Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #316. - Something rewarding about today

While the Cambridge Dictionary mainly defines "rewarding" as either something with a very positive financial outcome or as "giving a reward, especially by making you feel satisfied that you have done something important or useful, or done something well", the Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers two possible definitions that are both more generic and yet more interesting than the previous one:

- yielding or likely to yield a reward 

- serving as a reward

Merriam-Webster assumes that something can be rewarding not only because of an immediate outcome but also because it could produce or contribute to the necessary circumstances for something pleasant in the long-term.

[Very similar to a gratitude journal, 

writing daily a list of 3-5 things that have been rewarding

can be life-changing over time]

Even more interestingly, "rewarding" can be something serving as a reward, and yet it is not specified as a monetary reward per se: It could be something of intrinsic or personal value, and yet not so easy to recognize from the outside like a big check or expensive items.

LinkedIn two-step verification system and the mystery of human relationships

[The message says:

Two-Step Verification

You are signing in from an unrecognized device.

Please enter the verification code sent to the phone number ending in XXXX 

[United States, Germany in my personal case] to finish signing in.]

When I am signing in to my LinkedIn account, I get the message below, every time, together with a SMS containing the verification code. As soon as I decide to sign in, I get the SMS. Then I just have to use the code sent via SMS to login. Action and reaction. 

Everything is clear, simple, automatic and foreseeable. 

I do something and something else happens, as a consequence. The same action causes the same reaction to happen, every time. If I do A, then and only then I get B. If I do C, something else happens. If I don't do anything, nothing happens.

No surprises, no drama, no tears, no frustration are involved.

Action and reaction. 

Why human relationships can't be like that as well?

Why one has to ask himself/herself all the time if one is doing the right thing or not? Why I have to wait, even if would love to be contacted just right now?

If you should have the solution for the deep mystery of human relationships, please drop me a line.
And feel free to drop me a line even if you don't have the ultimate solution, but just a clue.

Tags: LinkedIn verification code, Human relationships, Action and reaction

The simple and yet not easy trick to feel free and strong and safe and self-confident

I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way. 

Walter Stone Tevis [1928-1984]

I have to admit that I didn't read Walter Tevis' novels and short stories, but I did see The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961), The Color of Money (Martin Scorsese, 1986) and The Man Who Fell to Earth (Nicolas Roeg, 1976), all movie adaptations of his stories, so it is to me a little so, as if I would have known him as a writer. 

[Young, sexy and definitely jackass:

Paul Newman as the pool player Eddie Felson in The Hustler]

For sure I can relate to his experience as a reader of books, since it is the same for me: books helped me massively to get over childhood, the teenage years and a lot of other tough stuff in my life and this never changed, even now that I am an adult woman living a fulfilling life I am absolutely thankful for.

To me books were and are a chance to learn something new, to win a different perspective about things, to discover something I didn't know anything about before, to get valuable input about topics and problems that matter to me, to have fun, to get better at speaking a foreign language in a pleasant way, to find a useful solution about some issue, to challenge myself, to enjoy the time while standing in line, and so on.

Being a reader of books is magic. 

[Lovely tribute to Roald Dahl's Matilda, by Aaron Renier

Image source: Drawn blog]

I would say that I have the same feeling (or an even stronger one) about being a movie watcher, since I spent most part of my life watching a huge amount of movies, I studied cinema history at university and worked over ten years long in the cinema field. Watching movies was my life. Until I realized that living my own life is way more interesting than watching movies. And yet, being a movie watcher saved me more than once. It made me feel free and strong and safe and self-confident and smart and... you got it..

The same happens with writing.

The same happens with dancing.

The same happens with swimming.

The same happens...

It doesn't matter what makes one feel this way. For someone it can be cooking a yummy recipe, for someone else it may be working out a couple of hours at the gym, for another it can be traveling on the highway while driving a motorbike.

[Grease 2 (1982) by Patricia Birch:

a very bad musical with a couple of interesting songs 

and a coooool rider driving a motorbike Honda CL77]

The trick to me is then bringing in one's life more and more of that, while limiting and decreasing as much as possible everything (and everyone) that has a negative, depressing, disheartening influence. 

It is that simple, even if often it is not easy at all. But 'simple' and 'easy' are not synonymous, you know.

What about you?

What does make you feel free and strong?

Tags: Self-confidence, Literature, Cinema, Book reader, Movie watcher, Walter Tevis, People, Quotes

Back on tracks, or getting another chance to say 'Hello' and 'I love you'

Sometimes you get another chance, in life.

It doesn't matter if you deserve it or not, you just get it.

While getting another chance you can decide to change absolutely everything and to start anew, or to get back on tracks, to get back to what you know, to restore your past.

In both cases, getting another chance is pure gold. It makes possible for you to see your life with new eyes, to fix your mistakes, to say 'Hello' and 'I love you' one more time, to stop worrying for things not worth your precious time. 

To do things in a better way. To be better. 

To be honest, with yourself and with others. To care more.

To try once again. To learn once again. To smile once again.

Even if you are alone while doing it. It doesn't matter.

If you can get another chance, be grateful for it. Say thanks to whoever you have to for it, and don't waste this possibility.

Tags: Chances, Another chance

Introducing the magic word for tricky situations: "Nice"

"How do I look with my new haircut/dress?"

"How did you find that friend of mine/my new boyfriend/my new girlfriend?"

"How it was the evening with XZ/at my place?"

We get asked questions like these from people we like / know good / know a little / care about / spend time together every day.

They look like very simple harmless questions, but most of the times they are not.

They imply that we have to take a stand about something, and sometimes we have to declare if we are for or against something or someone. Our answer matters. Our answer can even condition and damage our relationship with the person who is asking the question.

And here we are, dealing again with direct and indirect communication. Because it is not just a matter of intercultural communication, if you know what I mean.

Communication without communicating or the art of being James Bond / Emma Peel in everyday life

Sometimes we all are a little bit like James Bond. 

Or Remington Steele. Or Simon Templar. Or your favourite private eye.

(I would love to say that we all are a little bit like MacGyver or Magnum, P.I., but I don't consider the theory very plausible...)

[Casino Royale by Ian Fleming,

edition with a psychedelic Purple cover in Austin Powers' style]

For sure you know the following situation: you are somewhere, suddenly you notice someone that you know or you were used to know to a certain extent (a present or past colleague, a neighbour, an acquaintance, a close friend, a former lover, someone you met only once, whatever) while the person is not looking at you and hasn't seen you so far, so the person isn't aware that you have seen him/her. 

Then you look somewhere else, maybe just for a couple of seconds or for finishing something you are busy with before talking to the person, but you can still catch a glimpse of the person and notice that he or she is suddenly looking at you and recognizing you, while believing that you are not aware of his/her presence yet.

What can happen next? 

The person can come to you and say hello, of course. Or you can go to the person and say hello as well, as soon as you have a chance to. Or... you can pretend that you haven't seen the person and just keep doing what you are doing, for some reason. 

Or... for some reason the other person can go somewhere else, by changing place and still thinking that you don't know that the person was there and that he/she saw you in the first place.

What if the latter version is what actually happens? What if you know that someone saw you and, while thinking to be unnoticed, just went away without saying hello?

What would you think?

[Modesty Blaise - Top Traitor by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway

Collection of strips from London's Evening Standard

with a Purple cover]

I never get something like that personally, or at least not in a bad way. Actually, most of the time I consider the situation funny and even interesting. Why?

Well, because it gives me the chance to be a little bit like James Bond. Or like Emma Peel. Or like Modesty Blaise. Or like Veronica Mars. Or like... You got the point, I guess. 

While knowing that someone went away without saying hello, I have a powerful piece of information about the person and about my relationship to him/her. 

Since it is not possible not to communicate with someone, while going away without communicating with me, the person is actually already communicating with me, without even knowing it.

[Information is everything

Just ask Batgirl...]

According to a German figure of speech, people always meet twice in life. So I do am probably going to meet the "shy" person once again. And it can even happen that the person is going to need me, to ask me a favour, to have to do with me no matter what.

And then, I will know something about him/her that he/she doesn't know that I know. I will have a little secret...

I am going to be a little bit like James Bond or Emma Peel, after all.

Funny, don't you think?

Tags: Communication, Relationships, Running into someone, Secrets, James Bond, Modesty Blaise, Emma Peel

While facing diversity, are you ready to be an anthropologist on your own Mars?

If you are just like me, you have a giant book wish list: books you would love to get as a present, books you would love to find at a flea market for only a couple of bucks, books you would love to read sooner or later before you die, books you would love to have for your library and so on.

One item of my book wish list is An Anthropologist on Mars (1995) by Oliver Sacks.

I badly want to read the book and I know that I am going to do it, sooner or later, before I die.

[An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks,

edition with an interesting Purple cover]

Even if I know that Sacks´ books are about neurological disorders and diseases, I always thought that the title would be perfect for a science fiction novel as well. Or... for an actual anthropological essay about Mars and its inhabitants.

While moving to Berlin and becoming an expat, I thought a lot about the title of the book and about my very own experience as an expat and in the worst days, while experiencing cultural shock and acute pain because of it, I just told myself again and again that I was something like a beginner anthropologist on my own Mars, in charge of studying and observing different ways of life.

I only had to observe, to learn, to stay open, to suspend my judgement. I only had to breath and to survive.

It helped me a lot, at the time.

[If you don't like Oliver Sacks...

think about Devil Girl from Mars (1954) by David MacDonald]

While living in a new country, in a new culture, in a new working environment, be a little like an anthropologist on your own Mars...

Pay attention to what people around you do, how they behave, what they say, what they not say, how they react to other people and to different situations, how they solve their own problems. 

Follow their example whenever you can and whenever it is a good fit for you. If what people do is not a good fit for you, ask yourself why and stick to your "answer", if you feel like it is a good strategy for you.

In that case, you will learn a lot about not only people around you, but also about yourself.

But don't assume that you already have all the answers.

Pretend to be an anthropologist that studies strange circumstances, willing to discover why people do exactly what they do and not something else. 

While doing like this, it is easier not to take everything personally, not to be hurt, not to stay "blocked" in your previous beliefs only because they are yours. 

You will be more open, more free, more prone to question things and ways of thinking. You will be able to learn. To see situations with new eyes. To adapt and change, if necessary. To fight for your ideas, if necessary.

And this is an inestimable attitude, while living abroad and being confronted every day with diversity in each and every form. 

Are you ready to be an anthropologist on your own Mars?

If not, why?

Previous post:

"What I want to do before I die?" Candy Chang and John Lennon can help you answer that question

Tags: An An Anthropologist on Mars, Facing Diversity, Expat strategies, Cultural shock

How to learn a foreign language while watching movies

A good way for learning a foreign language is watching movies in that language, no matter if in original version with or without subtitles. The subtitles offer a lot of different solutions and combinations, for that matter.

Let's use a German movie as an example. What about Good Bye Lenin! or Run Lola Run?

[Good Bye Lenin! (2003) by Wolfgang Becker 

with Daniel Brühl and Katrin Saß]

While watching the movie in German, we would have at least these options to choose from:

#1. German version without subtitles;

#2. German version with subtitles in German;

#3. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in German (if available);

#4. German version with subtitles in English;

#5. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in English (if available);

#6. German version with subtitles in your native tongue, if different from English (Italian, in my case);

#7. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in your native tongue (if available);

#8. German version with subtitles in another foreign language you would love to improve as well (French or Spanish, in my case);

#9. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in another foreign language you would love to improve (if available).

etc.

You got the point, right?

While watching the movie, paying attention to the story and reading the subtitles at the same time, it will be easier for you to remember certain words or idiomatic expressions, to focus on the pronunciation, to understand in which occasions you should say something like that. Or in which occasions you shouldn't say something like that at any cost. 

It all depends on you and on which aspect of this method could be the most interesting and useful for you.
I like for example to discover new idiomatic expressions and figures of speech while seeing immediately in the movie when and how I should use them.

 [One funny German expression I learned from a movie?

 Holla die Waldfee!,

old-fashioned way for meaning What a surprise!]

You can mix the combinations, you can opt for subtitles in your native tongue or in English if you are a little tired or the movie is a difficult one, you can switch to the subtitles in the movie language or in your second (or third...) foreign language if you are familiar with the subject or if you know the book or the comic or that special book-to-film adaptation.

What about you?

Do you watch movies in another language for improving your language skills? In which combination?

Previous post:

A day in 8/15 style...

Tags: Holla die Waldfee, Learning a foreign language, Idiomatic expression, German, How to express surprise, Movies with subtitles

7 easy tips on how to create the right frame for an important meeting

Are you practicing the four steps of Nonviolent Communication?

I hope so!

While using the steps of Nonviolent Communication to face conflicts and difficult situations in a respectful and pleasant way, it's very important to create the right frame for your discussions, in order to make it easy for you and for the other person to ride over the problems without getting stressed and without losing the face. 

[The right frame is essential, 

while discussing an important matter]

Here you can find 7 easy and useful tips, related to emotional intelligence, perfect for creating a peaceful and "productive" frame for a meeting, a discussion or a gathering:

#1.  Don't try to discuss a very important matter with someone if you are upset or angry;

#2. Calm down and connect with yourself before doing it.

#3. Ask someone when he/she has time to discuss the matter with you and be open to his/her suggestions.

#4. Discuss the matter with someone in a neutral environment, if possible;

#5. Discuss the matter with someone in a place where you can be sure of not being disturbed by others.

#6. Discuss the matter with someone in private and not in front of other people who are not involved;

#7. Schedule a "feedback" meeting after a week (or after a month, it depends on the matter), if necessary, for discussing improvements, changes and further topics.

Did I forget something?

Are you already using these tips?

Let's discuss in the comments!

Previous posts:

The four fantastic steps of Nonviolent Communication – Step #1. Observations

The four fantastic steps of Nonviolent Communication - Step #2. Feelings

The four fantastic steps of Nonviolent Communication - Step #3. Needs

The four fantastic steps of Nonviolent Communication - Step #4. Requests

Tags: Nonviolent Communication, NVC, Emotional Intelligence, Meeting

Just one question to think about during the weekend to be happier

[Charlie Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill

in City Lights (1931) by Charlie Chaplin]

I thought about today's post the whole week. I prepared at least three different versions of it, about three different topics. I thought about it while being in the shower, going to work and choosing the right picture. 

And yet I changed my mind tonight. And so today I only have one question for you. Only one question, but a very important one.

Ready?

What are you doing right now - and I mean right now - in order to be happy?

Think about it during this weekend. And let me know in the comments, if you feel so.

Have a nice weekend.

Tags: Happiness

Discovering Sushezi, a Sushi maker that simplifies preparing Sushi at home for Maki-lovers

As you already know, I rave about delicious Vegan Sushi and Vegan Frushi...

I could eat it every day. And yes, I enjoy it so much, that I write Sushi with a capital letter...

[Easy-to-follow instructions of Sushezi

Image source: Sushezi.Com]

Unfortunately Sushi and Frushi can be either expensive, or time-consuming, or they can mess your kitchen up. I know a couple of places in Berlin where eating Sushi is less expensive than usual, but eating Sushi every day? It's tempting, but not healthy, at least financially speaking.

That's why this week I was so happy to discover the Sushi maker Sushezi, produced in New Zealand since 2007. Why I am discovering it only now?!

But I am digressing from this interesting Sushi maker...

Its motto is "Perfect sushi made easy" and looking at the pics preparing Sushi at home looks really easy and "dummies-proof". And the rolls are perfectly formed, regular and neat.

[Sushezi instructions - Steps #1. to #5.]

According to the instructions for using Sushezi & preparing sushi rice tips (downloadable in PDF format on the official website and included in the package) it's possible to use the Sushi maker for preparing Maki at home in 10 easy steps, with fillings of your choice. 

In my case, it would be slices of avocadoes, cucumbers, celeries, carrots, bean sprouts, tofu, bananas, strawberries, apples...

What about you? 

[Sushezi instructions - Steps #6. to #10.]

Sushezi website has a simple, elegant and user-friendly layout and includes five common sections: 

1. Home 
2. Instructions 
3. Other uses 
4. Where to buy 
5. Contact us

Unfortunately "Where to buy" is currently listing only stores located in New Zealand, but there are international distributors for Argentina, Australia, France, Israel, North America, Republic of South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine and United Kingdom. And I have also seen Sushezi on Amazon and eBay.

The website is announcing the forthcoming publication of its first Sushezi recipe book and meanwhile it suggests other uses for Sushezi: Ginger-nut Log, Lolly Cake Roll, Chocolate salami, Walnut fudge rooll, Basic biscuits...

But I think I am going to focus on Vegan Sushi and Frushi. After all I have to catch up years without eating enough of it...

Did you already know Sushezi? (and if yes, why didn't you tell me?!)

Or do you have another Sushi-making procedure? Let me know in the comments!

Previous post:

Waiting for home-made Vegan Frushi...

Tags: Sushi maker, Frushi, Sushi, Vegan, Maki, Sushezi

Would you like to know something more about coaching? Take a look at the Pixar movie "Cars"

When I tell someone that I am interested in coaching and coaching techniques, the question I immediately get  is: "What exactly does a coach do?".

A coach is a professional working with clients by using specific techniques and tools from different fields, depending on the client's needs.

A coachee is someone willing to improve or change some aspects in his/her life (business or comunication skills, career aspirations, health, marriage, family relationships, working atmosphere, sport performances). We can talk about a "client" referring to one singular coachee, two lovers, a family, managers and executives, leaders, athletes, a group of colleagues working in the same company, etc.

The coach and the coachee establish a relationship and they work together, in order to make it easier for the coachee to discover his/her goals and/or stay focused on them, to analyze his/her strenghts and weaknesses, to better understand which kind of changes he/she wants to (or not to) achieve and how to do so, etc.

Most people think that they don't know what a coach does even if they actually see coaches in action on a regular basis. In schools, fitness studios, universities, teams of professionals and athletes, foundations, administrative offices and... in movies too.

[The "perfect" coach-coachee relationship:

Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson]

You can find a funny example of a coach-coachee relationship in the Pixar movie Cars (2006), by John Lasseter and Joe Ranft. At the beginning of the movie, the racing car Lightning McQueen is using visualization techniques to focus on the imminent race, to boost his performance and motivation, to improve his self-confidence. The wannabe champion is somehow his own coach and he keeps saying to himself:

Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast.

Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. 

No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning.

In the race he demonstrates two things: he is a rough diamond with a lot of talent for sure, but he is not able to cooperate with others. He can't use his great skills effectively. 

This is also the feedback that he gets from older racer Strip "The King" Weathers, who gives him some very good advice and who could be a precious coach for Lightning. But the young rookie is unaware of his weaknesses and he doesn't take the chance to learn from a big champion and to improve his skills. 

The situation is the same, as Lightning McQueen meets Doc Hudson for the first time and the movie shows in an interesting and touching way how Lightning and Doc can create a good coach-coachee relationship, that allows Lightning to become a better racer and a happier person (well, a happier car actually).

I didn't notice this aspect of the Pixar movie that much, when I saw it for the first time. Since I am into coaching now and I spent my last year by learning a lot about it, I really found it enlightening, when last week I was seeing the movie again.

What about you? Did you like the movie? Do you prefer another Pixar movie?

Do you want another example? What about Doc Hollywood?

Stay tuned: we will talk about it at some point!

Tags: Coaching, Coachee, Relationship, Cars, Pixar, Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson

On Air: The forgotten talent of Bert Sommer

Since my childhood I am used to collect articles "to be read later, when I will have some time".

Sometimes this "when I will have some time" means to be able to read those articles after years. Literally, years. I did it for a very long time, but I lately decided to change my habits and now I am reading these famous old articles on a regular basis... And I am trying to not collect any new articles.

I've got time, after all, because I decided to find it.

I've got time, because I want to.

While reading one of these articles, about Woodstock (yes, that Woodstock: the first one in 1969, of course!), I stumbled upon the name of Bert Sommer and I was a little bit surprised, because I was sure to know a lot about the concert but I have never heard about Bert Sommer.

[Bert Sommer at Woodstock, 1969]

Now I know that he was a skinny, talented 20 years old songwriter with amazing hippie-like hair as he attended to Woodstock and that his performance was the only one getting a standing ovation. His performance was not featured in the famous movie about Woodstock and his songs were not included in the compilation released after the concert. 

His career suffered because of it. 

We can say that he has not been lucky.

And he died in 1990.

Bert Sommer has maybe been forgotten by a lot of people, but his music still is very fresh and his voice beautiful and vibrant.

Since copyright policies are very specific (and annoying) in Germany, I am not going to link a video or a playlist.

But don't miss the music of Bert Sommer, trust me.

Just google him. And let me know if you like him like I do.

ps. According to reliable sources, the hair that you can see in the first poster of the legendary musical Hair are those of Bert.

Italian version of this post - Versione italiana

Tags: Woodstock, Concert, Singer, Music, Bert Sommer

A day in 8/15 style...

... doesn't mean nothing to most of you, right?

But if you are a German-speaking person, you can understand for sure the meaning of this idiomatic expression.

'08/15' means for most German speakers 'standard' or, even worse, 'nothing special'.

If you would like to describe a situation, an habit, a result or a product that is standard, a little bit cheap and maybe boring as well, you can use this idiom and almost every person would get your point. 

This is a good example about something very difficult to translate and also difficult to understand, if you manage to know a little German (as a language) but no German at all (as a culture). 

I always find extremely fascinating how much a language and a culture are related and tend to influence each other massively without giving this impression at all. This is one of the reasons because speaking a foreign language with proficiency is challenging and requires a lot of exercise (and the right background).

There is no place for 08/15 performances, if you want to speak a foreign language very well. Instead of seeing a problem in it, I like and accept the challenge. It's part of the game, after all.

And you? Do you have a favourite idiomatic expression?

ps. Despite the title of the post, my day wasn't 08/15 at all.

Further information:

08/15 Redewendung [in German]

Tags: 08/15, Translation, Idiomatic expression, German, Standard

Do you need a cold shower? And other clichés...

There are stereotypes and clichés that are "more real than reality", as we say in Italian.

Sometimes feeling bad is a really good thing. Sometimes a bad thing is more positive than it appears or it gives us the right kick to get going, to restart, to change. To be awake, at last. To see what we didn't want to see or to understand.

Among the clichés that are used and overused in movies we can find for example:
- throwing up after a hangover;
- a cold shower;
- receiving a slap when having a hysterical reaction;

- crying uncontrollably.

Still sure that "bad" always means "bad"?

--

Alcuni stereotipi e clichées sono "più veri del vero", come si dice in italiano.

A volte sentirsi male è in realtà un'ottima cosa. A volte qualcosa di negativo è più positivo di quanto non sembri o ci dà la giusta spinta per metterci in moto, per ricominciare, per cambiare. Per svegliarci, infine. Per vedere ciò che non volevamo vedere o capire.

Tra i clichées che vengono usati e abusati nei film si possono trovare, per esempio:
- vomitare dopo una sbornia;

- fare una doccia fredda;
- ricevere uno schiaffo dopo aver avuto una reazione isterica;

- piangere in maniera incontrollata.

Siamo proprio sicuri che "negativo" significhi sempre "negativo"?

Tags: Clichés, Stereotypes, Cold shower, Changes, Clichées, Stereotipi, Doccia fredda, Cambiamenti

Playing with words #1. Exotic or erotic?

For many people, something (or someone...) exotic is ipso facto also attractive and maybe erotic. Already heard about dark Latin lovers or cute Japanese girls, anyone?

Under these circumstancese, being exotic somehow means being erotic too...

[A beautiful and exotic Purple flower
Image source: Healthy Home Gardening]

Until today I had never noticed that only one consonant separates also literally something exotic from something erotic, in at least four languages. But I'm starting to doubt in a lot more...

• English - exotic / erotic
• French - exotique / érotique
• German - exotisch / erotisch
• Italian - esotico / erotico

Do you know other languages for this wordplay?

--

Per molte persone, qualcosa (o qualcuno...) esotico è automaticamente attraente e in una certa misura erotico. Avete già sentito parlare di focosi Latin lovers e deliziose ragazze giapponesi?
In tali circostanze, essere esotici significa in qualche modo essere anche erotici...

Fino a oggi non avevo notato che solo una consonante separa anche letteralmente qualcosa esotico da qualcosa erotico, in almeno quattro lingue. Ma probabilmente in molte di più...

• Inglese - exotic / erotic
• Francese - exotique / érotique
• Tedesco - exotisch / erotisch
• Italiano - esotico / erotico

Conoscete altre lingue in cui questo gioco di parole sia valido?

Tags: Word play, Adjective, Language, Learning a language, Exotic, Erotic, Gioco di parole, Aggettivo, Imparare una lingua, Esotico, Erotico

I'm mad about Mark Twain #4.

[Mark Twain]

Always do right! This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

Mark Twain [pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910]

Sometimes my biggest fear is to not be able to follow this wonderful quote. That I'm not good enough. That I'm not smart enough. That I'm not brave enough.
But I've learned something about fear, something you could consider a cliché if you want, but I consider true: fear keeps you alive. I'm scared. I'm alive.

Previous posts:
I'm mad about Mark Twain #1.
I'm mad about Mark Twain #2.
I'm mad about Mark Twain #3

Tags: Mark Twain, Literature, Fear, People, Quotes

One of the biggest Skype mysteries ever

[While communicating, 

please don't waste other people's time]

In my humble opinion... one of the biggest Skype mysteries ever is why people contact other people on Skype by asking 'How are you?' if they don't really want to wait for the time necessary to get a reply...

Tags: Skype, Skype netiquette, Virtual communication

I'm mad about Mark Twain #3.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.

Mark Twain [pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910]

Without fear, I suspect we could be dead. With too much fear, I'm sure we could be dead. Maybe not literally, but it doesn't matter. To live without passion and spontaneity is like to not live at all.

How to manage fear is a cultural issue and most of people are unaware of it. They consider fear as the worst thing in the world and they try to avoid everything that could originate a doubt or a question or, even worst, lead to a 'dangerous' or risky situation. They're overwhelmed by fear and they don't live, just survive.

For me this habit doesn't make sense. So today, double feature for you: not one, but two Mark Twain's quotes!
The second one is:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Have a wonderful, spontaneous, risky and peaceful Sunday.

Previous posts:
I'm mad about Mark Twain #1.
I'm mad about Mark Twain #2.

Tags: Mark Twain, Literature, Fear, Courage, People, Quotes

Mood: GBGH aka 'Go Big or Go Home'

[Bertolt Brecht
Image source: Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e. V.]

It's all right to hesitate if you then go ahead.

Eugen Bertolt Friedrich Brecht [1898-1956]

I'm going to go ahead even though I'm not always sure what I'm doing good and what I'm doing wrong. 'Go Big or Go Home', they say. I'm not so sure I'm going Big, but definitely I'm going to go ahead.

Tags: Giving up, Go big or go home, Bertolt Brecht, People, Quotes