“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
~ Pablo Picasso
There is a joke told around the world that goes like this: What do you call someone who speaks one language? Answer: An American. One of my new team-mates at my day job taught Latin and Greek to grade school students before relocating to Iowa. He observed me speaking Spanish and was able to understand most of the conversation. I don't have a large vocabulary yet, however, I do my best to learn a few new words every day in order to one day become bi-lingual.
I like what Picasso says about learning; his quote above summarizes how I live my life. Most of the time I'm attempting to do things which I can not do (yet), in order that I may learn how to do it. There are all kinds of people around me who are much smarter and have much more talent. They seem to be experts at one thing... criticizing those who are doing things the Pablo Picasso way.
I don't have time for the critics. I'm too busy learning how to be a better blogger, a better writer, and a better communicator. I'm writing a novel in my "spare time" and sharing it with the world literally as I'm typing it, one chapter at a time -- for free. Click here to check it out. I may only be proficient in one language, however, I found a way to translate my stories into all the major languages spoken outside the United States. I did this without any formal training. My stories have been viewed over 125,000 times and more than half of the people reading my novel reside outside the United States. On average, someone is reading my blog every five minutes, 24/7. This inspires me to learn more languages so I can say "thank you" in my readers' native language.
Are you a master of learning? Do you prefer the traditional process or do you prefer the "Picasso way"? And if you are reading this in a foreign language, I'm working on something just for you. Once I figure it out, I will set up some kind of translator button in the comments section so you can join the conversation in your native tongue. I just need to learn how to do it.
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