Julie Zeff is the founder of Vivid Living and has been coaching people to live vivid and extraordinary lives they love for more than a decade. She is a life coach, yoga instructor, writer, and speaker.

Julie provides individual and group coaching to working and busy moms across the country. She has three young children, a husband she adores and coaches clients from her backyard office in sunny Los Angeles, California. Sign up for her newsletter and visit her online at www.vividliving.net

The versatility and power of phones these days is amazing. They are smart, convenient, stylish, fun, and super functional.

I’m a Working and Busy Moms Life Coach and I have three kids. I recently got smartphone. I love it! And, I can see how this smartphone stuff could easily get out of hand.

I love that I can email my clients from anywhere. I can coordinate play dates on the fly. I can compare prices of paper towel while shopping at Target. I use it to find directions and to look up addresses or phone numbers for restaurants. I even use it to look up answers to questions my kids have, like “Mom, did people ever eat horses?” And, yes, I use it to keep my kids occupied at the doctor’s office, on an airplane or when I’m at my wits end – all on this one little nifty device.

But what happens when using your phone gets out of hand? What happens when it is the first thing you look at in the morning, the last thing you look at before you go to bed and when you are more familiar with the apps store, your email layout or your screen background than you are with the smile on your children’s faces?

Many of my clients come to me looking for more work/life balance – they are exhausted. One common complaint is that they work long hours and then come home to spend even more time working or checking their phones all evening. They feel discouraged and share that they dream about spending uninterrupted quality time with their kids, husband or even, (gasp) enjoying some “me-time” instead, but just don’t know where to start.

So, as the functionality of our nifty new phones increases, we are challenged to integrate them into our lives in ways that bring us more vivid and extraordinary living – instead of allowing them to take over and to take us away from what is most important.

One client, upon coming home from 10-hour days at the office, felt compelled to check her Blackberry five or six times every night just in case some important work messages arrived. She was constantly stressed and felt guilty that she wasn’t giving her family her undivided attention.

Wanting to feel more relaxed and at ease in the evenings with her family, she accepted the challenge of turning off her Blackberry the minute she walked in the door. It wasn’t easy at first, but she practiced it until it felt easy and natural to her. She began to enjoy, deeply, her precious time with her daughter and husband. She felt more balanced and reclaimed a part of her life that had been missing.

If your phone is getting in the way of living your vivid and extraordinary life, then I invite you to get smart about using your smartphone this week.

Here are some tips.

1. Add it up. Get curious about how much time you actually spend on your phone in a day. Add it all up. What’s the ideal amount of time you’d like to spend on your phone in a day?

2. Just don’t do it! Notice the impulse to check your phone and just don’t do it- even though it might buzz, ring or chirp. Be present with what/who is right in front of you. Breathe. You’ll live! You can check it later. The world will wait.

3. Turn it off. Turn off your phone for an hour one day. Then try two hours the next day. Then try three hours. Fill up your time doing something you love.

4. Commit to family and down time. Turn off your phone from the time you walk in the door until your kids go to sleep (if you do have kids). Commit to uninterrupted family and down time every day.

5. Celebrate and Notice. What do you get by spending less time on your phone? Celebrate even the small victories.

Get smart and conscious about how you use your smartphone. Go live your vivid and extraordinary life.

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Kathleen Hassan is a nationally recognized speaker, author and confidence coach who inspires women and teen girls to find their inner power, build self-esteem & self-confidence and develop life skills for a joyful, healthy, balanced and successful life.

Visit her online at www.KathleenHassan.com

How do you begin your day? Most people roll out of bed and hit the ground running. Many of us can’t imagine starting off without an infusion of caffeine while drinking in the awfulness of the news and then can’t for the life of us figure out why we are exhausted and depressed by noon!

The average consumer is exposed to about 3000 advertising messages a day and nearly half of them hit you within the first hour of waking up. Crest, Braun, L’Oreal, Starbucks, CNN, CNBC, Blackberry, Panasonic, Coach, Louis Vuitton and the list goes on and on.

We’ve been assaulted, conditioned, brainwashed and barraged before we’ve even left the house! With all these products and services vying for space in your head, it is vital to carve out some time to set the direction and tone for your day rather than letting life decide for you.

As a life coach, my job is to help my clients move from conditioning to consciousness so they can choose and create a successful life from a source of inner strength and confidence. My job is not to give advice but to help a client go within and find their own truth. However, if I were to offer just one suggestion that I believe would help my clients achieve that it would be this –

Change the way you start your day . . . and change your life forever!

The great equalizer of humanity is the fact that each of us, whether we are rich or poor, male or female, skinny or fat, has been allotted 24 hours each day to live our lives to the fullest. Instead of allowing that 24 hours to run you, decide to begin each day setting an intention to create the life of your dreams. That doesn’t, however, mean being driven by your goals and to-do lists. Ironically when we make a conscious choice to begin each day with thoughtful attention to turning within, we become much more efficient and we will begin to see our dreams manifest before our very eyes.

Here are a few ways to begin your day that will help you to tap into a source of strength and inner power that will carry you through every challenge.

Develop a morning ritual. Every great athlete has a pre-game ritual. Is your day any less important and don’t you want to win today? Begin your day with a gratitude list. Find five things each morning for which you’re thankful. When you focus your attention on gratitude your attitude will reach new altitudes and you will attract more good back!

Quiet your mind by focusing on your breath. Don’t try to force or change your breathing, simply observe it and become aware of the inhalation and exhalation. Say to yourself “I know I’m breathing in… I know I’m breathing out.” Conscious breathing turns on the relaxation response and turns off the flight or fight response. Instead of going out the door prepared for battle, prepare yourself to step into the flow and let yourself be carried.

Develop a positive mindset by using powerful affirmations and visualizations. Learn how to harness the power of your thoughts by using positive self-talk and by picturing the ideal day in your mind.

Don’t let the title “The Perfect Start” scare you off or make you believe that you have to do any of this perfectly. It is the consistency and commitment to taking charge of your thoughts that will eventually bring to you your perfect day and life.

You may be thinking that you don’t have time to do all this and wondering why you should even bother? Here is the reason – like attracts like and thoughts become things. You will draw to yourself whatever it is that you are focusing upon. By turning your attention inward, you will connect to the peace, love, harmony and well-being of who you are – deep below the surface of your so-called “reality.”

It is this changeless, eternal part of you that remains unaffected by circumstances. When peace is the goal, rather than checking off the items on your to-do list, the stuff that needs to get done – gets done – without struggle, control, manipulation or burning up energy by trying too hard.

Just five minutes of quiet breathing, prayer, affirmations or simply setting an intention will have a dramatic effect on the way your day unfolds! When you consciously choose to be centered and focused, there is a much greater likelihood that the same kind of day will follow. Stop letting life shape you and decide today to create a life you love. As Ghandi once said “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

By beginning your day in peace, not only will you be assured a peace-filled day, you can actually change the world.

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Mark Chussil is the author of Nice Start and other books. He has founded several businesses, consulted and lectured on six continents, earned his MBA from Harvard and his BA from Yale, and serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of the Children. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he sings and plays his guitar when he thinks no one else can hear.

I have chosen myself to serve as the center of my own private universe. Who else would I choose?

Still, there are 6,599,999,999 other people in the world, and on occasion I notice some of them. For example, I notice politicians who annoy me and drivers who get in my way. But mostly I notice the people who commit countless, endless acts of graciousness, kindness, and generosity, and I am thankful for them.

Thankful*

I am thankful for the road workers who labor at night so I’m not inconvenienced, and who create the nice, smooth roads that make driving a pleasure.

I am thankful for the people at the car dealership who wash my car when I bring it in for service.

I am thankful for the letter carrier who delivers impossibly misaddressed letters to me.

I am thankful for the newspaper delivery person whose strong arm and accurate aim mean I don’t have to walk far from my door on rainy days.

I am thankful for the person who rings up my groceries with a real smile.

I am thankful for the friend who makes sure I know about a TV show that I might like.

I am thankful for flight attendants who work hard to make sure I am happy and comfortable.

I am thankful for people who prepare for emergencies that we all hope will never come.

I am thankful for the technical-support experts who politely tell me the eight-number DNS server identifier my computer needs to connect to the Internet using TCP/IPv4, whatever that is.

Explorations you can try

1) List 10 people you are thankful for and why you’re thankful for them.

2) Circle those you haven’t ever thanked or haven’t thanked in a long time.

3) Tell them you’re thankful for them.

(It’s okay to include yourself in the list.)

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” Margaret Cousins (1905?-1996)

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” Woody Allen (1935-)

Each of the people for whom I am thankful has their own private universe, in which they presumably serve as the center. Sometimes they will notice some of the 6,599,999,999 people who are not them, and occasionally some of them will notice me. When they do, I hope that I’ve lived my life in such a way that they are thankful for me.

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* “Thankful” is an excerpt from Nice Start: Questions Only You Can Answer to Create the Life Only You Can Live, copyright © 2010 Mark Chussil.

Marie-Josee Shaar, received a first degree in Organizational Behavior from McGill University, she received a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her credentials and experience have taken her work from the USA to England, France, Australia and Japan.

MJ has also prepared and/or instructed curricula for various universities and is a monthly author for the Positive Psychology News Daily and a member of the International Positive Psychology Association. You can see some of MJ’s articles here.

www.smartsandstamina.com

Ever had someone ask you to snap out of a bad mood? How did that work for you?

In general, changing our moods on purpose is a tall order. The adage “Fake it till you make it,” may be somewhat helpful, but it feels forced and therefore takes a lot of effort.

The two tips I’m about to share are quite different. They are drawn from my book Smarts and Stamina: The Busy Person’s Guide to Optimal Health and Performance (out in September 2011). The first will give you an instant mood boost no matter what state you are in to begin with (or almost!), and the second will help you build a stronger base that will make you more resilient over time.

So let’s get started. Positive psychology research has tested many techniques to help us better manage our moods, and according to the founder of the field Martin Seligman, the single most reliable way to increase positive emotions is to perform acts of kindness for other people. Kindness takes the focus away from us, and then through emotional contagion, we get the boost that the other person is feeling.

For example, one day I was feeling a bit low. To cheer me up, my hubby brought me a huge–and I do mean huge–bouquet of roses. The bunch was so big that I couldn’t fit it in any of our vases. That was already a boost in itself, I have to say, but the best part is that after filling our largest vase, we decided to distribute the rest of my roses to people on our street.

It felt slightly awkward at first, but then one of the recipients put a hand on her heart and said, “You just gave me hope!” That certainly was the most meaningful flower of the day. Ever since, I try to remember to perform random acts of kindness for others whenever I feel low, and in general, I realize that in the end I’m really being kind to myself when I am kind to others.

If you like the idea of being kind to yourself, you may also like this tip: at the end of each day, write in journal a few things you did that day that you are most proud of. This is my twist on an old positive psychology classic that is heavily supported by research. It’s often an immediate mood booster, and it trains the brain to focus on what works (as opposed to what doesn’t) over the longer run. When we see what we do right, we start to feel capable of more.

I used this tip with a client who felt extremely empowered about her career, but who felt she didn’t do anything right when it came to her health. “My success comes at a price,” she’d say. Indeed, she went to bed very late, never found time to exercise, ate fast food all too often, rarely chewed on anything green, and compensated for her lack of energy by drinking five to seven sodas per day.

We started her change program with my Proud Moments journal. I asked her to focus on her health habits only. The first few days, she had to make an effort to find anything she was proud of health-wise, but with prompting, she could find a few items to write down. One day it was eating a fruit, the next it was walking to a client’s office a few blocks down the street rather than hailing a cab. Those were small steps, but they taught her not to wait for earth-shattering changes to feel she was making progress.

Slowly but surely, she started to make more and more healthy choices because she wanted to have more to write and feel proud about. Six months later, she was getting a seven-hour night–much better than the six hours she had been getting previously. She started to walk to work and back every day and to lift weights once per week.

She was enjoying two fruits and two veggies per day and had decreased her soda consumption to one or two per day, choosing water the rest of the time. Admittedly, she wasn’t about to receive any health awards just yet, but the progress was tremendous. And it all started with writing down her proud moments.

Research shows that happier people tend to be more productive and creative, make more money, get promoted faster, collaborate more effectively, and live longer lives than their gloomier counterparts. If you feel you are too busy to invest in your mood, think again.

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Kathy McDonald, is a certified professional coach, MBA and author of Creating Your Life Collage and owner of
Get Clear, Get Going Coaching, Inc.

“I know I should get this certification done,” my client Barbara lamented, “But I just can’t seem to get myself to sit down and study for the exam.”

“Because it’s a waste of time. It’s becoming standard in my industry but I’ll never use this stuff,” she said.

Barbara hit on the number one reason why we procrastinate. In case you missed it, it’s because: WE DON’T WANT TO DO IT.

Yep, our inner rebellious teenager has hi-jacked our resolve.

Too often, there is something getting good and wrinkly on our to-do list because we “have” to do it.

If it’s something we can’t delegate or ignore, we have to figure out how to turn the task from a “have to” into “I choose to.” Notice the difference. There’s resistance when forced to do what we don’t want to do. With “I choose to” we are at choice. But if it’s something our boss is making us do, how do we turn it into a choice? Isn’t this just word games?

Find the core motivation

As Barbara beat herself up about not studying to complete her certification I surprised her by saying, “Great. Don’t do it.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Give yourself permission not to do it,” I challenged and then waited.

Barbara’s face turned from relief to crinkled brow in under a minute. Now I knew we were getting somewhere. Truth was, she had her resume out with recruiters for a year but there had been no offers.

She just found her core motivation to turn her “have to” into a “choose to”. In order to remain competitive in her field she needed the certification, which would help ensure her family’s financial stability, something that was critically important to her.

Explore your resistance.

When Barbara was laid off from her vice president job two years ago she took a step-down position in order to keep working through the worst of the recession. At first she resented her lower status. But the upside was her new company let her work from home two days a week. She had grown to love the flexibility and didn’t want to give that up. What she really wanted was flexible work that challenged her intellectually and was financially rewarding.

She just uncovered why she was resisting certification. On the surface, she saw the certification as industry hoop-jumping, making her expand her knowledge in a way she’d never use. But underneath, there was concern she’d be enticed by a job offer that would erode her flexility, something she had come to value more than a big title. She chose to pursue the certification for her family’s financial stability while hoping to land a position with enough power to build flexibility into her job.

What is your resistance telling you?

For Barbara, digging deeper helped her realize how important flexibility was to her in any new position she considered.

Your resistance is trying to tell you something. Ask yourself, “Why am I resisting here?” It could be from a fear of looking silly because the goals aren’t clear. If so, you now know what you need to move forward – get goal clarity.

Your resistance could come from the fact that you view the task as non-essential busy-work. It’s normal to feel resistance around something you don’t want to do, especially if it feels like a waste of time. Getting more information from your boss as to why she considers it essential may be enough to get you moving.

If this doesn’t do the trick, consider what you can get out of it – satisfaction in a job well done, being held in high regard by a boss, furthering your career prospects, or when all else fails, enjoy the energy you free up by finally getting it off your to-do list. Reward yourself by spending some of the energy you release on something you’ve been wanting to do.

Procrastination doesn’t have to stop you. Go within to uncover where the resistance lies. With that awareness you’ll have the insights you need to move forward.

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Sandy Griffin is a motivational speaker, life coach, author and advocate for the homeless
working with people from all walks of life to discover how to live in their purpose, while loving themselves and others around them and keeping the fun and ‘life’ in their lives. SandyGriffin.com

The economy is frightening, food prices are escalating, wages are frozen, jobs are scarce–laughter is free, but there is not too much to laugh about these days.

I work with clients to discover ways to bring the fun back into their lives. It’s something that comes easily to me, having grown up in a poor family of twelve kids.

One morning, Mary Ann walked in the door of my office. She plunked down on the hard chair. The pain and lack of zest in her life was evident on her sullen face.

Mary Ann began her story; a story very much like yours and mine: starting her career, moving up the ladder, society maven, got married, had kids, being a mover and shaker at work, but still feeling that ‘something’ is missing in life . . . something like the fun. Mary Ann tried everything she knew to bring laughter back to herself and her family.

Years ago I babysat in my home and started to celebrate crazy days, like National Pig Day on March 1, National Licorice Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day. Well, you get the picture. You get the ‘fun’ picture.

All of a sudden life became fun because of these small changes. I chose to look at the fun days that no one expected to celebrate and I chose to have fun. Then I decided to teach this to my clients. That small decision makes all of the difference in the world. That choice made life come alive to people like Mary Ann.

Mary Ann, like so many other women, is let down by birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s Day. And let’s face it: Valentine’s Day puts every woman into PMS, whether it is her time for it or not. It is our expectations that disappoint us and leave us feeling empty.

Recently I answered my phone early in the morning. It was my oldest daughter calling form across the country wishing me a happy Buzzard Day. The rest of my day could not help but be filled with joy as I carried that message in my hearty the rest of the day.

When Mary Ann left my office that first day she was clutching my book, Free to Celebrate, in her hands. I watched as she opened the book and peeked in to see that it was National Hot Dog Day, No Homework Day, I am in Control Day, Take a Walk in the Park Day, Pencil Day and Frozen Food Day. I could almost see her mind turning, wondering, “How should I have fun with this day, and with who?”

Years ago I started to have fun with the various days to celebrate and I soon found that I was looking for other ways to break up the monotony of the days. I did not let any fun opportunities get past me. One day I walked into a grocery store and noticed that the card section was being closed down. The sign screamed out to me ‘GREETING CARDS 90% Off!’.

Being a woman who cannot pass up a good deal I sauntered; No, I sprinted to the shelves with picked-over cards hanging on for dear life from the shelves. I grabbed some cards only to notice that they were all in Spanish. All of them. BUT they were 90% off; a deal too good to pass up. My mind started thinking and pretty soon I had an arm full of Spanish greeting cards. What made this funnier yet is that I only know one expression in Spanish and that is Te quiero mucho – I love you very much! So I had not a clue as to what the sentiments on the card were.

I immediately sent a card to each of my daughters in college, signing it with the only Spanish words I know: Te quiero mucho!

When they got the cards they called me and quizzically asked me what the cards said. I informed them that I had no idea but that the cards were such a good deal that I could not pass them up. We have laughed at this for years. Not only that, at times when friends were going through tough times I would purchase a gift card from a local Mexican restaurant and put it in any random Spanish card I have and write, you guessed it, Te quiero mucho!

Two weeks after I worked with Mary Ann, she walked back through the doors of my office. Or rather, should I say that she danced though the doors? She was filled with life and so excited to share with me the BIG changes that had taken place because of the little changes she made in her life. She giggled as she relayed the stories of what she did for Oscar Meyer’s Birthday; Middle Child Day and Teddy Bear’s Picnic Day. She went on to tell how her family thought she was crazy at first, but soon got on the band wagon and joined in finding ways to make others happy by celebrating ordinary days and making them ‘extra’-ordinary.

One small change. One huge life shift. It makes all of the difference in the world. Try it. And move out of the way as the fun returns to your life and the laughter starts. Enjoy every single moment and share your joy.

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Meghan Liebetrau is a South African living in London. She’s a former dancer with a background in health and skincare. She currently work as an account manager for a recruitment company specializing in luxury brands. She’s written for ‘The South African,’ a London based newspaper, and worked in the publishing sector.

Why Sun Lotion is Damaging Your Skin As Well as Your Health – And What to Do About It

The reason behind our belief that sunscreen protects against skin cancer is simple.  The FDA and the corporate organizations who market sunscreen products have purposefully kept the truth from consumers.  I am here to shed a little light on the subject of sunscreen and how it can do more harm than good. These are the things that conventional medicine and sunscreen companies will never tell you.

Scientific evidence shows that sunscreen products have more ability to promote cancer than to prevent it.  The use of SPF blocks the body’s absorption of UV which is essential to the body for the production of Vitamin D – an underestimated, powerful antioxidant that, when deficient in the body, causes all types of diseases and disorders like depression, osteoporosis, hormonal imbalances, even obesity.  However, if the body as an adequate supply, Vitamin D can prevent up to 80% of ALL cancers.

There is an endless list of toxic, carcinogenic ingredients in sunscreen that have the ability to be absorbed into the bloodstream and do serious damage to DNA.  If you are spending a lot of time in the sun and you insist on wearing a sunscreen, finding the most natural one is of utmost importance.  However, not all ‘natural’ sunscreens are in fact ‘natural.’  A non-profit organization called the Environmental Working Group has established an informative website that lists over 700 sunscreens on the market and the toxic chemicals they contain.  They provide advice on which sunscreens are safer than others and which ones to avoid. You can view this list at www.ewg.org/sunscreen/.

Using sunscreen is only a temporary solution in protecting your skin from burning.  The problem is that the majority of sunscreens only protect against UVB rays – these rays cause the burning effect in the skin.  They do not adequately protect from the harmful UVA rays which are responsible for premature ageing and cancer due to their ability to penetrate deep into the dermal layers.  The only way to truly protect your skin from burning, pre-mature ageing and cancer is to understand how your body is designed to produce its own ‘internal sunscreen.’

The body is a profound working machine that was made to defend itself against its environment without any help from chemicals.  It has the ability to produce its own immunity to the sun but there is one key secret for it to be able to do this and that is correct nutrition.

A diet of refined carbohydrates, chemical additives, sugary drinks and processed foods alters your body chemistry, allowing it to become highly vulnerable to sunburn.  By changing your diet to include fresh produce, superfoods and nutritional supplements, you can cause your body to become nearly 100% immune to sunburn by blocking excess UV rays naturally.  People with paler skins will also find that they are able to be in the sun for longer periods without getting burned and without the increased risk of skin cancer.   Include foods such as berries (Goji and Acai berries are extremely effective), spirulina and chlorella into your daily eating as well as fresh fruit and vegetables which are all high in antioxidants.

Once a certain amount of natural immunity is produced in the body, you will be able to gain a healthy tan without burning or running the risk of skin cancer.  To have a healthy tan that is produced from the body’s own natural immunity (not by forced sun exposure with tanning oils and low SPF’S) is a sign of excellent Vitamin D production which means that there is enough in the body to protect against harmful diseases.

Sunlight is vital to our body, yet we spend so much time applying sunscreen and covering up because of the negative impression we have of the sun.  This is not to say that we need to go into the sun for hours and get burned to smithereens.  Our bodies require a certain amount of sunlight per day and as long as this is not exceeded, we will not burn or run the risk of developing cancer.  For a pale skin, 15 minutes per day is enough and for darker skins, 2 hours per day is perfectly acceptable.

It is a universal misapprehension that UV exposure alone causes cancer.   The truth is that skin cancer is often caused when UV exposure is combined with unremitting nutritional deficiencies and lack of antioxidants that cause the skin to become vulnerable.  The foods we eat and the chemicals we put on our skin both play an immense part in determining our skin’s reaction to UV exposure.  The old saying ‘you are what you eat’ truly gives sun protection a whole new meaning!

Christina Ball is the founder and director of Speak! Language Center, a foreign language and culture center based in Charlottesville, Virginia. As an Italianist with a Ph.D in Italian Literature from Yale University, Christina has taught Italian language and culture to students from 4-84 for the past 18 years, both at schools and universities and, now, at Speak! She not only helps people around the country plan ideal trips to Italy, but also meets intrepid Italian language lovers from around the world in the Umbrian Hilltown of Todi for her popular two week immersion experience, Two Weeks in Todi.

So you wish you could speak Italian (French, Spanish…)?
As a child growing up in the suburbs of Boston, my siblings and I spent weekends listening to my grandparents speaking, singing and – only rarely – yelling in melodic, gesture-rich, familiar yet mysterious italiano. Eager to be accepted as an American and distance herself from her family’s immigrant roots, my mother never spoke to us in the Neapolitan dialect of her parents and thus we kids were often surrounded by the sounds of a language that we, unfortunately,  couldn’t really understand.

Perhaps precisely for this reason, foreign tongues have always fascinated me – with Italian leading the pack. After years of studying French in middle and high school, I could finally immerse myself in the Italian language and culture during a blissful college semester in Rome.   In the sun-drenched piazzas and noisy trattorias of this dynamic city, within a few months all of those pesky verbs conjugations finally gelled in my mind and actually started flowing from my tongue with ease and, eventually, beautiful fluency. Thus began my obsession with combining language learning with cultural immersion as often as possible – and eventually making it my life’s personal and professional mission.

Before the ink could dry on my college diploma, I was already living in the hilltown of Cortona in Tuscany, creating an edition of handmade books at an art school there and practicing my Italian with every barista, shopkeeper and new friends for a period of 4 months.  A few years later, as a graduate student at Yale (guess what I decided to study? Italian literature - certo!), I scored a year in Bologna as a Fulbright scholar where I not only attended classes with Italian graduate students but also shared an apartment with two Italians who were gifted story and joke tellers.

Before returning to Yale for the fall, I took a three month pit-stop in Seville, Spain where I jump-started my Spanish by studying four hours daily at a local school  and living with a young woman who, like most Spaniards, was incredibly social. I was basically forced to put whatever I learned in class each morning (and whatever I could translate from Italian) into fast use at tapas bars and out-of-town excursions with her exuberant circle of friends.

In Sevilla, as in Rome, Cortona and Bologna, I realized that becoming truly fluent in a foreign language involves much more than grammar, vocabulary and excellent pronunciation. Language cannot exist in a bubble, because it is rich with cultural nuances, subtle intonation shifts, meaning-packed gestures and facial expressions – basically, all of the elements that make up the true pulse, the heart and soul of a language.  Elements that most online course are ill equipped to teach.  As I’ve not only experienced first-hand, but also witnessed as a foreign language specialist, without cultural awareness and face-to-face conversations, without festivals and long, leisurely meals, language skills acquired with a head-set on or in a cultural vacuum can only take you so far.

Since 2004 as the owner of Speak! Language Center, where we teach 10 languages using a cultural and conversational method, I have witnessed students of all ages gain  – and retain – proficiency by merging live, conversation-based classes in their home town with prolonged periods of language and culture immersion abroad.  Adult students in Virginia -  let’s use Italian as an example – take from 1-3 classes a week at Speak! ranging from the basics to courses teaching language through opera or film.  Once they have built a strong foundation, it’s off to Italy – often to the hilltown of Todi in Umbria – where they become fully immersed in the language and culture for an extended period of time.

Just like I did as a student, participants in Speak!’s Italian immersion program study Italian for 3-4 hours each morning in small or individual conversation-based classes and spend the rest of their day chatting with their host family over long lunches, making friends with the barista and the hairdresser, reading, attending concerts and, ultimately, living like a local. Within a few months, most not only attain a high level of proficiency in the language (much depends on the individual) but also find themselves using dialect words, gestures and even exclamations entirely unique to that particular Umbrian town. They adjust to the rhythm of life, learn to nap between 2-4pm, to have small breakfasts and big lunches, to drink wine at midday and to lose their fear of mispronouncing a word here or there. They learn that to truly become fluent in Italian requires, simply, speaking with and living like a local.

Personally, I have found that students not only achieve the best results in a short period of time through this method, but also retain what they’ve learned for much longer.

Dreaming of new sounds flowing off your tongue with ease?

SIX STEPS TO LINGUISTUIC AND CULTURAL FLUENCY

LOVE IT TO LEARN IT! Pick a language you a truly motivated to learn, whether for personal or professional reasons.

PREPARE YOUR FOUNDATION. Before planning your immersion experience abroad, build a strong foundation in grammar and pronunciation via one-on-one or small group conversation-based language lessons. Use online resources for extra practice but always prioritize face-to-face speaking opportunities as much as possible.

TALK IT UP. Language is social! Learn with a friend or as a family in order to assure ample practice time and to make the learning experience more interactive and fun.

LANGUAGE IS CULTURE. Immerse yourself in the CULTURE of the language you’re learning! Watch films, listen to music or dialogues while strolling or driving, practice cooking the cuisine and read, read, read!

GRAB YOUR PASSPORT! Plan your IMMERSION EXPERIENCE ABROAD. Select a program that will allow you to live with a host family, study in very small group or in one-on-one classes for 3-4 hours per day and introduce you to a variety of locals through cultural encounters and excursions.

USE IT OR LOSE IT!  Just as a plant needs sunshine and water to stay alive and, ideally, thrive, your new language needs to be exercised after you return home through lots of spoken practice.

Barbara Singer is single, 49 years old and madly in love with a man named Giuseppe. She is a three time marathon finisher and two time Ironman tri-athlete and has one grown daughter. Her greatest passion is inspiring others to take a leap of faith and start living their dream. Still happily homeless, Barbara is currently spending the summer in Tuscany, living on a winery.

 

If your life has stalled or you are tired of chancing the “slave, save, die” mentality–just stop! Then, restart! I did that, and it worked out beyond my wildest dreams. At age 45, I found myself single, empty nested and in a job that no longer served me.

I liquidated all of my possessions, rented out my house, cut my expenses to almost nothing and traveled to Italy even though I didn’t know anyone or speak the language. Upon arrival, I rented a room from a local woman I found on the internet.

New surroundings will change the way you see the world. My new mantra became, “collect experiences, not stuff”. Disconnecting from constant news of fear and doomsday, consumerism and junk TV allowed me to enjoy the little things in life again, especially the wonderfully slow pace of European living and the luxury of time. Now I have time to read and go for evening walks in the piazza.

I have just two filled suitcases and a computer as my sole possessions, and live with a family in their home. I love not maintaining a house, car or having to managing multiple possessions. I choose to have a passport filled with stamps rather than chasing the illusion of security and waiting for retirement in order to truly “live.”

Once you make the decision, your view of the world changes. From then on your mindset becomes ‘one of movement, mobility and raveling light. For me, I no longer need anything, and everything is negotiable. I make my choices freely. I choose to spend my time differently. I choose to spend money differently. I choose to live my life differently.’ Choose what is best for you, not what others think is best for you.

Ask Yourself:
Would you rather have a plane ticket or a mortgage?

Would you rather have freedom or a paycheck?

Would you rather have a backpack or a walk-in closet?

Would you rather have a passport filled with stamps or a bank account filled with money?

Would you rather live your dream or watch someone else live it on Reality TV?

Hit the road. Don’t overplan, just go! If you wait until everything is in place you will never go. Decide to meet new people who are living incredible lifestyles now. It will open your eyes and blow your mind.

When I first moved to Italy, it was only supposed to be for four months, a mini retirement. However, once I arrived, I discovered all kinds of opportunities. Don’t think traditional methods such as getting a work visa, getting a contract job, renting an apartment and buying furniture. Keep it light and loose, an “I ‘m just passing through” mentality. Do look for opportunities to provide a service that calls for your natural talents.

You can’t see these opportunities in another part of the world until you are living there. Proximity is power! If the first place you land is not a good fit, move again. My dream was to live in Florence, but once I lived there for a month, I discovered that I loved the green rolling hills of Chianti more, and rented a different room there. That’s where my dream truly materialized.

After hearing my story, the number one question everyone asks is “How did you really do it?.” The key strategy is to have no reoccurring monthly expenses. I have just three:- health insurance, cell phone and small storage unit. I couldn’t afford to keep a house and car back home and live abroad. You must take that initial leap of faith and choose.

Remember, you can always go back to the Rat Race. On my website www.LivingWithoutReservations.com. I offer some basic tips on how to quit your life, become mobile and live on a budget anywhere in the world. I invite you to begin your new adventure by visiting me there, and if you make that leap, do let me know how it goes!

Liz McGowen is a life coach who provides anti-burnout tools for entrepreneurs. She is a former clinical social worker, avid sports fan, and mother of three girls from Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Visit www.lizmcgowen.com or follow Liz on Twitter.

Annie, a personal trainer, began her business when she moved to Chicago. Just a couple of short months earlier, she had been part of a tight-knit staff team providing personal training to members of an upscale gym.

Although she was excellent at working with clients and soon built a loyal following, in the initial stage of her new business, Annie felt isolated and unhappy. She realized that she had no one to talk to about her transition and what was really going on.

Annie’s situation is not uncommon. The transition to entrepreneurship can be a difficult one, partly because of isolation. Many of us leave a fairly tight-knit world of colleagues behind. Then, for reasons of our own, or ones that life has forced upon us, we leap off the cliff into entrepreneurship.

For most of us, this is an unfamiliar world and we are utterly alone.

It’s rare that we can share our hopes, fears, defeats and triumphs. We certainly can’t honestly share our defeats or fears, because as soon as we do our family will freak out and our mother-in-law will start sending us “help wanted” ads on Facebook.

Explaining our triumphs is sometimes just as disheartening. After all, how can we adequately detail our absolute brilliance in selling out our latest class? It all just doesn’t translate to someone who wasn’t involved.

Let’s face it, the world is a lonely place for entrepreneurs. We work harder than we can ever imagine, often without the kinds of emotional support we deserve.

We worry that all our hard work just might be a labor of love, and that if we don’t succeed we’ll face ridicule and rejection.

So, how on earth can a new entrepreneur survive?
You can remember that your gifts are unique. Yes, that’s right, absolutely unique. It is highly unlikely that anyone else on the planet, let alone in your area of the world and your field of expertise, has the exact gifts you have. What is more, even if they did, it is even less likely that person would actually recognize what they have and use their skills in the exact same way that you do. So, it’s safe to say that you are unique in what you offer the world.

You can understand that all entrepreneurs struggle — it’s part of the journey. Every single entrepreneur I have ever met has war stories — the greater their success, usually the more dramatic the stories. Personally, I treasure those stories and love to hear them. Someday, you will have your own stories to tell; meanwhile, hang in there and keep moving forward.

You can know that every single entrepreneur has fears. No matter how big and cushy your mansion is, you will always have fears. Many of us share the same fear, or a version of it: We essentially are afraid we’ll end up living in a van down by the river. I’d like to point out that this is the classic urban myth of the entrepreneur – after all, do you actually know any river-side van dwellers? Any in your profession? I thought not. Yes, there are great risks, but I think you are smart enough and resourceful enough not to have this fear become reality.

Finally, you can realize that there are many points of connection between all of us. Entrepreneurs, like nearly everyone else, are always delighted to share their stories with those who will listen. I encourage you to seek out your fellow entrepreneurs and form relationships with them – whether in your area of expertise or in your local environment, or both. Figure out a time and place to talk with them – not in a sales-ey way, but in a let’s-have-a-conversation way. Learn what connects you, and strengthen that bond as you move forward. It is perfectly natural to want and need help.

You will struggle. You will have fears, but you are unique and connected. These four elements are true for all of us who are brave enough to strike out on our own.

Your own personal path as an entrepreneur is a journey that no one else can undertake but you – and I wish you the smoothest possible route to your success. If you enjoyed this article, please use the icons on the left to Tweet it, or Like it on Facebook.