2022 Beginners Guide to Learning Chinese Language

12 May 2022

Have you always wanted to start learning Chinese language in 2022 but don’t know how? Well, this post is for you. You will learn the beginners guide to learning Chinese language.

Learning Chinese language may seem like a hard thing but I can tell you it’s not. The fact that the language isn’t your native language may make it a little bit complex for you to grasp but with some tips in mind, you can learn the language even without paying a dime.

The following are some basic tips that can help your journey as a new learner:

1. Start by Learning Pinyin

The first step I would recommend for anyone who isn’t an indigene or a native speaker of Chinese is to learn pinyin. Pinyin is the Romanization system of Mandarin Chinese that uses the English alphabet to spell out Chinese words so non-native speakers can see how to pronounce them.

It’s so important because it doesn’t only make learning it simple but also the five tones. Chinese is a tonal language which means you will need it get its tones right and that means the tone you use to say a word can change its meaning.

With this, you should know that mastering pinyin before you get serious about learning Chinese is critical.

2. Find some Chinese learning materials

You will need to get some learning materials, either print or non print material, whichever one that is convenient for you is fine. Just make sure you have them at your disposal. Get materials that will help your listening, speaking, writing and reading of Chinese language.

3. Don’t be obsessed with the character at start

Characters are as important in Chinese language as they really determine what a particular word means but as a beginner, I’ll advice you neglect it at first. Usually, learners feel one or two ways about Chinese characters: they’re intimidating or they’re super cool and that’s right because honestly, they’re both!

But learning characters is difficult and might easily demotivate you if you start learning them right away. Because of this, it’s important to get a grasp on basic vocabulary and grammar before you try to tackle Chinese characters.

4. Create and Stick to a Routine That Works for You

We have talked about how to learn a new language and creating a routine is one of the important thing we should note.

Having a solid routine that works toward realistic goals is just as important as learning vocabulary. If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s hard to measure progress and can, therefore, hold you back.

Luckily, coming up with a simple routine doesn’t take long and you can tweak it as you find out more about what works for you and what doesn’t. When planning your routine, it’s good to start small, especially with a language you’ve never studied before. So maybe try to learn for 15 to 30 minutes a day rather than start at one to two hours.

Keep in mind that a good routine will excite you, whereas a bad routine will only stress you out.

5. Download Apps that can help

We are in the age where we can get almost all information at the tip of our fingers. We have the internet at our disposal and this is a great privilege.

The fact that we can download an app or do a Google search to learn practically anything in such little time! Apps are great if you’re busy and always on the go.

Apps give you the opportunity to learn Chinese no matter where you are—on the bus, during your lunch break or when you’re in bed watching your favorite Netflix series.

6. Practice Pronunciation Like Your Life Depends on It

I just told you about the importance of learning pinyin because it’s the necessary background. Now I’m telling you the importance of proper pronunciation.

So many beginners Chinese learners overlook or underestimate the importance of pronunciation—the five tones in particular. Since the way you say a word changes its meaning, pronunciation carries a much heavier weight in Chinese than in many other languages.

For example, the way you say the syllable “ma” can mean “mom,” “horse” or “to scold.”

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to end up in an awkward conversation where I just accidentally called my mom a horse. That’s quite funny but it’s the fact.

Conclusion

To know the necessary app needed for your learning, you can check out our previous post on the apps needed for learning new language. They will really help you achieve a lot.

Determination is also important and to know the importance of Chinese language, you can check out my next post on importance of Chinese language.

How to Choose Between Two Good Things

Johellaa

11 May 2022

This is quite a confusing and tactical situation. The situation where you have to pick between two good things which could be a relationship (between two handsome guy and two beautiful girls), a job, a house and many more. You really need to check out some feature so you make the right decision you won’t regret later in the future.

By approaching your decision mindfully, you can clear your head and examine your options. Then, contrast the benefits and pitfalls. Your gut can help you determine which decision suits you best.

Firstly before trying to make the decision, it’s good to understand that both choices could probably work for you. Remind yourself that when you’re presented with multiple good options, making a decision can be hard. Put a positive spin on things to take some pressure off your decision: Rather than being stuck, you are lucky to have 2 good choices.

The following are practical ways to choose between 2 good options:

Examine whether you need to choose only 1 option

It’s a bad thing to rush into anything because there might be some other ways you can do those things. See if there’s a way your 2 choices can work together, whether it’s by finessing your schedule or doing them one after the other. Sometimes, while 2 choices may seem to be in conflict with each other, there is actually a way for them to work in harmony.

For example, you might feel you need to choose between taking violin lessons and joining a soccer league, when actually your schedule might be able to accommodate both activities on different days of the week.

Make sure you are choosing the one that is right for you and not the one that is right for others.

Compare the two options

List pros and cons for each option to feel out your preference. Create a list with 2 columns for each choice, 1 for pros 1 for cons. List the benefits and drawbacks of pursuing each path. When you’re finished, tally which choice has more benefits than drawbacks.

Often times just the process of making a pros and cons list can help you gain clarity about your feelings. You may find yourself consciously adding more pros to 1 choice so you can pick that option. Rather than seeing this as a negative, view this personal bias as great. It helps you understand that you feel more strongly about 1 choice.

Also Check Out: overcoming negative thoughts

Do your research on the two options

In a case like this, running a research on both opportunities wouldn’t be a bad thing. Your research may likely be from people who knows so much than you know about the opportunity or probably online using the search engine. You can visit so many online forum where you can talk to people who have experienced such feelings before.

Don’t panic

In the end, though, if the options really are very similar, then you need to relax. Even if the decision is really important, you probably won’t go too far wrong, no matter which one you pick. Also, once you pick an option, commit to and focus on it. There is a tendency after you make a decision to continue comparing the option you chose to the ones that got away. Unfortunately, this happens most often when there is something about the option you picked that is less than perfect. You pine for what you could have had if you had selected something else.

That dissatisfaction can feed on itself. Once you’re unhappy with a decision, you start focusing on all the reasons why you don’t like what you picked. And that can make you regret what was probably on balance a decent choice. So enjoy the option you chose rather than living in the alternate world in which you picked a different option.

Final Thoughts

Meditating on the choices before making the decision, will go a long way in helping you. Also make sure you do you and not do others, by this I mean, take the choice that best describes YOU in person and will benefit you.

Overcoming Negative Thought

Johellaa

9 May 2022

Negative thought is one of the things we must avoid in our life because negative thoughts tend to materialize than positive thoughts. You may have noticed how fast negative things happen before you even start thinking about them. This is one of the reasons why negative thoughts aren’t good for us.

The second reason being that it drain us of the motivation we can use for other projects of other good things. This doesn’t really worth it. Instead of us to focus on the good things of our live, we dwell so much on the negative thoughts. Negative thinking appears to be more prevalent than positive thinking. It seems that with most people, positive thinking requires some effort, whereas, negative thinking comes easily, and often uninvited.

This has much to do with education and the environment one has been living in. If you have been brought up in a happy and positive environment, there is more probability that it will be easier for you to think positively. However, if you have been brought up under poor or difficult situations, you will more probably be inclined to negative thinking.

We view the world through our predominant mental attitude. If our thoughts are positive, that is fine, but if they are negative, our life and circumstances would probably mirror these negative thoughts. If you believe that you are going to fail, you might unconsciously sabotage every opportunity to succeed.

If you are too shy of meeting new people, or avoid having close relationships, you will do everything to avoid people and relationships, and then complain that you are lonely and nobody loves you. Instead of becoming more positive and overcoming your fears, you think how difficult it is to succeed or to connect with people, and you expect to be a failure or stay lonely.

Also Check Out: How to Develop a Calm Mind

The impact of negative thoughts are so drastic to our lives and we should all strive to overcome it….

Here are some important tips that can help you overcome negative thoughts:

Be conscious of your thoughts

Some of us are so much engrossed in the negative thoughts that we think about it unconsciously. We should try and be conscious of our thoughts and get hold of it. Every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, replace it with a positive one. If you catch yourself visualizing failure, immediately visualize success instead. If you hear yourself using negative words in your conversation, switch to positive words.

Instead of saying, “I cannot”, say, “I can”. Most of the time you can, but choose to say “cannot”, due to fear, laziness or lack of self-esteem. Do you repeat negative words and phrases in your mind? Change them to positive ones. Yes, this requires you to be more alert, and to put forth some effort.

You want to change negative thinking into positive thinking, don’t you? Allow more positive attitude into your life. Have more faith in yourself and expect positive results. Affirmations and visualization can take you a long way in this direction.

Decide that from today, from this very moment, you are leaving negative thinking behind you, and starting on the way toward positive thinking and behavior

Say positive words out

Whenever a bad thought comes into your mind, speak the positive words out to your own ears. We most times believe in words that we hear than thoughts and that’s why you should try and speak those words out.

Read positive quotes

You can make this your daily routine. I like to place Post-It notes with positive quotes on my computer, fridge door, and mirror as reminders to stay positive.

One of the most popular quote that you can use is:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

In conclusion, let’s take note of our thoughts and be careful of what we accommodate.

How to Develop a Calm Mind

Johellaa

7 May 2022

To develop a calm mind, you must first ask yourself what is calmness?

Calmness is the mental state of peace of mind being free from agitation, excitement, or disturbance. It also refers being in a state of serenity, tranquility, or peace. It’s so important to know what a state of calmness is while it’s also important to experience it every time. A sense of calmness offers us strength and resilience amid the chaos of life. Life throws chaos at us on a regular basis, whether it’s our finances, our relationships, or our health. In the work world, around 50 percent of people are burned out in industries like health care, banking, and nonprofits.

There are lots of advantages we can achieve by developing a calm mind. When you’re so stressed up, you are more likely to react to situations than to respond with reason. You also perceive the world differently. Stress makes us narrowly focused, preventing us from seeing the bigger picture. When we’re calmer, our attention becomes broader. In fact, we literally see more things.

Cultivating a more restful, relaxed state of mind doesn’t mean we’ll drown under all our responsibilities. Instead, research says it will bring us greater attention, energy, and creativity to tackle them. And science also points to simple ways we can tap into that calm state of mind to be more resilient in our chaotic lives.

The following are ways to develop a calm and peaceful mind:

Focus on gratitude

It’s good to practice gratitude in everything we are passing through. We should be grateful no matter what we are going through. It helps to focus more in issues at hand and not build anxiety.

When we’re facing a series of challenges, it can be easy to slip into tunnel vision and focus on what’s going wrong at the expense of noticing what’s going well. Even taking the time to write down just three things each day that we feel grateful for can help reinstate a balanced perspective on our day-to-day experience.

Make time to meditate

Meditation has a number of positive effects on mind and body. It’s also deceptively hard, which is why many people try it once or twice but struggle to make it a regular habit.

Meditation helps combat the physical and emotional effects of stress and has lasting benefits that affect your productivity, as well as your ability to relax. Set aside time to meditate for just 10 minutes a day over the next week or two and experience the benefits for yourself.

Distance yourself from negative self-talk and beliefs

We should avoid self-criticism because it reduce self-esteem. We can’t necessarily stop ourselves experiencing negative self-talk and beliefs but we can distance ourselves from them. Using the phrase “I notice that… [I’m judging myself harshly for forgetting that file this morning]” whenever we identify a negative self-judgement or belief helps us see these beliefs for what they really are: opinions, rather than facts.

Also Check Out: Physical activities that helps develop the mind

Experiment

It’s important to remember that everyone is different. What helps one person find peace and calm might have the opposite effect on the next. As you go about your day, notice the times when you feel most at ease and make note of what you’re doing at that time. Experiment with the methods above, as well as your own suggestions, and create your own list of activities that help your mind find clarity and relaxation.

Some people find peace when talking to people they love and care about while some don’t find it easy doing such. That’s the importance of doing emotional experiment.

Keep a journal

Journaling is a great way to get our thoughts out of our heads and onto paper. Writing down our most pressing thoughts and worries each day has a similar effect to talking to someone about them. By making time to journal, you’re giving yourself the chance to process your thoughts and feelings, and to express them in a safe, private space.

Conclusion

Life is full of ups and downs but we shouldn’t let that bring us down. We are stronger than we thought but when we are not calm, it’s like trying to see the bottom of a pot while the water in it is boiling. You can’t see the base until the water is calm.

5 Best Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

Johellaa

5 May 2022

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily postponing decisions or actions. Procrastination is one of the most popular phenomenon because around 20% of the adult population and 50% of the student population say that they procrastinate in a serious and chronic manner. Furthermore, even people who aren’t chronic procrastinators still struggle with procrastination from time to time, and suffer from it to various degrees in their everyday life.

In addition, as you’ve likely noticed, procrastination is a serious problem, which can lead to a wide range of issues. Accordingly, it’s not surprising that procrastination is associated with worse grades in school, lower salaries in the workplace, a higher likelihood of being unemployed, increased stress, higher rates of mental health issues, and higher rates of physical health problems.

This shows us the things we can be experiencing if procrastination is our way of life. If you’re a procrastinator, you’ve probably asked yourself some variation of the following question in the past:

“Why do I keep procrastinating even though I know that it’s bad for me and even though I want to stop?”

People often assume that they procrastinate simply as a result of laziness or a lack of willpower, but the real answer is much more complex than that, and has to do with the cognitive mechanisms that we use in order to self-regulate our behavior, in our attempts to bring ourselves to take action that is in our best interest.

In short, when we need to perform a certain task, we usually rely on our self-control in order to get ourselves to do so. Furthermore, our motivation, which is based on the desire for some reward which we will receive as a result of completing that task, can provide a helpful boost to our self-control, which helps us act in a timely manner. However, there are various demotivating factors, such as anxiety or fear of failure, that have an opposite effect than our motivation, meaning that they can make us more likely to postpone our tasks unnecessarily, instead of getting them done in a timely manner.

In addition, there are also various hindering factors, such as mental exhaustion or distracting environments that interfere with our self-control and motivation directly, in a way that also makes us more likely to procrastinate. Whenever these demotivating and hindering factors outweigh our self-control and motivation, we end up procrastinating. We then have to wait until the balance between them shifts back in our favor before we can get started on our work, which can sometimes take a very long time.

How to overcome procrastination

As strong as procrastination may be, there are some ways that have been tested and proven that they work. You can try out the following tips to overcome your procrastination.

1. Create a to do list

Start by creating a to-do list with things that you would like to accomplish. If necessary, put a date next to each item if there is a deadline that you need to meet.

Estimate how long each task will take to complete, and then double that number so that you don’t fall into the cognitive trap of underestimating how long each project will take.

2. Face your fear

Fear is one factor that contributes to procrastination. This can involve a fear of failure, a fear of making mistakes, or even a fear of success. If you are afraid of success because you secretly believe that you don’t deserve it, it is important to realize that your self-handicapping might be keeping you from achieving your goals. By addressing the fear that is keeping you from getting started, you can begin to overcome your procrastination habit.

3. Recognize the source of problem

As you start to tackle items on your list, pay attention to when thoughts of procrastination start to creep into your mind. If you find yourself thinking “I don’t feel like doing this now” or “I’ll have time to work on this later,” then you need to recognize that you are about to procrastinate.

Also Check Out: How To Set Achievable Smart Goals

4. Clear all distraction

It’s hard to get any real work done when you keep turning your attention to what’s on television or you keep checking your friends’ Facebook status updates. Assign yourself a period of time during which you turn off all distractions—such as music, television, and social networking sites—and use that time to focus all of your attention on the task at hand.

5. Once you have completed a task (or even a small portion of a larger task), it is important to reward yourself for your efforts

Give yourself the opportunity to indulge in something that you find fun and enjoyable, whether it’s attending a sporting event, playing a video game, watching your favorite TV show, or looking at pictures on a social sharing site.

Conclusion

Procrastination is a deadly disease. If you let it, it won’t mind eating deep into every part of you. Make sure to always stay woke especially when that voice will keep telling you “There is still time, relax, you can do it later”. Even if you don’t feel like it, go and do a little of that thing and with time, you will get used to it and procrastination will run very far away from you.

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