My Declaration of Commitment: Speaking Spanish
Commitment yields reward, exponentially if done correctly; my recent commitment is to language.
7 years of “Spanish Classes” = a few memorized words. “Pequeno” might be the most sophisticated word I have memorized. My personal dictionary of Spanish words is one page with words that are 28 pt. font. Essentially empty, maybe 5 words. My conversational abilities non-existent. Here’s to another chapter on my journey of self-growth: committing to becoming conversational in Spanish.
Inspired by folks online and a handful of articles I have recently read—Jack Raines, Tim Ferriss 1 and 2, David Perrell—it’s time I commit. This is something I have been practicing and prioritizing lately. Committing more frequently (oxymoron?) and committing with more intensity. I am a victim of optionality. Dating apps, food choices, and clothing brands, to name a few. Optionality leads to less understanding. In order to truly reap any reward, one must commit.
See David Perrell’s graphic below:
Jump from option to option and you may eventually find what you are looking for, but the chances of finding the value in any option come from your ability to commit to it over a long period of time. Learn it, practice it, iterate it. Options present value but also beget more options.
Extracting and creating value is the hardest part. It requires long-term commitment. From David’s Essay, Hugging the X-Axis
The challenge is that people who treat their lives like a game of hot potato, always moving from thing to thing, can’t take advantage of exponential curves — and climb the Y-axis.
Though the point of having options is to eventually commit to something, having too many options can prevent us from committing to anything at all. When the going gets tough, people with a litany of options are more likely to jump ship than navigate the rocky waters.
That’s why today I am committing. I am committing to becoming a more well-rounded citizen of this world. To step outside of my comfort zone and try to learn a new language. I could choose French because it is considered the most beautiful language of all. Paris is beautiful and a few of my friends speak French, but I am after conversational proficiency and expected value. According to Berlitz, currently Spanish is the 4th most widely spoken language in the world (native and non-native speakers). Whats more important is the language that will provide me with the most value in the future. By 2050, 1 in 3 people in the United States will speak Spanish. I want to be that 1.
So, this is my formal declaration of commitment
I am sitting here painting a vision in my head. I frequently do this. Whether it is the worst-case (not often) or best-case (most of the time) scenario, I picture it in my head. I create this situation where I have accomplished what I am after and work it into existence. In this case, literally, speak it into existence:
I am in Manhattan. Walking along the streets hearing bits and pieces of conversation as I traverse. Yup, understand that. I am in a grocery store and I hear some people exchanging jokes. Nah, not that funny. I am ordering some tacos at a local Spanish restaurant, ALL IN SPANISH. Man, this is so cool. I am conversational in Spanish.
It feels good saying this. I have committed to it.
The Plan
I haven’t put too much thought into the formulated process for learning, but thankfully, folks like Jack and Tim have:
The steps:
Learn the pronunciation of the alphabet
Learn subject/object/verb agreement
Learn core rules
Learn to conjugate simple verbs in the past, present, and future tenses
Memorize the 100 most common words
Talk. Talk. Talk.
Consume media
Don't stop
Most likely going to start here. Although I would add a step before the first one. My first step would be: “1. Commit to learning”.
Nothing great comes from half-assed effort. So in a way, I have already begun the process. Shifting your mindset is the first step. Learning to commit. Committing to executing the aforementioned 8 steps is the succession of commitment to the process. Understanding the time it takes to learning. Doing something every single day. Long-term vision.
A second option would be Duolingo or Babbel. Still doing some research into these, but they are well respected resources that I’d imagine can provide me some value on my journey. Not ruling these out, however, they may approach learning with the ultimate goal of fluency. My goal is conversational proficiency.
Commitment is scary, or its not. You can look at it two ways:
Opportunity Cost: losing out on the opportunity of all other existing options by selecting and committing to 1 option; or
Optimism: seeing the exponential value that can ultimately be realized from committing to only one option
It’s the cliche glass-half-full vs. half-empty metaphor.
For me, it’s growth, exponential growth at that. I see the value in learning a language like Spanish. I see a future where it will pay dividends to be conversationally fluent. In situations where others cannot function, I thrive. Where others cannot read a paper, listen to a podcast, or watch a Netflix show, I can. Not to mention… kind of a bucket list thing :)
What is one thing you have committed to lately?
Gracias por leyendo (yes I Google’d this; if this is incorrect Spanish pls tell me).
Your friend,
Cam
P.S. please say hi on Twitter!