{"id":3448,"date":"2015-07-22T08:26:56","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T12:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=3448"},"modified":"2020-10-01T14:47:39","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T18:47:39","slug":"setting-the-conditions-for-language-learning-trip-over-your-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2015\/07\/22\/setting-the-conditions-for-language-learning-trip-over-your-task\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting the Conditions for Language Learning \u2013 Trip Over your Task"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this blog, it is a pretty safe assumption that you want to learn a language, sustain a language, and\/or improve a language. All of this is great. Transparent Language has created the greatest tool<\/a> for language for all three objectives.<\/p>\n

Technology is a fantastic medium, but everything in life breaks down to action. Behavior. Execution. What are you going to do with these innovations?<\/p>\n

In the Army we use a phrase \u2018Setting the Conditions\u2019<\/strong>. As I have matured over the years, I see all the implications of this phrase. Leadership, training, organization, planning, logistics, communication, coordinating, the areas in which we must \u2018set the conditions\u2019 are nearly infinite.<\/p>\n

The primary reason we need to \u2018set the conditions\u2019 is due to a phenomena called the \u2018hot cold empathy gap\u2019. In short, humans totally underestimate the power and influence of feelings on our behavior. Said differently, a warm man doesn\u2019t understand how a cold man feels. In the Army, this is why commanders live in the same conditions as their soldiers.<\/p>\n

How does this influence our behavior? In a \u2018warm\u2019 state, fully rested, inspired to achieve some goal\u2014lose weight, get up earlier, stop smoking, begin a new Yoga routine, learn an instrument, learn a language–we make plans based upon this \u2018warm state\u2019.<\/p>\n

At that time we make this mental commitment, we underestimate how it will actually feel to begin such an activity.\u00a0 Just getting up a bit earlier is an experience of shock. The warmth of the bed, the urge to return to sleep is so powerful at 0500\u2014nothing like we assumed at noon the previous day when making this decision.<\/p>\n

This totally reminds me of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman yelling at Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket. Pyle cannot negotiate the first ladder in an obstacle course, and Hartman yells, (among other colorful language) \u201cIf God wanted you up there, He would have \u2018miracled\u2019 your butt up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting the conditions is being realistic enough to understand that God will not \u2018miracle\u2019 us to our stated goal, but simply making a commitment without putting in some scaffolding around that decision leaves us like Private Pyle,150 lbs of chewed bubble gum.<\/p>\n

What are some examples of \u2018setting the conditions\u2019? Here are a few that I try incorporate for other areas in my life:<\/p>\n