NEL MINDSET 9: TRY SOMETHING NEW FOR 30 DAYS
SUB
A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut, so I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock, and try something new for 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit – like watching the news – from your life.
There are a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. It first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable. This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I also noticed that I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work. For fun!
Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before started my 30-day challenges. I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000-words novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a day for a month. So I did.
By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you’ve written your words for the day. You may be sleep-deprived, but you’ll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great American novel? No, I wrote it in a month. It’s awful. But for the rest of my life, if I meet John Hodgman at TED party, I don’t have to say, “I’m a computer scientist.” No, no, if I want to, I can say, “I’m a novelist.” So here’s one last thing. I’d like to mention. I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There’s nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they’re a ton of fun. But they’re less likely to stick.
When I gave up sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this. So here’s my question to you: what are you waiting for? I guarantee you the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot!
For the next 30 days.
Thanks!
DAY 1
A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut, so I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock, and try something new for 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit – like watching the news – from your life.
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- What does “ stuck in a rut” mean? Can you paraphrase this expression?
- Who’s the Morgan Spurlock?
- What does the speaker learn while doing these 30 days challenges?
There are a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. It first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable. This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I also noticed that I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work. For fun!
Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before started my 30-day challenges. I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
- What does he realize after he started his 30 days challenges?
- Have you ever tried to do something new for 30 days?
Homework:
- Listen to the video at least 5 times
- Practice pronunciation and prepare part 2
DAY 2
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000-words novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a day for a month. So I did.
- Do the popcorn game (pronunciation)
- What does “ from scratch” mean? Can you paraphrase this expression?
- What did the speaker do in 30 days?
By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you’ve written your words for the day. You may be sleep-deprived, but you’ll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great American novel? No, I wrote it in a month. It’s awful. But for the rest of my life, if I meet John Hodgman at TED party, I don’t have to say, “I’m a computer scientist.” No, no, if I want to, I can say, “I’m a novelist.” So here’s one last thing. I’d like to mention. I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There’s nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they’re a ton of fun. But they’re less likely to stick.
When I gave up sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this. So here’s my question to you: what are you waiting for? I guarantee you the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot!
For the next 30 days.
Thanks!
- What did he accomplish?
- What’s the last thing he learns for 30 days challenges?
- Tell your teacher about one of your most adventurous journeys? ( what did you do, how did you feel, and now looking back, what do you feel about that journey….? try including these ones in your speech if possible, try using difficult words and expressions: ended up, want something badly enough, from scratch, turn out to be, you may be,…)
- According to the speaker, giving up sugar is a small, sustainable change or big, crazy challenge? Why?
- What do you think is the main difficulty for 30 days challenge? Why?
- Do you have any good habit that you want to create?
- What’re the benefits that you will get after 30 days-challenge?
Homework:
- Listen to the video at least 5 times
- Practice pronunciation and prepare next lesson