See the original post with this episode here https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/ask-anything/audio-instagram-3-mp4-students-who-want-to

Find the full text here https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/ask-anything/find-your-writing-voice-writing-advice

A good point on "Manufactured Empathy" https://www.thesellingagency.com/these-outdated-sales-tactics-will-cost-you-opportunities/

I used to hate routines. I used to think they were boring until I realized that I was actually stuck in dozens of unhealthy routines that I had unconsciously created for myself with one intention - to resist change.

I was consistently eating badly. Every six months I'd start a sugar-free diet, and every two weeks I'd fall off the sugar-free wagon..

I would carry a gym bag to the office with the intention of doing a workout after work, and I would bring this bag home, untouched, unused... That was my "routine". I never made it to the gym after work.

I had countless routines and didn't even recognize them.
I chose to NOT do many things in life, and that was my routine. I routinely interrupted people. I routinely expected other people to tell me what I should do with my life, and I routinely blamed them for giving me bad advice.

Yet, the idea of consciously creating a routine to improve aspects of my life terrified me and threatened to take away the "freedom" I thought I had.

I realized the power of a deliberate routine when I achieved my first tangible results. I wanted to do more and to receive more...JOY. For me, deliberate routines are about creating more joy inmy life and creating change. Things inevitably change (for better or worse) after you've stuck with your routine for enough time.

I found this beautiful article by Ash Ambirge about routines. It's worth sharing, so that's why I am posting it here:

P.S. Remember to pay attention to vocabulary as you read it. 🙂
**
Are You Budgeting Enough Joy in Your Life?
In my twenties I hated routine—but that’s because I confused it for stagnancy.

Anything that whiffed of repetition was automatically on my shit list: schedules, affirmations, habits, recurring obligations, things that put a vise on my freedom. I never wanted to live feeling beholden to a calendar, letting it rule my days more than I did.

To me, routines were for the weak: people who weren’t disciplined enough to get it done without force. When I’d get on interviews and they’d ask me about my morning routine, I’d laugh: every day is a new adventure, I’d say!
https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/updates/can-a-routine-bring-joy-to-your-life
Read the full article in our Community of Practice

Many people reach out to me saying they want to improve their communication skills and learn to take on different perspectives when they talk to people at work.

Many of these people speak different languages at home and work. Some struggle to be heard and understood when they present their ideas in a foreign language. Some struggle to hear and understand their team members and clients who come from diverse cultural backgrounds and speak more than one language.

My job is to help people find clarity. However, it can be equally challenging to express yourself with clarity in another language and to thoroughly understand the perspective of someone who thinks in a different language.

I don't give generic communication advice because it's useless.

Instead, I choose to listen closely and give people high-quality, personalized feedback.

Maybe you're someone who needs feedback on their communication skills at work. Perhaps you're asking yourself these questions:

Is my message clear?

Do I consciously choose to take on a different perspective in conversations? (we can't become other people and feel what they feel, but we can learn to admit that their perspective exists).

Is my message cluttered or is it well-structured?

How do I make other people feel when I speak?

I'm hosting a free event where everyone can gauge their presentation skills. Both native and non-native speakers are invited. Ultimately, we all need to understand each other because we value our relationships.

Every participant can request feedback on their presentation skills.

Join the practice, it is free and private.
Any recordings taken during the event will never be shared with the public.

https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/gauge-your-public-speaking-skills

Cognitive reserve is the brain’s ability to find alternate ways of getting things done. You can only improve it by performing new tasks and challenging the brain to learn new skills.

It's true about any practice, if you've stuck with it for long enough

“I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”
― Martha Graham

Some thoughts on Socrate's method and how to use it if your goal is native-like fluency https://nataliatokar.me/blog/tpost/ltcm2ui3f1-the-socratic-method-of-learning-redefine

New exercise in the Community of Practice. Can you spot the mistake?

https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/exercises/exercise-73-focus-grammar-can-you-spot-these-mistakes-c1a2e14b-8281-46c8-92d7-93a0e268cde0

You can download this presentation in the Community of Practice. https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/webinars/download-the-not-to-do-list-if-you-are-after-quality-communication-in-english

NEW webinar available in the Community of Practice. Watch a step-by-step turorial to learn to self-edit your writing in English. https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/webinars/demonstration-how-you-can-apply-self-editing-resources-to-edit-your-own-texts

Here is a good reminder from James Clear


"In the beginning, your skills are raw, your knowledge is sparse, and you lack experience. At best, you will be able to produce work that is "just okay." And even then, you'll only manage to reach "just okay" by giving your best effort.

Nobody wants to produce something that is "just okay." You'll feel like it's beneath your standards. You'll worry about what others think of you. You'll wonder whether you would be better off taking a different path. But it is impossible to reach that stage unless you are willing to work through your current stage.

And so, one of the main obstacles between who you are and who you could be is courage. The courage to keep trying even if you're not yet as good as you hope. The courage to keep trying despite your fears of what others may think. The courage to keep trying without knowing how the future will unfold.

Your great work is on the other side of your early work. The only way to be exceptional later on is to have the courage to be "just okay" right now. This is how it is for everyone."

What is correct: Overwhelmed WITH or Overwhelmed BY?

I did this exercise today.
it doesn't mattter how much you still don't know. What matters is how fast you can find the answer. In order to be able to find the correct answers, you need to continuoulsy practice two skills: 1) Asking yourself the right questions 2) Looking in the right places.

This exercise was about finding the answer in order to transform "lack of confidence" into "confidence".
It took me 5 minutes to gain confidence. It took me about 10 more min to explain it in writing as I created the Community post.
Instead of searching for random things each time, I look for the answers in credible sources.

Everyone can learn to use the same strategies and self-correct a lot faster. But most people prefer playing the guessing game.... They use the word that they feel is correct. You start feeling the language only after you have taken the time to learn how it works. You start feeling it only if you choose to practice it daily.




Can you explain the difference between the two in your own words? How long did it take you to find the answer?


https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/dailydose/overwhelmed-with-of-overwhelmed-by-0f91e04a-2ced-4e73-a005-71a4d8e4038f

Highly recommend this talk to anyone who wants to write better in English

Conclusion:
➡️ Avoid Zombie nouns in your writing. Use active verbs instead to communicate your ideas with clarity
➡️ Passive voice is not always evil. You need to learn to feel and understand when the passive voice does a better job than the active voice

To learn to apply these rules and practice your writing skills, join the Community of Practice. You can choose to download the best books on writing, do the writing exercises together with a group of conscious and advanced learners, and join a Creative Writing SPRINT! to hone your skills of expressing your ideas in a foreign language with clarity and confidence.



https://youtu.be/sS-Txm3R3v8