Learning Chinese: Update #1

Nee hau! Hello everyone! We are a little over halfway through the month of August and I am loving every minute. Learning Chinese has been an incredible task that I’ve taken on for my month’s activity. It is definitely one of the harder activities I’ve chosen on My 12 Month Journey, but that is one of the reasons I love it so much.
 
Before you read any further, I know what you are thinking… and yes, I know that I can’t learn Chinese in just one month. That is completely okay with me. What I can learn are some of the basics and by the end of the month my goal is to be able to know enough Chinese to have a basic intro conversation with someone.

As I’ve mentioned before, the goal of My 12 Month Journey is to do things out of my comfort zone or to try things I’ve always wanted to do. Well, Chinese is something I’ve always wanted to do and depending on how the rest of the month goes, it could be an activity that I continue to pursue so that I can become a master converser in Chinese.
 
For this month, I decided that I wanted to focus on learning to speak and understand Mandarin Chinese. Writing it would be cool, but I will have to learn that at a later date. Some of the reasons I chose to pick Chinese as August’s activity are because:
 

1. I want to be more cultured.
2. I want to learn another language or at least a part of one.
3. I want to leverage this experience to improve business relationships and make new ones.
4. I’ve always wanted to learn Chinese and now I’m taking action to pursue something I want.

 
For the next several weeks, I am going to continue studying Chinese and learning as much as I can. I have been using Snapchat as a way to practice conversing, so I highly recommend checking that out (you can follow me on Snapchat at JKELF).  Not only is it great practice for me, but you can learn a few words or get a great laugh in. My accent is not the best, but hey, I’m trying! ;)
 
One of the things I love most about My 12 Month Journey is when I post on Snapchat or Instagram and people reach out to me asking me questions or commenting on the activity. Just last week I had someone ask me about the resources I’ve been using along this journey and I was able to help him figure out how he could start trying the activities he’s always wanted to do.
 
Little moments and comments like this are why I started My 12 Month Journey. I hope that I can continue to inspire or give you a laugh throughout the rest of this month.
 
Dzie djee-en! (This means goodbye in case you didn’t know)

Jake Kelfer is a bestselling author, high energy inspirational speaker and career elevation coach. He aims to inspire people on their journey to personal success and happiness. His first book, Elevate Beyond, provides a framework for gaining an advantage in school, work and life. You can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. ​​​