which surrounded us. The last time I can remember trying my skill at painting was in Junior High art class years and years ago (and no I’m not going to reveal how very many years ago that was!)

It honestly felt good to try something new and unleash an area of creativity that I had not explored in a while. Now I’m hooked. I love to paint. Since I express myself through words day in day out as a writer, painting gives me an opportunity to unleash thoughts through art. It is a stretch for me, and I’m not very good but I’m enjoying learning something new.

When is the last time you stretched yourself to learn something new? Allow summer to be a time to explore a new skill, sport, craft or talent. As a family, why not try a new sport? Kick around a soccer ball, play tennis, go hiking or climbing, consider skating. Think about a new craft such as drawing, scrap-booking, knitting or sewing. Stretch beyond your comfort zone and consider learning a new language, developing your photography skills, writing an article for a local paper, taking piano, guitar or voice lessons.

Don’t be afraid to explore the hidden talents which are waiting to be unleashed in both your kids and yourself. During the school year, life becomes hectic and busy, but the change of pace during summer allows us to stretch, learn and grow in new areas. So step out of your comfort zone and into new possibilities. By the way, I purchased the Rosetta Stone Spanish program and plan to download it today. Gracias!

A few motivating quotes:
“Don’t stand shivering upon the bank; plunge in at once, and have it over with.” Sam Glick

“He who doesn’t climb the mountain cannot see the view.”

“The business of life is to go forward.” Samuel Johnson

“Progress is the only alternative to falling. We must advance or we shall decline. To prevent decay we must grow.” John Wilmot

2 comments:

jp 吉平 said...

Dear Karol:
It's great to see you are learning Spanish. I host the daily Spanish lesson podcast at SpanishPod, with my friend Liliana.

You might be interested in our lessons, just go to SpanishPod.com. It's always free to listen to the lessons. We also have paid features and content that are free for the first seven days after you sign up.

If you're you like what you hear, I'd be happy to extend your free trial to one month, just send me an email!

Good luck learning Spanish! :)

Unknown said...

Hi Karol,
I used Rosetta Stone a few years back and I really found it helpful for learning Spanish. I'm really trying hard to become fluent so I am using a few tools online that are free along side my copy of Rosetta Stone. Some of the sites you should check out that have cool new web 2.0 tools are livemocha.com, italki and www.edufire.com. All have cool and different stuff to offer.

Have fun with espanol!