I've had a blast.....
Lewis Jaquest
I help high-achieving German professionals with intermediate and advanced-level English develop sustainable communication skills using fun, creative and engaging learning.
Lex, is everything ok?
"Yes, Larry, all good, I'm just saying goodbye, you know, laters, so long, have a good one.."
But what's with the blast? I thought there'd been an explosion.
"Oh, Larry, still getting the wrong end of the stick, I see!"
Oh dear. What's that with the blast, then?
"It's just a way of saying I've had a great time, really good fun...."
Ohhhh, I see!!!
Reader, before you go any further, this newsletter is both the ending and the beginning.
The bad news: This will be the last LinkedIn newsletter from Lex & Larry.
The good news: As Lex & Larry wave goodbye, the Wordsmithery Weekly emerges with the brand new newsletter "Gimme 5"!
(Larry: Well, it's not actually brand new, Lewis. This is the seventh edition already.)
True, true....but still....I would be thrilled if you would like to continue receiving the newsletter. So here's what you need to know.....
Gimme 5 is a free weekly newsletter for professionals with intermediate & advanced English. Each edition has 5 short, easy to read sections packed with:
The bad news: Gimme 5 is only available to mailing list subscribers.
More good news! You can sign up to receive future newsletters for free here: https://mailchi.mp/246196a67f04/gimme-5
Even more good news!! Before you sign up, take a few minutes (well, 5, to be precise) to read the latest edition below.
And if you are wondering if it's worth subscribing, this is what three subscribers have to say so far after the first 7 editions:
"Really interesting edition. Thank you!" Katja S.
"I really enjoy your newsletter. It reminds me of your lessons, which I really miss." Katrin M.
"Your newsletters are outstanding! Perfect mix. Not too long, not too short and well chosen topics." Monika H.
Enjoy reading and see you for the next edition.
1.THE BIG 5
WRITTEN by Lewis Jaquest
Hi there and welcome to Wordsmithery Weekly, the newsletter for English language learners and enthusiasts.
When I hear the term The Big 5, the first thing that springs to mind is the 5 animals that safari tourists have on their wish list to see, namely elephant, lion, leopard, rhino & African buffalo.
The Big 5 concept also inspired author John Strelecky in his wonderful book “The Big 5 for life”. The book encourages us to think about how we can live a fulfiling private & professional life by finding out what our own “Big 5” are (5 personal goals) and aligning them with our one big PFE (Personal Purpose for life). ?
Leadership, values, happiness and fulfilment are leitmotivs that run throughout the book.
What I really like about the book is that Strelecky suggests that we should imagine ?every day in our life is recorded and forms part of our own personal museum of life, which we visit when we die.
Strelecky’s idea is that the museum is designed according to how you spend your time on earth - so, if you spend 10% of your time travelling, then there would be 10% of the museum dedicated to that. If you spend 50% of your life in a job you hate, then half of the museum would show that. You get the idea…
It got me thinking about my own goals, my own Big 5 for Life and how they help fit into my big ,overarching PFE.
It’s certainly food for thought and maybe something you have thought about, too?
How do you want your own museum to look? If you think about it you are the architect and designing it as we speak….
2. LITTLE 5
I recently came across this photo of me sitting on my bike when I was 5. The bike was called the TT Rider and it was my first ever one.
Learning to ride a bike for the first time is one of those experiences that a lot of people can relate to. That moment when everything suddenly works and you are in the flow.
It’s that moment when you suddenly find the perfect balance between challenge & skill.
This perfect balance is what the psychologist Csikszentmihalyi dubbed “flow”.
His definition of flow is “being completely involved in an activity. Time flies and every action, movement & thought flows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.”
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Flow can be applied to many different areas of life and skills including language learning.
It is something that I work a lot on achieving in my lessons: creating a fine balance between the optimum level of challenge and attainability, so that learners can perform to their best and feel comfortable and confident.
How about you? Can you think of a situation in your professional life when you have achieved this state of flow?
3.BUCKET LIST
As 2024 gradually draws to an end and 2025 hones into view, many people start talking about making resolutions.
To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of this, as I have goals (big 5s, for example) that I want to achieve that are not connected to a particular time of year.
You’ve probably come across the expression bucket list to talk about a list of things you want to do, experiences you want to have, goals you want to accomplish.
But have you ever wondered where the terms bucket list comes from?
Well, interestingly enough, it comes from the expression “to kick the bucket” which is a soft way of saying to die.
So, it’s basically a list of things you want to do before you die. Nice and macabre, right?
4. MY BIG 5 FOR 25
On the subject of big 5s and bucket lists, I’ve already started drawing up my goals for next year.
Top of the list of professional goals is to go to Edinburgh in April and give my first ever presentation at the IATEFL teaching conference.
This has been on my bucket list for a while and I’m really excited (and a little nervous) at the prospect.
Another professional goal is to launch a podcast for language learners with a colleague of mine.
I have recently recorded my first podcasts as part of a year-end review with some learners, which turned out really well.
Other personal goals are health, finance, learning & hobby related.
What about you, what would be on your big 5 list?
Health goals, professional goals, learning goals? Before you write your list, read number 5....
5.AMB
As someone who runs their own business, AMB is one of the most useful concepts I’ve learnt this year. It stands for Always Measure Backwards.
We often measure progress by setting goals, making plans, reaching milestones.
We tend to do this in business, but also with our health, with learning goals and in life in general. For example:
All these things are goals that face forward and look to the future.
AMB does the opposite. It is a way of looking at what has been achieved and to use that (recent) data and information to help make good, healthy, informed decisions in the future.
As we are approaching the end of the year, I’m using the same measuring backwards approach when I look at this newsletter over the last 4 weeks, always looking to improve based on what has hppened so far.
In this case, I am very pleased to have had such positive feedback from so many of you who subscribe, which helps me to continue creating interesting & useful English language content - so my heartfelt thanks to you!
Why not try the AMB approach yourself - as a mindful way of seeing what you have already achieved professionally, or as a way of building good learning habits in English, or anything else you are learning.
What can you use it for and what insights can you gain?
I’d love to hear about it on the message board if you want to share.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and see you in 2025.
English teacher helping professional women communicate confidently in English so they can achieve their full potential in their careers. | Tailored one-to-one English lessons and online community.
2 个月Good luck with the new newsletter!